Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
The UN has estimated that at the current pace our governmental systems are at, it will take at least 40 years for men and women to be equally represented in political leadership roles like MPs. In the most recent UK Parliamentary election, only 220 of the 650 available MP seats were filled by women.
In 2021, Save the Children found that 15 million girls around the world did not have access to educational services. While poverty is largely the cause of over 25 million children worldwide not receiving an education – the total of girls is almost double their male peers. This is because young girls are more likely to be held responsible for the upkeep of chores and caring for their younger relatives. The charity also found that girls with disabilities were 3 times less likely to be provided access to educational services than men with disabilities.
(above) UNICEF inforgaphic showing lack of learning access to girls
The UN also noted that women were at a disadvantage to men financially due to inequalities in most industries. 39% of women accounted for total employment in 2019 but in 2020 45% of global job losses were women.
The UN has set several targets for Goal 5 to ensure they achieve their aim of improving gender inequality. In particular, they hope to have completely eliminate child, early or forced marriages by 2030. The UN believe that 12 million girls under 18 are forced into child marriages a year and estimate 650 million women alive today are victim to child marriages.
Child brides are at greater risk of dangerous complications in childbirth, contracting STDs and suffering domestic and sexual violence. Forced marriages as children also reduces the chance of accessing education or employment that could provide them with the independence to escape these dangerous situations.
The UN website provides some suggestions as to how gender-based violence like child marriages can be reduced as well as inequalities in general.
Pay inequality exists everywhere. On average, women earn 10 to 30% less than men globally for the same work. By advocating for equal pay and pressuring government bodies to narrow the wage gap, you are providing more women with the financial freedom to escape abusive relationships.
Educate yourself and others on engrained stereotypes which persist in our culture. Avoid using them and help others understand the harmful effects of these ideas.
Historically, women were expected to manage all household chores and childcare. However, despite women now firmly a part of the workforce – they are still expected to also carry out a majority of household tasks. Male family members should ensure domestic responsibilities are shared out and do not fall on their female counterparts.