What is Gender Equality? Why is it important?

 

                                  Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay 

Gender equality is a basic human right. It entails the concept of all human beings being free to develop their personal abilities. Each one having their own choice without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. Gender equality is when people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities. Gender equality means that the different behaviors, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favoured equally. It does not mean that women and men have to become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.

But our world faces a persistent gap in access to opportunities and decision-making power for women and men. Though, women are better off today, they are still far from being equal with men.

HOW DOES GENDER EQUALITY STAND IN THE WOLD?

Globally, no country has fully attained gender equality. Few countries like Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden lead the world in their progress towards closing the gender gap. In these countries, there is relatively equitable distribution of available income, resources, and opportunities for men and women. The greatest gender gaps are identified primarily in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. However, a number of countries in these regions, including Lesotho, South Africa, and Sri Lanka outrank the United States in gender equality.

As per World Economic Forum, the United States was ranked as 19th in the world on its gender gap index, but women's earning power remains approximately 20% lower than men.

WHERE IS THE GAP?

Education is a key area of focus. Report says that 62 million girls are denied education all over the world. Approximately one quarter of girls in the developing world do not attend school. Despite every country making efforts to achieve parity in education, we have a long way to go. The efforts are paying off. Girls have started doing better than boys. More years of schooling also means girls marry at a later age and are less vulnerable to intimate partner violence.

Women's health and safety is another important area. In many countries, women have limited access to prenatal and infant care, and are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth. This is a critical concern in countries where girls marry and have children before they are ready; often well before the age of 18. Statistics say that every year, an estimated 15 million girls under 18 are married worldwide.

A final area of focus in attaining gender equality is women's economic and political empowerment. Though women comprise more than 50% of the world's population, they only own 1% of the world's wealth. 

For gender equality education and empowerment for girls are the first steps.

ARE WE GETTING CLOSER TO GENDER EQUALITY?

Not really!!! But there are some huge changes happening for women in terms of employment in the past decades. Women are moving into jobs that used to be done by men. Things have certainly improved for women, but at the top of both industry and government, the faces remain stubbornly male.

It is shocking to realize that in 2020, women around the world, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation still have to fight daily, both at home and at work, to overcome gender inequality. In Saudi Arabia, women were, until recently, not allowed to drive and were discouraged from working jobs that would put them in contact with men. Women around the world aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents, war and malaria. One in three women worldwide undergoes either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

 

 

Gender equality prevents violence against women and girls. It’s essential for economic prosperity. Societies that value women and men as equal are safer and healthier. Everyone benefits from gender equality. Inequality between genders doesn’t only affect individuals – it can change entire economies.

GENDER EQUALITY in INDIA

Although the Constitution of India grants men and women equal rights, gender disparities remain evident. Research shows gender discrimination mostly in favour of men in many realms including the workplace. It characterizes Indian society at every level. Gender pay gap in India refers to the difference in earnings between women and men in the paid employment and labour market. For the year 2013, the gender pay gap in India was estimated to be 24.81%.

India’s progress towards gender equality, measured by its position on rankings such as the Gender Development Index has been disappointing, despite fairly rapid rates of economic growth. In the past decade, while Indian GDP has grown by around 6%, there has been a large decline in female labour force participation from 34% to 27%. The male-female wage gap has been stagnant at 50% (a recent survey finds a 27% gender pay gap in white-collar jobs). Crimes against women show an upward trend, in particular brutal crimes such as rapes, dowry deaths, and honour killings. These trends are disturbing.

 

The dowry system, involving a cash or in-kind payment from the bride’s family to the groom’s at the time of marriage, is another institution that dis-empowers women. The incidence of dowry payment, which is often a substantial part of a household’s income, has been steadily rising over time across all regions and socioeconomic classes.

 

This often results in dowry-related violence against women by their husbands and in-laws if the dowry is considered insufficient or as a way to demand more payments. These practices create incentives for parents not to have girl children or to invest less in girls’ health and education. Such parental preferences are reflected in increasingly masculine sex ratios in India. In 2011, there were 919 girls under age six per 1000 boys, despite sex determination being outlawed in India. This reinforces the inferior status of Indian women and puts them at risk of violence in their marital households. According to the National Family and Health Survey of 2005-06, 37% of married women have been victims of physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their spouse.

 

Educating Indian children from an early age about the importance of gender equality could be a meaningful start in that direction.

There is clearly a need for policy initiatives to empower women as gender disparities in India. One unique policy experiment in village-level governance that mandated one-third representation for women in positions of local leadership has shown promising results. Female leaders also serve as role models and raise educational and career aspirations for adolescent girls and their parents. Another policy change aimed at equalising land inheritance rights between sons and daughters has been met with a more mixed response. While on the one hand, it led to an increase in educational attainment and age at marriage for daughters, on the other hand, it increased spousal conflict leading to more domestic violence.

 

An influential randomization study also found that job recruitment sessions in villages provided information to young women and it led to positive effects on their labour market participation and enrollment in professional training. For India to maintain its position as a global growth leader, more concerted efforts at local and national levels are required. The private sector can do a lot by pulling up women and inspiring them to make the best of their skills and opportunities. 

There is urgent need of fairness of treatment of women and men, according to their respective needs.