Gender equality

Sindhu Mallah
Gender equality is a central component to development. Yet Pakistan currently ranks the second lowest country in the world for gender equality, according to the Global Gender Gap Index. As the sixth most populated country in the world and with a very high fertility rate of 3.8 children per woman, gaps in the fulfillment of women’s reproductive rights as well as the widespread prevalence of gender-based violence are at the forefront of gender inequality. Although efforts to promote gender equality are apparent within Pakistan’s Vision 2025, there is still much more to be done to improve the realities for women and girls across the country. Barriers to access sexual and reproductive health rights, receiving quality education, fulfilling empowerment goals and entering the economic sphere are only some of the ways women are disadvantaged in Pakistan. Women suffer from pervasive gender-based violence, from domestic abuse, honour killings, sexual violence to institutional discrimination. There is a widespread lack of consistent access to quality family planning services in Pakistan, resulting in one of the highest unmet needs in Asia. This prevents women from meaningfully participating in educational and economic life outside of the household and from making informed choices about their sexual and reproductive lives. Women in Pakistan are also the face of unyielding strength and represent some of the strongest voices demanding change. UNFPA is helping to improve their situation, giving further strength and support to amplify their voice. Girls and boys see gender inequality in their homes and communities every day – in textbooks, in the media and among the adults who care for them.Parents may assume unequal responsibility for household work, with mothers bearing the brunt of caregiving and chores. The majority of low-skilled and underpaid community health workers who attend to children are also women, with limited opportunity for professional growth.And in schools, many girls receive less support than boys to pursue the studies they choose. This happens for a variety of reasons: The safety, hygiene and sanitation needs of girls may be neglected, barring them from regularly attending class. Discriminatory teaching practices and education materials also produce gender gaps in learning and skills development. As a result, nearly 1 in 4 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are neither employed nor in education or training – compared to 1 in 10 boys.Yet, in early childhood, gender disparities start out small. Girls have higher survival rates at birth, are more likely to be developmentally on track, and are just as likely to participate in preschool. Among those who reach secondary school, girls tend to outperform boys in reading across every country where data are available. But the onset of adolescence can bring significant barriers to girls’ well-being. Gender norms and discrimination heighten their risk of unwanted pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, and malnutrition. Especially in emergency settings and in places where menstruation remains taboo, girls are cut off from the information and supplies they need to stay healthy and safe.In its most insidious form, gender inequality turns violent. Some 1 in 20 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 – around 13 million – have experienced forced sex. In times of both peace and conflict, adolescent girls face the highest risk of gender-based violence. Gender equality is a human right. Women are entitled to live with dignity and with freedom from want and from fear. Gender equality is also a precondition for advancing development and reducing poverty: Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of whole families and communities, and they improve prospects for the next generation. Still, despite solid evidence demonstrating the centrality of women’s empowerment to realizing human rights, reducing poverty, promoting development and addressing the world’s most urgent challenges, gender equality remains an unfulfilled promise. For more than 30 years, UNFPA has advocated for women and girls, promoting legal and policy reforms and gender-sensitive data collection, and supporting initiatives that improve women’s and girls’ health and expand their choices in life. Despite many international agreements affirming their human rights, women and girls are still much more likely than men to be poor and illiterate. They have less access to property ownership, credit, training and employment. They are far less likely than men to be politically active and far more likely to be victims of domestic abuse and other forms of violence.Gender equality will be achieved only when women and men enjoy the same opportunities, rights and obligations in all spheres of life.This means sharing equally in the distribution of power and influence, and having equal opportunities for financial independence, education and realizing their personal ambitions.Gender equality demands the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives. When women are empowered, whole families benefit, and these benefits often have a ripple effect on future generations. The roles that men and women play in society are not biologically determined. They are socially determined, changing and changeable. And while they may be justified as being required by culture or religion, these roles vary widely by locality and evolve over time. Efforts to promote women’s empowerment should ensure cultural considerations are respected while women’s and girls’ rights are upheld. Effectively promoting gender equality also requires recognizing that women are diverse in the roles they play, as well as in age, social status, ability, geographic location and educational attainment. The fabric of their lives and the choices available to them vary widely.Effectively promoting gender equality also requires recognizing that women are diverse in the roles they play, as well as in age, social status, ability, geographic location and educational attainment. The fabric of their lives and the choices available to them vary widely.