5 Gender Equality

Gender equality is a fundamental human right and it is a transversal issue crucial to build a healthy society, leave the poverty cycle, and ensure quality education for all. Gender equality means that everyone is equally valued and that their needs, goals, and behaviours are considered equally. Men and women are different in their biology, but everyone should be free to develop, make their choices, and participate in the decision-making process in their community.

In the last decades, some progress has been made to reduce gender inequalities. However women still face barriers in accessing decent work, basic education, and health care. They are victims of violence and discrimination and they are under-represented in decision-making processes.

To overcome these barriers, education, employment, empowerment, and leadership are crucial. Education allows access to knowledge, skills, and abilities which in turn empower girls and young women to access the labour market and raise women's participation and leadership in society. Women involved in political and economic decision-making will contribute with different perspectives and will allow for more informed and inclusive decisions.

Access to education is still not a reality for all. It is a global issue with women being the most affected. Two-thirds of illiterate people are women (UN, 2019), thus quality education, including vocational training, requires a special focus on girls and young women education and training to help them to achieve a better personal, social and professional future.

Targets ▼

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 decision-making 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.

Action Area

Cultural identity

The identity of each human being is based on different dimensions such as gender, age, status and social class, country, religion, politics, among others. In this sense, to understand gender issues, it is necessary to take into account the identity of each person and the cultural context where they live. Interculturality refers to the interaction and exchange of experiences between different cultures through dialogue and mutual respect. Thus, to achieve gender equality is important for individuals to promote intercultural dialogue and understand gender and cultural issues to support the education of girls and women in vulnerable conditions.
Gender roles

Gender roles are generally based on “gender stereotypes and prejudices” about what women and men should be or not, which depend on culture, religion, education, and social context where people live. Currently, in terms of gender roles, in some contexts, it is still expected that the domestic and family work will be mostly ensured by women and professional work by men. Citizens can contribute to reducing this disparity by dividing the household and family care tasks, having an inclusive language, and supporting family, friends, and colleagues in their decisions about family and professional life, regardless of social norms related to gender issues.
Participation

Participation is one of the pillars of citizenship that can only exist if each person is also responsible for ensuring that everyone else has the same rights. Gender equality requires the balanced participation of men and women in professional, social and personal life. Citizen participation also requires attention to situations of gender discrimination and violence. All citizens must report these situations in the various contexts in which they live (family, school, work, internet ...). They can also contribute to raising awareness about gender equality by supporting organisations working on this issue.

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Learning Objectives ▼

Cognitive ▼

The learner understands the concept of gender, gender equality and gender discrimination and knows about all forms of gender discrimination, violence and inequality (e.g. harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, honour killings and child marriage, unequal employment opportunities and pay, language construction, traditional gender roles, gendered impact of natural hazards) and understands the current and historical causes of gender inequality.
The learner understands the basic rights of women and girls, including their right to freedom from exploitation and violence and their reproductive rights.
The learner understands levels of gender equality within their own country and culture in comparison to global norms (while respecting cultural sensitivity), including the intersectionality of gender with other social categories such as ability, religion and race.
The learner knows the opportunities and benefits provided by full gender equality and participation in legislation and governance, including public budget allocation, the labour market and public and private decision-making.
The learner understands the role of education, enabling technology and legislation in empowering and ensuring the full participation of all genders.

Socio-emotional ▼

The learner is able to recognise and question traditional perception of gender roles in a critical approach, while respecting cultural sensitivity.
The learner is able to identify and speak up against all forms of gender discrimination and debate the benefits of full empowerment of all genders.
The learner is able to connect with others who work to end gender discrimination and violence, empower those who may still be disempowered and promote respect and full equality on all levels.
The learner is able to reflect on their own gender identity and gender roles.
The learner is able to feel empathy and solidarity with those who differ from personal or community gender expectations and roles.

Behavioural ▼

The learner is able to take the measure of their surroundings to empower themselves or others who are discriminated against because of their gender.
The learner is able to evaluate, participate in and influence decision-making about gender equality and participation.
The learner is able to support others in developing empathy across genders and breaking down gender discrimination and violence.
The learner is able to observe and identify gender discrimination.
The learner is able to plan, implement, support and evaluate strategies for gender equality.

Organisational Perspective ▼

Organisations have a key role in achieving gender equality. In general, organisations should promote gender equality policies and practices to facilitate reconciliation between family, professional and personal life, but also provide fair pay for men and women working on the same position, and encourage the participation of women in decision-making processes.

In terms of participation, organisations can consider in their social responsibility policy to create mechanisms to protect women in situations of discrimination, violence and harassment, establish measures to increase female representation in the company, collaborate with other entities, and invest in initiatives promoting SDG 5.

Typically, in areas related to the industry, engineering, or IT there is a higher percentage of men and in areas related to education and health, a higher percentage of women. Thus, gender roles issues are of particular importance. Organisations can establish medium or long term goals and attempt to reduce this disparate backdrop and take it into account in recruitment processes. Organisations can also encourage men and women to have the same time for parental care.

Concerning cultural identity, companies can hire women from the most vulnerable social groups and offer opportunities for professional education and training, and promote gender equality, empowerment, and inclusion issues in their marketing practices.

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Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Targets ▼

Action Area

Learning Objectives ▼

Cognitive ▼

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Behavioural ▼

Organisational Perspective ▼

Find out more

United Nations - SDG Knowledge - SDG5

United Nations - Facts & Figures - SDG5

UN Women

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Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Action Area

Cultural identity

Gender roles

Participation

Organisational Perspective ▼