gender equality is a myth complete essay

Gender Equality is a Myth

In this essay, we will analyze how Gender Equality is a Myth in some cases. While in other cases, Gender Equality can be achieved.

Nature has made both men and women biologically and physically different from each other. Men are created muscular and strong while women are naturally weak creations.

Based on these physiological differences, there are different sets of defined roles for both genders. So, attaining equality in these roles is out of the question.

For example, we cannot expect men to bear a child and give birth. Similarly, we cannot ask women to construct roads and bridges, or build houses.

Moreover, women are usually by nature kind and loving while men are aggressive and more prone to fighting. Thus, women are suitable for jobs like child-rearing, and men as protectors of both women and families.

Therefore, achieving gender equality in genetically defined roles is just a myth.

Achieving Gender-Equality: A Real Struggle

The struggle on part of women since the mid-19th century to achieve equality with men in socio-economic and political spheres and in different walks of life is real and the demand is legitimate.

In the global North, mostly women in developed countries have achieved equality with men. It is worth mentioning here that the demands for equality initially surfaced in the west. Western women demanded political rights and sought the right to vote or ‘suffrage’ with the belief that by achieving the right to vote, women would be able to achieve equality with men in other spheres of life as well.

Thus, based on their struggle in the form of different feminist movements, women in the west have considerably attained equality.

However, in the global south, or in developing or third-world countries, so far gender equality largely remained a myth.

Mostly, women in developing countries like Pakistan, India, etc. remained oppressed and subjugated due to patriarchy and male dominant society. By confining women to four walls, they are deprived of various social, political, and economic rights.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that women are deliberately kept economically dependent on their male counterparts. This lack of economic equality between men and women leads to various incidents of domestic violence.

So far, we have understood that economic deprivation or economic inequalities between men and women have led to male dominance and women subjugation in third-world countries.

It is pertinent to shed light on some of the most prominent factors that hindered women in developing countries from becoming economically independent.

Here, the point of focus would be Pakistani women, and the factors described below are more or less common for women’s conditions in all developing countries.

Why has Gender Equality remained a Myth in third-world countries?

Below are the root causes of oppressed conditions of women specifically in Pakistan , and generally in all developing countries.

1. Globalization and Neo-Liberal Policies are breeding Gender-Inequality

As neo-liberalism supports the globalized economy, capitalism, and free and unregulated markets, it leads to the economic exploitation of women in developing countries.

In the globalized world, multinational companies and industries locate themselves in countries where cheap labor is available.

Thus, in the presence of a large number of unemployed men, women are usually sidelined from economic opportunities. Women are either deprived of economic opportunities under capitalism or given low wages compared to their male counterparts.

2. Traditional Norms and Religious Misinterpretations

Historically and traditionally, women were always considered second-rate citizens. They were treated as an object bound to serve men, thus leading to subjugation and oppression.

As in the words of Aristotle, “The relation of male to female is by nature a relation of superior to inferior and of a ruler to the ruled.”

Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson (the founding father of America) believed that women’s position is in the house, not in politics and public office.

Also, Charles Darwin believed that a man is intellectually superior to a woman.

Although these traditionally held beliefs had been challenged by women in the west in the 19th and 20th centuries, yet in the global south or in developing countries, these views are still unchallenged.

Moreover, religious misinterpretations like ‘women should not leave their house without their male counterparts’, or ‘coeducation is a curse and must not be allowed’ need to be revisited as these misinterpretations are depriving women of educational and economic opportunities.

Thus, a lack of education leads to economic dependency and further leads to oppression.

3. Various Social Barriers Hampering Women’s Empowerment

Today, like other third-world countries, Pakistan is beset with multiple social issues . Incidents of harassment and rape cases are consistently rising. Every day, gazillions of cases are reported and many go unreported.

With such social complexities in place for women, they found it unsafe to leave home for educational institutions or offices. Thus, confined to four walls, women remained forever dependent on their male guardians.

Without robust legal measures in place, this issue would keep barring women from participating in educational and economic activities.  

4. Patriarchy | Male Dominant Society

Like every other developing country, Pakistan is a patriarchal society where only men have access to economic resources and paid labor.

Whereas, women remained confined to domestic spheres with unpaid tasks like tending children and homes, cooking, washing, cleaning, and serving males.

These deeply entrenched and deep-rooted norms are neither challenged nor considered an issue by the male-dominant elite of the country.

Thus, with zero social reforms on part of the government, women continue to be oppressed and dependent.

5. Lack of Educational Opportunities for Girls

Apart from other obstacles placed in the way of achieving equality, the lack of educational opportunities also adds insult to injury. The provision of education to girls can be the first step towards achieving gender equality. But, mostly the underdeveloped countries present a grim picture in this regard. 

Currently, there are very few educational institutes for women in Pakistan. Moreover, the standard of education in those institutes is also not up to the mark. There is a wide gap in gender parity in literacy. 

Thirty-two percent of primary-school-age girls are out of school in Pakistan. By grade six, 59 percent of girls are out of school. Only 13 percent of girls are still in school by ninth grade. In Balochistan, the province with the lowest percentage of educated women, as of 2014-15, 81 percent of women had not completed primary school. HumanRights Watch Report

Furthermore, the same organization has highlighted a number of issues faced by women in Pakistan in its report.

The lack of access to education for girls is part of a broader landscape of gender inequality in Pakistan. The country has one of Asia’s highest rates of maternal mortality. Violence against women and girls—including rape, so-called “honor” killings and violence, acid attacks, domestic violence, forced marriage, and child marriage—is a serious problem, and government responses are inadequate. Pakistani activists estimate that there are about 1,000 honor killings every year. Twenty-one percent of females marry as children. HumanRights Watch Report

In addition, there are many other existing problems with the education system, particularly for girls and generally for everyone. That includes high costs of education, poor standards of education, ghost schools, and lack of basic infrastructure in schools like chairs, potable water, washrooms, etc.

Poverty is another fundamental barrier in place that makes the attainment of education for female children impossible. According to a report, ‘about 60 million Pakistanis—6.8 to 7.6 million families—were living in poverty, about 29.5 percent of the country’s population.’

Many children are kept out of school either because they are engaged in some paid job due to povert y or because they are deliberately kept home to do housework.

Moreover, due to poverty, many parents cannot afford school uniforms, travel expenses, books, etc for their children. Thus, without the elimination of poverty, or the provision of free education, women will remain deprived of equal status to men in society.

Wrapping Up

In a nutshell, without proper education and economic independence, the dream of gender equality in society would remain a myth. West was successful in imparting sound education to its women. Today, a western woman is equal to a western man in the social, economic, and political spheres. Whereas, in developing countries, women remained deprived of an education which has ultimately led to economic deprivation and dependency on males.

In order to bring women on an equal footing to men, the government must take pragmatic steps in the right direction. Education must be made compulsory for all girls. This requires significant investment in the education sector. Societal barriers in place must be removed through proper legislation. Laws must be made and enacted in letter and spirit to curb incidents like harassment and rape.

Gender equality in education will lead to gender equality in all other spheres of life.

“No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you. We are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.” Muhammad Ali Jinnah

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• Gender Equality Essay

Introduction to Gender Equality

In a society, everyone has the right to lead his/her life accordingly without any discrimination. When this state is achieved where all individuals are considered to be equal irrespective of their caste, gender, colour, profession, and status, we call it equality. Equality can also be defined as the situation where every individual has the same rights and equal opportunity to grow and prosper. 

Every individual of society dreams for equal rights and access to resources available at their disposal, but there is a lot of discrimination. This discrimination can be due to cultural differences, geographical differences, the colour of the individual, social status and even gender. The most prevalent discrimination is gender inequality. It is not a localised issue and is limited to only certain spheres of life but is prevalent across the globe. Even in progressive societies and top organisations, we can see many examples of gender bias. 

Gender equality can only be achieved when both male and female individuals are treated similarly. But discrimination is a social menace that creates division. We stop being together and stand together to tackle our problems. This social stigma has been creeping into the underbelly of all of society for many centuries. This has also been witnessed in gender-based cases. Gender inequality is the thing of the past as both men and women are creating history in all segments together.

Gender Equality builds a Nation

In this century, women and men enjoy the same privileges. The perception is changing slowly but steadily. People are now becoming more aware of their rights and what they can do in a free society. It has been found that when women and men hold the same position and participate equally, society progresses exclusively and creates a landmark. When a community reaches gender equality, everyone enjoys the same privileges and gets similar scopes in education, health, occupation, and political aspect. Even in the family, when both male and female members are treated in the same way, it is the best place to grow, learn, and add great value.

A nation needs to value every gender equally to progress at the right place. A society attains better development in all aspects when both genders are entitled to similar opportunities. Equal rights in decision making, health, politics, infrastructure, profession, etc will surely advance our society to a new level. The social stigma of women staying inside the house has changed. Nowadays, girls are equally competing with boys in school. They are also creating landmark development in their respective profession. Women are now seeking economic independence before they get married. It gives them the confidence to stand against oppression and make better decisions for themselves.

The age-old social structure dictated that women need to stay inside the home taking care of all when men go out to earn bread and butter. This has been practised for ages when the world outside was not safe. Now that the time has changed and we have successfully made our environment quite safer, women can step forward, get educated, pursue their passion, bring economic balance in their families, and share the weight of a family with men. This, in a cumulative way, will also make a country’s economy progress faster and better.

Methods to measure Gender Equality

Gender equality can be measured and a country’s growth can be traced by using the following methods.

Gender Development Index (GDI) is a gender-based calculation done similar to the Human Development Index. 

Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) is a detailed calculation method of the percentage of female members in decision-making roles. 

Gender Equity Index (GEI) considers economic participation, education, and empowerment.

Global Gender Gap Index assesses the level of gender inequality present on the basis of four criteria: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, health and survival .

According to the Gender Gap Index (GGI), India ranks 140 among 156 participating countries. This denotes that the performance of India has fallen from the previous years, denoting negative growth in terms of closing the gender gap. In the current environment where equality and equal opportunities are considered supreme, this makes India be at a significant disadvantage.

Roadblocks to Gender Equality  

Indian society is still wrecked by such stigmas that dictate that women are meant to manage the home and stay indoors. This is being done for ages, leading to neglect of women in areas like education, health, wealth, and socio-economic fields. 

In addition to that, the dowry system is further crippling society. This ill practice had led to numerous female feticides. It has created a notion that girls are a burden on a family, which is one of the primary reasons a girl child cannot continue her education. Even if they excel in education and become independent, most of them are forced to quit their job as their income is considered a backup source, which is not fair. New-age women are not only independent, but they are confident too. The only thing they demand from society is support, which we should provide them.  

Along with dowry, there is one more burning issue that has a profound impact on women's growth. It is prevalent in all kinds of society and is known as violence. Violence against women is present in one or another form in public and private spaces. Sometimes, violence is accompanied by other burning issues such as exploitation, harassment, and trafficking, making the world unsafe for women. We must take steps to stop this and ensure a safe and healthy place for women.  

Poverty is also one of the major roadblocks towards gender equality. It has led to other malpractices such as child marriage, sale of children, trafficking and child labour, to name a few. Providing equal job opportunities and upliftment of people below the poverty line can help bring some checks onto this.

Initiative Towards Gender Equality

Any kind of discrimination acts as a roadblock in any nation’s growth, and a nation can only prosper when all its citizens have equal rights. Most of the developed countries has comparatively less gender discrimination and provide equal opportunity to both genders. Even the Indian government is taking multiple initiatives to cut down gender discrimination. 

They have initiated a social campaign called “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana” to encourage the education of girl children. Besides this, the government runs multiple other schemes, such as the Women Helpline Scheme, UJJAWALA, National Mission for Empowerment of Women, etc., to generate awareness among the people. Moreover, as responsible citizens, it is our responsibility to spread knowledge on gender discrimination to create a beautiful world for wome n [1] [2] .

FAQs on Gender Equality Essay

1. What Makes Women Unequal to Men?

The social stigmas and beliefs that have been running deeply in the veins of all families make women unequal to men. Women are considered to be a burden by many families and are not provided with the same rights men enjoy in society. We are ill-informed regarding women’s rights and tend to continue age-old practices. This is made worse with social menaces such as the dowry system, child labor, child marriage, etc. Women can gather knowledge, get educated, and compete with men. This is sometimes quite threatening to the false patriarchal society.

2. How can We Promote Gender Equality?

Education is the prime measure to be taken to make society free from such menaces. When we teach our new generation regarding the best social practices and gender equal rights, we can eradicate such menaces aptly. Our society is ill-informed regarding gender equality and rights. Many policies have been designed and implemented by the government. As our country holds the second position in terms of population, it is hard to tackle these gender-based problems. It can only be erased from the deepest point by using education as the prime weapon.

3. Why should Women be Equal to Men?

Women might not be similar to men in terms of physical strength and physiological traits. Both are differently built biologically but they have the same brain and organs to function. Women these days are creating milestones that are changing society. They have traveled to space, running companies, creating history, and making everyone proud. Women are showing their capabilities in every phase and hence, they should be equal to men in all aspects.

4. Mention a few initiatives started by the Indian Government to enable gender equality.

The Indian government has initiated a social campaign called “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana” to encourage girls’ education. Besides this, the government runs multiple other schemes, such as the  Women Helpline Scheme, UJJAWALA, National Mission for Empowerment of Women, etc., to generate awareness among the people.

5 Powerful Essays Advocating for Gender Equality

Gender equality – which becomes reality when all genders are treated fairly and allowed equal opportunities –  is a complicated human rights issue for every country in the world. Recent statistics are sobering. According to the World Economic Forum, it will take 108 years to achieve gender parity . The biggest gaps are found in political empowerment and economics. Also, there are currently just six countries that give women and men equal legal work rights. Generally, women are only given ¾ of the rights given to men. To learn more about how gender equality is measured, how it affects both women and men, and what can be done, here are five essays making a fair point.

Take a free course on Gender Equality offered by top universities!

“Countries With Less Gender Equity Have More Women In STEM — Huh?” – Adam Mastroianni and Dakota McCoy

This essay from two Harvard PhD candidates (Mastroianni in psychology and McCoy in biology) takes a closer look at a recent study that showed that in countries with lower gender equity, more women are in STEM. The study’s researchers suggested that this is because women are actually especially interested in STEM fields, and because they are given more choice in Western countries, they go with different careers. Mastroianni and McCoy disagree.

They argue the research actually shows that cultural attitudes and discrimination are impacting women’s interests, and that bias and discrimination is present even in countries with better gender equality. The problem may lie in the Gender Gap Index (GGI), which tracks factors like wage disparity and government representation. To learn why there’s more women in STEM from countries with less gender equality, a more nuanced and complex approach is needed.

“Men’s health is better, too, in countries with more gender equality” – Liz Plank

When it comes to discussions about gender equality, it isn’t uncommon for someone in the room to say, “What about the men?” Achieving gender equality has been difficult because of the underlying belief that giving women more rights and freedom somehow takes rights away from men. The reality, however, is that gender equality is good for everyone. In Liz Plank’s essay, which is an adaption from her book For the Love of Men: A Vision for Mindful Masculinity, she explores how in Iceland, the #1 ranked country for gender equality, men live longer. Plank lays out the research for why this is, revealing that men who hold “traditional” ideas about masculinity are more likely to die by suicide and suffer worse health. Anxiety about being the only financial provider plays a big role in this, so in countries where women are allowed education and equal earning power, men don’t shoulder the burden alone.

Liz Plank is an author and award-winning journalist with Vox, where she works as a senior producer and political correspondent. In 2015, Forbes named her one of their “30 Under 30” in the Media category. She’s focused on feminist issues throughout her career.

“China’s #MeToo Moment” –  Jiayang Fan

Some of the most visible examples of gender inequality and discrimination comes from “Me Too” stories. Women are coming forward in huge numbers relating how they’ve been harassed and abused by men who have power over them. Most of the time, established systems protect these men from accountability. In this article from Jiayang Fan, a New Yorker staff writer, we get a look at what’s happening in China.

The essay opens with a story from a PhD student inspired by the United States’ Me Too movement to open up about her experience with an academic adviser. Her story led to more accusations against the adviser, and he was eventually dismissed. This is a rare victory, because as Fan says, China employs a more rigid system of patriarchy and hierarchy. There aren’t clear definitions or laws surrounding sexual harassment. Activists are charting unfamiliar territory, which this essay explores.

“Men built this system. No wonder gender equality remains as far off as ever.” – Ellie Mae O’Hagan

Freelance journalist Ellie Mae O’Hagan (whose book The New Normal is scheduled for a May 2020 release) is discouraged that gender equality is so many years away. She argues that it’s because the global system of power at its core is broken.  Even when women are in power, which is proportionally rare on a global scale, they deal with a system built by the patriarchy. O’Hagan’s essay lays out ideas for how to fix what’s fundamentally flawed, so gender equality can become a reality.

Ideas include investing in welfare; reducing gender-based violence (which is mostly men committing violence against women); and strengthening trade unions and improving work conditions. With a system that’s not designed to put women down, the world can finally achieve gender equality.

“Invisibility of Race in Gender Pay Gap Discussions” – Bonnie Chu

The gender pay gap has been a pressing issue for many years in the United States, but most discussions miss the factor of race. In this concise essay, Senior Contributor Bonnie Chu examines the reality, writing that within the gender pay gap, there’s other gaps when it comes to black, Native American, and Latina women. Asian-American women, on the other hand, are paid 85 cents for every dollar. This data is extremely important and should be present in discussions about the gender pay gap. It reminds us that when it comes to gender equality, there’s other factors at play, like racism.

Bonnie Chu is a gender equality advocate and a Forbes 30 Under 30 social entrepreneur. She’s the founder and CEO of Lensational, which empowers women through photography, and the Managing Director of The Social Investment Consultancy.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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• 06 September 2023

Gender equality: the route to a better world

You have full access to this article via your institution.

The Mosuo people of China include sub-communities in which inheritance passes down either the male or the female line. Credit: TPG/Getty

The fight for global gender equality is nowhere close to being won. Take education: in 87 countries, less than half of women and girls complete secondary schooling, according to 2023 data. Afghanistan’s Taliban continues to ban women and girls from secondary schools and universities . Or take reproductive health: abortion rights have been curtailed in 22 US states since the Supreme Court struck down federal protections, depriving women and girls of autonomy and restricting access to sexual and reproductive health care .

SDG 5, whose stated aim is to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, is the fifth of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, all of which Nature is examining in a series of editorials. SDG 5 includes targets for ending discrimination and violence against women and girls in both public and private spheres, eradicating child marriage and female genital mutilation, ensuring sexual and reproductive rights, achieving equal representation of women in leadership positions and granting equal rights to economic resources. Globally, the goal is not on track to being achieved, and just a handful of countries have hit all the targets.

How the world should oppose the Taliban’s war on women and girls

In July, the UN introduced two new indices (see go.nature.com/3eus9ue ), the Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) and the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI). The WEI measures women’s ability and freedoms to make their own choices; the GGPI describes the gap between women and men in areas such as health, education, inclusion and decision making. The indices reveal, depressingly, that even achieving a small gender gap does not automatically translate to high levels of women’s empowerment: 114 countries feature in both indices, but countries that do well on both scores cover fewer than 1% of all girls and women.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made things worse, with women bearing the highest burden of extra unpaid childcare when schools needed to close, and subjected to intensified domestic violence. Although child marriages declined from 21% of all marriages in 2016 to 19% in 2022, the pandemic threatened even this incremental progress, pushing up to 10 million more girls into risk of child marriage over the next decade, in addition to the 100 million girls who were at risk before the pandemic.

Of the 14 indicators for SDG 5, only one or two are close to being met by the 2030 deadline. As of 1 January 2023, women occupied 35.4% of seats in local-government assemblies, an increase from 33.9% in 2020 (the target is gender parity by 2030). In 115 countries for which data were available, around three-quarters, on average, of the necessary laws guaranteeing full and equal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights had been enacted. But the UN estimates that worldwide, only 57% of women who are married or in a union make their own decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Systemic discrimination against girls and women by men, in many contexts, remains a colossal barrier to achieving gender equality. But patriarchy is not some “natural order of things” , argues Ruth Mace, an anthropologist at University College London. Hundreds of women-centred societies exist around the world. As the science writer Angela Saini describes in her latest book, The Patriarchs , these are often not the polar opposite of male-dominated systems, but societies in which men and women share decision making .

After Roe v. Wade: dwindling US abortion access is harming health a year later

One example comes from the Mosuo people in China, who have both ‘matrilineal’ and ‘patrilineal’ communities, with rights such as inheritance passing down either the male or female line. Researchers compared outcomes for inflammation and hypertension in men and women in these communities, and found that women in matrilineal societies, in which they have greater autonomy and control over resources, experienced better health outcomes. The researchers found no significant negative effect of matriliny on health outcomes for men ( A.  Z. Reynolds et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 117 , 30324–30327; 2020 ).

When it comes to the SDGs, evidence is emerging that a more gender-equal approach to politics and power benefits many goals. In a study published in May, Nobue Amanuma, deputy director of the Integrated Sustainability Centre at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in Hayama, Japan, and two of her colleagues tested whether countries with more women legislators, and more younger legislators, are performing better in the SDGs ( N. Amanuma et al. Environ. Res. Lett. 18 , 054018; 2023 ). They found it was so, with the effect more marked for socio-economic goals such as ending poverty and hunger, than for environmental ones such as climate action or preserving life on land. The researchers recommend further qualitative and quantitative studies to better understand the reasons.

The reality that gender equality leads to better outcomes across other SDGs is not factored, however, into most of the goals themselves. Of the 230 unique indicators of the SDGs, 51 explicitly reference women, girls, gender or sex, including the 14 indicators in SDG 5. But there is not enough collaboration between organizations responsible for the different SDGs to ensure that sex and gender are taken into account. The indicator for the sanitation target (SDG 6) does not include data disaggregated by sex or gender ( Nature 620 , 7; 2023 ). Unless we have this knowledge, it will be hard to track improvements in this and other SDGs.

The road to a gender-equal world is long, and women’s power and freedom to make choices is still very constrained. But the evidence from science is getting stronger: distributing power between genders creates the kind of world we all need and want to be living in.

Nature 621 , 8 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02745-9

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Gender Equality is Myth Essay

Gender equality is myth .

Gender Equality, comprehensive term implying  men and women should receive equal treatment unless there is a sound biological reason for different treatment.  The term Equality means being same in size, weight etc. gender equality is a modern concept of 21 century by which Men and Women are regarded as human being with equal right and respect but opposite in sex only. At many international forums it is being debated and strongly believed that both the genders can be brought to certain level of equality by bringing the female gender into mainstream of society. But their are many such contrast and distinctions between both these genders which does not allow Gender Equality to become a reality and hence it would remain a myth for all coming years ahead. Since humanity has know civilization the society is male dominant and the affairs of the mankind are also male driven. Female as gender, since antiquity, has been considered as gender not worthy of works which require force and power. She has always been excluded from activities demanding wisdom, Politics, leadership etc. She had never been asked to participate in war along with infantry. she remained unsuccessful to take a bigger size in history pages describing her qualities. we mostly listen stories of kings and princess and read about their reign and reforms. The expedition they took. but little is heard of her. Physicaly male is more powerful than female. and it is because of this very characteristic that Gender Equality is a Myth today. Physical strength of a male makes him dominant in first instance when compared to a female gender. A married couple, whatever may be the society they are living in, aspires to give birth to a Male child. The Institution of Religion, be it Islam or Hinduism or Christianity etc believes only in making a male head of religious affairs like Molvi, Pandit and Pop. The law of inheritance has also  favored of male in many respects. The Premier head of almost all nations is a male and not female. The female becomes the first lady. (Readers may Comment to further expand the topic)

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Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. There has been progress over the last decades, but the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030.

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and therefore also half of its potential. But gender inequality persists everywhere and stagnates social progress. On average, women in the labor market still earn 23 percent less than men globally and women spend about three times as many hours in unpaid domestic and care work as men.

Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work, and discrimination in public office, all remain huge barriers. All these areas of inequality have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic: there has been a surge in reports of sexual violence, women have taken on more care work due to school closures, and 70% of health and social workers globally are women.

At the current rate, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.

Political leadership, investments and comprehensive policy reforms are needed to dismantle systemic barriers to achieving Goal 5 Gender equality is a cross-cutting objective and must be a key focus of national policies, budgets and institutions.

How much progress have we made?

International commitments to advance gender equality have brought about improvements in some areas: child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) have declined in recent years, and women’s representation in the political arena is higher than ever before. But the promise of a world in which every woman and girl enjoys full gender equality, and where all legal, social and economic barriers to their empowerment have been removed, remains unfulfilled. In fact, that goal is probably even more distant than before, since women and girls are being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Are they any other gender-related challenges?

Yes. Worldwide, nearly half of married women lack decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights. 35 per cent of women between 15-49 years of age have experienced physical and/ or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.1 in 3 girls aged 15-19 have experienced some form of female genital mutilation/cutting in the 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, where the harmful practice is most common with a high risk of prolonged bleeding, infection (including HIV), childbirth complications, infertility and death.

This type of violence doesn’t just harm individual women and girls; it also undermines their overall quality of life and hinders their active involvement in society.

Why should gender equality matter to me?

Regardless of where you live in, gender equality is a fundamental human right. Advancing gender equality is critical to all areas of a healthy society, from reducing poverty to promoting the health, education, protection and the well-being of girls and boys.

What can we do?

If you are a girl, you can stay in school, help empower your female classmates to do the same and fight for your right to access sexual and reproductive health services. If you are a woman, you can address unconscious biases and implicit associations that form an unintended and often an invisible barrier to equal opportunity.

If you are a man or a boy, you can work alongside women and girls to achieve gender equality and embrace healthy, respectful relationships.

You can fund education campaigns to curb cultural practices like female genital mutilation and change harmful laws that limit the rights of women and girls and prevent them from achieving their full potential.

The Spotlight Initiative is an EU/UN partnership, and a global, multi-year initiative focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls – the world’s largest targeted effort to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

Facts and figures

Goal 5 targets.

• With only seven years remaining, a mere 15.4 per cent of Goal 5 indicators with data are “on track”, 61.5 per cent are at a moderate distance and 23.1 per cent are far or very far off track from 2030 targets.
• In many areas, progress has been too slow. At the current rate, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.
• Political leadership, investments and comprehensive policy reforms are needed to dismantle systemic barriers to achieving Goal 5. Gender equality is a cross-cutting objective and must be a key focus of national policies, budgets and institutions.
• Around 2.4 billion women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity. Nearly 2.4 Billion Women Globally Don’t Have Same Economic Rights as Men  
• 178 countries maintain legal barriers that prevent women’s full economic participation. Nearly 2.4 Billion Women Globally Don’t Have Same Economic Rights as Men
• In 2019, one in five women, aged 20-24 years, were married before the age of 18. Girls | UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children

Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023

5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decisionmaking in political, economic and public life

5.6 Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.A  Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.B Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

5.C Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

He for She campaign

United Secretary-General Campaign UNiTE to End Violence Against Women

Every Woman Every Child Initiative

Spotlight Initiative

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

UN Population Fund: Gender equality

UN Population Fund: Female genital mutilation

UN Population Fund: Child marriage

UN Population Fund: Engaging men & boys

UN Population Fund: Gender-based violence

World Health Organization (WHO)

UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Gender Statistics

Fast Facts: Gender Equality

Infographic: Gender Equality

The Initiative is so named as it brings focused attention to this issue, moving it into the spotlight and placing it at the centre of efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

An initial investment in the order of EUR 500 million will be made, with the EU as the main contributor. Other donors and partners will be invited to join the Initiative to broaden its reach and scope. The modality for the delivery will be a UN multi- stakeholder trust fund, administered by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office, with the support of core agencies UNDP, UNFPA and UN Women, and overseen by the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General.

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Gender Equality Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on gender equality essay.

Equality or non-discrimination is that state where every individual gets equal opportunities and rights. Every individual of the society yearns for equal status, opportunity, and rights. However, it is a general observation that there exists lots of discrimination between humans. Discrimination exists because of cultural differences, geographical differences, and gender. Inequality based on gender is a concern that is prevalent in the entire world.  Even in the 21 st century, across globe men and women do not enjoy equal privileges. Gender equality means providing equal opportunities to both men and women in political, economic, education and health aspects.

Importance of Gender Equality

A nation can progress and attain higher development growth only when both men and women are entitled to equal opportunities. Women in the society are often cornered and are refrained from getting equal rights as men to health, education, decision-making and economic independence in terms of wages.

The social structure that prevails since long in such a way that girls do not get equal opportunities as men. Women generally are the caregivers in the family. Because of this, women are mostly involved in household activities. There is lesser participation of women in higher education, decision-making roles, and leadership roles. This gender disparity is a hindrance in the growth rate of a country. When women participate in the workforce increases the economic growth rate of the country increases. Gender equality increases the overall wellbeing of the nation along with economic prosperity .

How is Gender Equality Measured?

Gender equality is an important factor in determining a country’s overall growth. There are several indexes to measure gender equality.

Gender-Related Development Index (GDI) –   GDI is a gender centric measure of Human Development Index. GDI considers parameters like life expectancy, education, and incomes in assessing the gender equality of a country.

Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) – This measure includes much detail aspects like the proportion of seats than women candidates hold in national parliament, percentage of women at economic decision-making role, the income share of female employees.

Gender Equity Index (GEI) – GEI ranks countries on three parameters of gender inequality, those are education, economic participation, and empowerment. However, GEI ignores the health parameter.

Global Gender Gap Index – The World Economic Forum introduced the Global Gender Gap Index in 2006. This index focuses more on identifying the level of female disadvantage. The four important areas that the index considers are economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, health, and survival rate.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Gender Inequality in India

As per the World Economic Forum’s gender gap ranking, India stands at rank 108 out of 149 countries. This rank is a major concern as it highlights the immense gap in opportunities in women with comparison to men. In Indian society from a long time back, the social structure has been such that the women are neglected in many areas like education, health, decision-making areas, financial independence, etc.

Another major reason, which contributes to the discriminatory behavior towards women in India, is the dowry system in marriage.  Because of this dowry system, most Indian families consider girls as a burden.  Preference for son still prevails. Girls have refrained from higher education. Women are not entitled to equal job opportunities and wages. In the 21 st century, women are still preferred gender in home managing activities. Many women quit their job and opt-out from leadership roles because of family commitments. However, such actions are very uncommon among men.

For overall wellbeing and growth of a nation, scoring high on gender equality is the most crucial aspect. Countries with less disparity in gender equality have progressed a lot. The government of India has also started taking steps to ensure gender equality. Several laws and policies are prepared to encourage girls. “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana ” (Save girl, and make girls educated) campaign is created to spread awareness of the importance of girl child.  Several laws to protect girls are also there. However, we need more awareness of spreading knowledge of women rights . In addition, the government should take initiatives to check the correct and proper implementation of policies.

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Gender Equality is a Myth? | CSS Essay

Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision-making, and when the different behaviors, aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued and favored. Let’s explore the concept of feminism so that all of us can better understand the issue of gender equality.

What is feminism?

Feminism is the belief that everyone should have equal rights and opportunities regardless of their gender. Simply put, feminism means a belief in gender equality, the belief that both male and females should receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on their gender.

Why should you care about feminism?

There are various ways in which gender inequality is affecting every individual of every age, even you.

For example, if you’re a girl, were you told that you can’t participate in a sport because it’s a “boys’ thing”? Did you ever feel that when you spoke up in class, the teacher barely acknowledged your answer whereas when the boys spoke up, they were praised and encouraged to speak?

If yes, you know what gender discrimination is, and you know why feminism is important.

If you’re a boy, did people ever make fun of you when you wanted to play with your sisters’ doll houses? When you hurt your knee or scratched your elbow, were you ever told that “Boys don’t cry”, when in fact the pain was so much that the effort to not cry actually made it worse?

If yes, you’ve felt the restraining influence of gender norms — what society considers male and female behaviour, and the roles males and females are expected to take in society — and you know why feminism is essential for every individual’s freedom.

Gender inequality is limiting the freedom of people to act as individuals; it is trapping them within a narrow range of behaviours when in reality we could all do so much more and be so much more, if we were free to act without the limitations imposed by gender bias.

Who’s a feminist?

It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl, a woman or a man — if you believe in gender equality for everyone, you’re a feminist.

Nowadays, more and more people are embracing feminism. Some of the self-proclaimed feminists range from Barack Obama and Malala Yousafzai to J.K. Rowling and Ban Ki-moon. Can you think of any others?

What is the cost of gender inequality?

Women and men, girls and boys — we’re all human beings first and our gender is not what defines us, but our humanity does. The sad fact is, even though we’re born with equal abilities, we’re not treated in the same way or given the same opportunities. In some parts of the world — even in some regions of Pakistan — people do not rejoice when a girl is born, whereas a boy’s birth is considered to be a cause for celebration. This is unfortunate and unjustifiable because every human life is equally valuable, and every boy and every girl deserves their parents’ love and care.

Gender stereotypes — in other words ‘fixed ideas about men’s and women’s traits and capabilities and how people should behave, based on their gender’ — come into effect the moment we’re born. Boys are given toys such as trucks, action figures, Lego sets while girls have to play with dolls, tea sets and doll houses. Gender-specific toys — toys intended for either male or female — discourage girls from pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This is alarming because we need both males and females in these fields to expand the economy, create new ideas and things, and improve the quality of life. If we can break gender stereotypes and allow people to be freer in their choices, we can make the world a better place for each of us.

In the workplace, women do the same amount of work but they’re paid less than men doing the same work. Sometimes, they’re not even allowed to seek employment (which only makes things worse for a family by placing all the financial pressure on the men) because some people wrongly think that a woman’s place is at home. A woman’s place, or a man’s place, or any individual’s place is wherever they want it to be. But as long as gender inequality exists, we will not be able to make free choices for ourselves.

Likewise, millions of girls are deprived of their right to education, even though education is a fundamental human right of everyone and benefits not only the individual, but also the society at large. However, due to gender discrimination, we’re missing the contributions of millions of females all over the world.

Gender norms are also harmful to men, who are supposed to act tough all the time and hide their feelings (especially vulnerability), even though bottled up emotions hurt their psychological health in the long run and may lead to anger or violent behaviour, and other destructive reactions.

While these are just a few examples of how we’re hurting our world by ignoring the basic issue of gender inequality, there are innumerable ways in which this phenomenon plays out in every area of our lives. The way to fight it is to be aware of how it seeps into our lives and what steps we can take to stop it.

However, the tales tell that this very trail has never been smooth. Women have always been, and still are, subject to violence and objectification. For as long a history can tell, be it any era, civilization or culture – Greeks or Aryans, European or Arabs, Muslims or Hindus – women have been treated despicably in every possible manner. Women, since their birth as a ‘different’, yet not inferior, gender have been dealing with such impregnable challenges.

To live free from violence and inhumane treatment is one of the most fundamental human rights that should be given to everyone regardless of gender. Yet, it is estimated that one in every three women worldwide experience violence and in some countries, almost 70 percent of women have their basic human rights violated. These manifestations of violence range from rape to domestic abuse, honor-killing and acid burnings.

According to the Girls and Women’s Education Initiative, an organization that attempts to meet the needs of the educationally disadvantaged, “one in three women and girls in the developing world live on less than $2 a day.” The same amount of money we usually spend on a bottle of water is the same amount other people have to stretch in order to feed themselves and their family, buy clothes, pay rent while trying to send one’s children to school; a strenuous choice that often has negative effects on young women who are often excluded from gaining an education.

According the 2012 report “Because I am a Girl,” only 74 percent of young women between the age of 11 and 15 are in school globally, compared to 83 percent of boys. As indicated by the report, these numbers do not share the reality of poorer and rural girls or girls in conflict-affected regions. Consequently, the average number would drop even further if these lives were to be included.

It’s essential to remember that once young women are excluded from school, choices become few and far between, leaving marriage as the most practical path one can take to survive poverty. It is estimated that more than 10,000 girls a day will eventually get married before they turn 15 and most of them give birth before they turn 18. Unfortunately, the world is already losing too many young lives to maternal mortality.

According to the 2012 report by the World Health Organization, every day, more than 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Moreover, 99 percent of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries.

When examining the world and the listless issues that women face, particularly in developing countries, one can quickly make the assertion that industrialized countries like the U.S. have come a long way and the work of feminism has been very fruitful in achieving gender equality. But this is a fallacious proclamation that erases everyday reality of women.

The Global Gender Gap report 2017 is out and Pakistan continues to rank second worst country with the rank of 143 out of 144 countries, with a score of 0.546 on a scale where zero denotes gender imparity and one represents parity. However, before we go into the specifics of findings, there is need to take stock of the larger framework of efforts to promote gender equality.

Pakistan continues to rank among the bottom most countries by Global Gender Gap report for many years since its inception in 2006. One can discuss specifics year after year and there has been some improvement in some indicators, yet the overall scenario remains unchanged.

There are three main stakeholders working to promote gender equality: the government of Pakistan, international donors and civil society. All of them need to hold themselves accountable and show results that bear improvement in gender equality status in Pakistan.

Rather we’ve failed as human beings to achieve the real goal of humanism that attaches more importance to human beings above any standards, after shedding all lenses of biases. In a country that dominates the world by its immense military power, high economic growth, sophisticated technology and weapons; a country that claims to be a savior of humanity and liberal values, fails to elect its first ever going-to-be woman president, not because she was incompetent, but just for something her husband did more than sixteen years ago. Isn’t it a depiction of discrimination and bias? It certainly is, and if not, one needs to shed the ‘tinted glass’. The tale does not end here; in another part of the world, that too, the profounder of basic human rights publicly shames, insults and criticizes a woman for wearing an ‘extra’ piece of cloth – a burkini, while visiting the beach. The cloth is however only meant to cover her body. Yet, in another part of the world, a woman is being killed for ‘showing-off’ her body on social media in practice of her freedom. Ironically, no savior of humanity and human rights speaks in favor of wearing bikini as result of freedom of choice in this part of the world. The dilemma is, no matter how civilized, modern and liberal a nation is, it can never put down the arrows of tirade pointed at women. If a woman accuses a man for harassing or sexually abusing her, it is not that man’s fault but it’s the fault of the woman who provoked him to commit such heinous acts. But one may ask, what about little innocent girls who become victim of a man’s lecherousness? Is this, once again, their fault in some way that incited a man to assault them? No, it certainly is not! But then who is to be blamed and held accountable? This is a question many would avoid answering.

The anathema of our society is that it cannot stop slut-shaming just to scour the sins of the male gender. Hence, in this world of cat-calling, hooting, harassing, torturing and killing of women, gender equality can be anything but reality.

For decades, blood has been spilled and tears shared in order to achieve gender equality. We have fought for the right of girls and women to be seen and heard as human beings; to be respected for their individual work, dedication, and integrity. More importantly, to make sure that they are able to walk safely on this earth without fearing that their gender might be the cause for an early, unjustifiable and inhumane death. Women in this world are not asking for much. All they want, and most definitely deserve, is to be treated and respected as human beings; a cost-free demand that should be in everyone’s interest to provide.

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About the author

Shahzad Faisal Malik is the administrator of CSSTimes.pk and is responsible for managing the content, design, and overall direction of the blog. He has a strong background in Competitive Exams and is passionate and sharing information with others. Shahzad Faisal Malik has worked as a Graphic Designer/Content Creator at CSSTimes in the past. In his free time, Shahzad Faisal Malik enjoys watching Cricket, writing blogs for different websites and is always on the lookout for new and interesting content to share with the readers of this website. As the website administrator, Shahzad Faisal Malik is dedicated to providing high-quality content and fostering a welcoming and engaging community for readers. He looks forward to connecting with readers and hearing their thoughts and feedback on the website.

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Gender Equality Essay

Everyone should live as they want in society, and there should be no discrimination. Equality in society is achieved when all people, regardless of their caste, gender, colour, profession, and status rank, are considered equal. Another way to describe equality is that everyone gets the same rights and opportunities to develop and progress forward. Here are a few sample essays on ‘Gender Equality’.

100 Words Essay On Gender Equality

Gender equality is the belief that men and women should be treated and perceived as equals in society, including all areas such as education, employment, and in decision-making positions. It is a fundamental human right and a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.

Despite significant progress in advancing gender equality, women and girls continue to face barriers and discrimination in many areas of society. This includes the gender pay gap, difficult access to education and employment opportunities, and limited representation in leadership positions. Creating a more equal society benefits everyone, as it leads to greater prosperity and happiness for all. It is important for individuals, communities, and governments to work towards achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls to reach their full potential.

200 Words Essay On Gender Equality

Gender equality is the equal treatment and perception of individuals of all genders in society.

Importance Of Gender Equality

Gender equality is important because it is a fundamental human right and is necessary for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable society. When everyone, regardless of their gender, is treated fairly and has equal opportunities, it can lead to greater prosperity and happiness for all.

Additionally, gender equality can have a positive impact on economic growth and development. When women and girls are able to fully participate and get proper education and employment opportunities, it can lead to increased productivity and innovation. It can also contribute to more balanced and representative decision-making, which can lead to more effective and fair policies and practices.

Furthermore, gender equality is essential for promoting social justice and fairness. When women and girls are marginalized and discriminated against, it can lead to a range of negative outcomes, including poverty, poor health, and reduced opportunities for personal and professional development. Overall, the promotion of gender equality is important for creating a more equal, fair, and just society for all.

Encouraging Gender Equality

Efforts to promote gender equality must involve the active participation and engagement of both men and women. This includes challenging and changing harmful gender norms and stereotypes, and promoting policies and laws that protect and advance the rights of women and girls.

500 Words Essay On Gender Equality

Everyone in the country has the same fundamental freedom to pursue happiness whichever way they see fit. It's possible if people of various backgrounds (race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic class, gender) are treated with respect and dignity. Gender disparity is the most noticeable kind of prejudice. Gender discrimination persists even in many modern nations and calls for immediate action. When men and women are given the same opportunities, we will achieve gender equality. Furthermore, this essay will outline the many issues women encounter due to gender discrimination.

Prevalence Of Gender Inequality

Gender inequality is prevalent in many sectors and areas of society. Some examples include:

Education: Women and girls may face barriers to accessing education, such as lack of resources, cultural or societal barriers, and discrimination.

Employment: Women and girls may face discrimination in the workplace, including lower pay for the same work as men, lack of promotion opportunities, and limited representation in leadership positions.

Health care: Women and girls may face discrimination and inadequate access to quality health care, particularly in areas related to reproductive and sexual health.

Political representation: Women are often underrepresented in political leadership positions and decision-making processes.

Domestic violence: Women and girls may face higher rates of domestic violence and abuse, and may lack adequate protection and support from the justice system.

Media and advertising: Women and girls are often portrayed in stereotypical and objectifying ways in the media and advertising, which can reinforce harmful gender norms and stereotypes.

Gender inequality is a widespread issue that affects many areas of society, and it is important to work towards promoting gender equality in all sectors.

How India Can Achieve Gender Equality

Achieving gender equality in India will require a multi-faceted approach that involves addressing social norms and stereotypes, strengthening laws and policies, increasing women's representation in leadership positions, promoting women's economic empowerment, and improving access to health care.

Address social norms and stereotypes: It is important to challenge and change harmful gender norms and stereotypes that contribute to gender inequality. This can be done through education campaigns and programs that promote gender equality and challenge traditional gender roles.

Strengthen laws and policies: India can work to strengthen laws and policies that protect and advance the rights of women and girls, such as laws against domestic violence and discrimination, and policies that promote equal pay for equal work and access to education and employment.

Increase women's representation in leadership positions: India can work to increase the representation of women in leadership positions, including in politics, business, and other sectors, to ensure that women have a stronger voice in decision-making processes.

Promote women's economic empowerment: Providing women with access to education, employment, and financial resources can help to empower them and enable them to fully participate in society.

Improve access to health care: Ensuring that women and girls have access to quality health care, including reproductive and sexual health care, is essential for promoting gender equality.

My Experience

I remember one time when I was working as an intern at a small consulting firm. At the end of my internship, I was offered a full-time position. However, when I received the offer letter, I noticed that my male colleagues who were also being offered full-time positions had been offered a higher salary than me, even though we had all performed the same job duties during our internships.

I was frustrated and felt that I was being treated unfairly because of my gender. I decided to bring this issue to the attention of my supervisor, and after some negotiation, I was able to secure a salary that was equal to that of my male colleagues.

This experience taught me the importance of advocating for myself and not accepting inequality, and it also made me more aware of the ways in which gender bias can manifest in the workplace. I believe that it is important for individuals to speak up and take action when they see instances of gender inequality, and for organizations to make a conscious effort to promote gender equality and fairness in all aspects of their operations.

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Daily Times

Your right to know Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Gender equality: Myth or reality

Asad Tahir Jappa

March 14, 2021

Beyond the shadow of any doubt, women stand at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, community organizers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders in combating the deadly pandemic. The crisis has highlighted both the centrality of their massive contribution and the disproportionate burden that women continue to carry. This year’s theme for the International Day, “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”, celebrates the tireless efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also aligned with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, “Women in public life, equal participation in decision making”, and the flagship Generation Equality Campaign, which calls for women’s right to decision-making in all areas of life, equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end all forms of violence against women and girls, and health-care services that respond to their needs. Every year, International Women’s Day offer an opportunity to reflect on progress made, call for change and thereby celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. The world has made unprecedented advances, but no country has achieved gender equality. Fifty years ago, we landed on the moon; in the last decade, we discovered new human ancestors and photographed a black hole for the first time. In the meantime, according to the UN report, legal restrictions have kept 2.7 billion women from accessing the same choice of jobs as men. Less than 25 per cent of parliamentarians were women, as of 2019. One in three women experience gender-based violence, still. Time has already come to take tangible positive action and make 2021 count for women and girls across the globe.

Experience shows that population and development program are most effective when steps have simultaneously been taken to improve the status of women

Gender Mainstreaming is a globally accepted strategy for promoting gender equality. Mainstreaming is not an end in itself but a strategy, an approach, a means to achieve the goal of gender equality. Mainstreaming involves ensuring that gender perspectives and attention to the goal of gender equality are central to all activities – policy development, research, advocacy/ dialogue, legislation, resource allocation, and planning, implementation and monitoring of programs and projects. Since 1997, the Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women has been charged with supporting and overseeing the implementation of the policy mandates. The empowerment and autonomy of women and the improvement of their political, social, economic and health status is a highly important end in itself. In addition, it is essential ingredient for the achievement of sustainable development. The full participation and partnership of both women and men is required in productive and reproductive life, including shared responsibilities for the care and nurturing of children and maintenance of the household. In all parts of the world, women are facing threats to their lives, health and well- being as a result of being overburdened with work and of their lack of power and influence. In most regions of the world, women receive less formal education than men, and at the same time, women’s own knowledge, abilities and coping mechanisms often go unrecognized. The power relations that impede women’s attainment of healthy and fulfilling lives operate at many levels of society, from the most personal to the highly public. Achieving change requires policy and program actions that will improve women’s access to secure livelihoods and economic resources, alleviate their extreme responsibilities with regard to housework, remove legal impediments to their participation in public life, and raise social awareness through effective program of education and mass communication.

In addition, improving the status of women also enhances their decision-making capacity at all levels in all spheres of life, without any bias or prejudice. This is also essential for the long- term success of population program. Experience shows that population and development program are most effective when steps have simultaneously been taken to improve the status of women. Education is one of the most important means of empowering women with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process. More than 40 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserted that “everyone has the right to education”. In 1990, Governments meeting at the World Conference on Education for All in Jomtien, Thailand, committed themselves to the goal of universal access to basic education. But despite notable efforts by countries around the globe that have appreciably expanded access to basic education, there are approximately 775 million illiterate adults in the world, of whom two thirds are women. More than one third of the world’s adults, most of them women, have no access to printed knowledge, to new skills or to technologies that would improve the quality of their lives and help them shape and adapt to social and economic change. There are nearly 260 million children who are not enrolled in primary school and 70 per cent of them are girls.

Given the dismal statistics portraying women as weak and vulnerable, it is imperative that countries should act on war footing to empower women and take steps to eliminate inequalities between men and women as soon as possible by: establishing mechanisms for women’s equal participation and equitable representation at all levels of the political process and public life in each community and society and enabling women to articulate their concerns and needs;

promoting the fulfilment of women’s potential through education, skill development and employment, giving paramount importance to the elimination of poverty, illiteracy and ill health among women; eliminating all practices that discriminate against women; assisting women to establish and realize their rights, including those that relate to reproductive and sexual health;

adopting appropriate measures to improve women’s ability to earn income beyond traditional occupations, achieve economic self-reliance, and ensure women’s equal access to the labor market and social security systems; eliminating violence against women; ending discriminatory practices by employers against women; making it possible, through laws, regulations and other appropriate measures, for women to combine the roles of child-bearing, breast-feeding and child-rearing with participation in the workforce.

Furthermore, governments should establish mechanisms to accelerate women’s equal participation and equitable representation at all levels of the political process and public life in each community and society and enable women to articulate their concerns and ensure equal participation of women in decision-making processes in all spheres of life. Governments and civil society should take actions to eliminate attitudes and practices that discriminate against and subordinate girls and women and that reinforce gender inequality. Governments should take measures to promote the fulfilment of girls’ and women’s potential through education, skills development and the eradication of illiteracy for all girls and women without discrimination of any kind, giving paramount importance to the elimination of poverty and ill health. Similarly, governments, in collaboration with civil society, should take the necessary measures to ensure universal access, on the basis of equality between women and men, to appropriate, affordable and quality health care for women throughout their life cycle. Likewise, governments should take every possible action to remove all gender gaps and inequalities pertaining to women’s livelihoods and participation in the labor market through the creation of employment with secure incomes, leading to women’s empowerment and enhance their reproductive health.

Above all, legislation ensuring equal pay for equal work or for work of equal value should be instituted and enforced. Only concrete measures supported by positive action on ground can finally help achieve this demanding challenge of ensuring gender equality. Actions speak louder than words. Time to act is now!

The writer is a civil servant by profession, a writer by choice and a motivational speaker by passion!

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Sample essay on gender equality

Home  »  IELTS BAND 9 ESSAYS  »  Sample essay on gender equality

Welcome to another of our IELTS task 2 essay samples. Students often ask us, how do I write a band 9 essay? Well, writing a band 9 essay task 2 answer is certainly not easy, but the first step is to look at excellent examples and get an idea of appropriate language and layout.

The following is an example of an essay on gender equality which is a common topic for the IELTS essay. This gender equality essay (IELTS task 2) may come up in either the Academic or General IELTS test.

The first step is to read the question carefully. It will often begin with a statement along the lines of, 'the position of women has changed a great deal in recent years' or 'some people feel that equality between the sexes cannot be achieved' . You may get a gender equality IELTS essay where you are focusing on how the sexes are equal (or not) or an essay on gender discrimination where you might be looking more at examples of negative treatment of women, the reasons for this and possible solutions.

A gender equality essay, or gender discrimination essay is somewhat flexible and you can adapt the question to your own knowledge and experience as well as using some global examples that you might be aware of such as the recent demonstrations in Iran.

Sample Gender Equality Question

Women can do everything that men can and they even do it better. They also can do many things that men cannot. But it is a fact that their work is not appreciated as much as men's, although they have to sacrifice a lot for their family and career. It is said: "A woman's place is in the home." What do you think?

IELTS Model Essay on Gender Equality

Women and men have had different roles in the community since the beginning. Under modern pretexts these differences are slowly converging. However, due to the genetic inheritance and socio-demographic components, these differences do exist.

Firstly, men are undoubtedly better adapted genetically to perform physical tasks. Therefore, the assumption that women can match men in everything is clearly flawed. The difference between their physical abilities is clearly demonstrated in the sporting arena. Take, for example, the Olympics or any international sporting event. It can be clearly seen that in these competitions the genders are separated due to inherent differences between the sexes.

Secondly, it has been argued that women are less appreciated in society due to their traditional roles in the home. This statement is true to a certain extent because it largely depends on the society. In certain traditional societies in Africa, females working is frowned upon and is seen as neglecting the family, whereas in Afghanistan, in general, females are allowed to do little else but stay at home, being a housewife.

Consequently, a woman’s value is largely dictated by the society, culture and history. Nevertheless, to state that her place is in the home is widely considered sexist in modern western societies.

To conclude, differences do certainly exist; however, these are largely through nature. Also, the role women may have is usually dictated by other factors, such as, religion or society, not ability.

IELTS Writing Task 2 gender topic common questions

1. Is this model the same as agree or disagree questions about gender? 

Absolutely, yes. 'What do you think?' is the same as asking whether you agree or disagree with the preceding statement.

2. For my gender equality writing task 2, I am worried that I won't have enough facts to support my arguments.

Don't worry about accuracy with places and exact dates, the important thing is your ideas, and if you need to give examples, you can mention different countries. That will be fine. Essay writing on gender equality is not the same as submitting a research paper, you only need to set out your arguments, not reference everything.

3. We didn't study gender equality essay writing in class. Can I still answer the question? 

Of course, you can! It's impossible to study for every potential question in IELTS writing task 2. Gender equality is one of many possibilities and every given subject has scope for flexibility.  Just stay calm, think about your own experiences and knowledge from your own community and the position of women in different professions in your own country, and you will be able to think of some ideas and relevant examples to form your main arguments. These will be the topic sentences for the body paragraphs in your essay. Remember, each paragraph should have one clear topic sentence.

And finally - you may get a gender equality IELTS speaking question in part 3 of the speaking test relating to female students in higher education, women doing military service or women in different professions and how they are treated compared to their male counterparts.

Other possibilities include questions about women in developed countries and whether they have similar rights to men. If so, the vocabulary in the sample answer above will ensure that you are well-prepared to speak about equal opportunity!

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Read Beyoncé’s New Essay: “Gender Equality Is a Myth!”

Asawin Suebsaeng

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On Sunday, journalist Maria Shriver, in partnership with the Center for American Progress, released The Shriver Report : A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink . It examines the wage gap between men and women and focuses on the issues of the tens of millions of financially insecure women in America. The investigation also features celebrity essays, including ones from Eva Longoria and LeBron James . Grammy-winning singer and self-described “ modern-day feminist ” Beyoncé Knowles-Carter pitched in with a short essay titled, “Gender Equality Is a Myth!”

“We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality,” the piece reads. “It isn’t a reality yet…Women are more than 50 percent of the population and more than 50 percent of voters. We must demand that we all receive 100 percent of the opportunities.”

Read the full essay here:

Beyoncé has a mixed political record. She is passionate about promoting women’s empowerment around the world and helping the victims of hurricanes , but she also got some much-deserved criticism for performing at a 2009 New Year’s Eve party thrown by the family of Moammar Qaddafi , the late mass-murdering Libyan dictator.

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