THE OVERLOOKED TRUTH: GENDER EQUALITY IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE

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Today, it seems like more questions than ever are revolving around the challenges of gender and equality. This has been sparked by an ongoing determination to put women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ rights on the map, but unfortunately, many people have begun to view the gender issue as belonging to these two groups – rather than to everyone. Gender equality, however, is a fundamental right for a just and inclusive society. Increasing gender equality and eliminating gender discrimination serves everybody.

But is gender equality really a human right, and why? It has been defined as such by the United Nations, which explains that advancing gender equality is key to creating a healthy, functional society where all members feel safe and comfortable with contributing. In countries where gender equality is not protected, hate crimes and violence are far more likely to occur, and even in countries that have made gender-based discrimination illegal, we see these problems arising.

By working to increase gender equality, societies empower themselves to hear all voices and treat all citizens equally. They make sure that people are seen, heard, and valued as individuals, and they welcome diversity.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic was enormously harmful to gender progress, pushing us back to 2019 levels in many cases, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023. We therefore need to work harder than ever to start tackling gender inequality.

Where are we now

It’s always good to acknowledge our current position, looking at the trends across the globe. First, we need to recognize that no country yet manages to promote gender equality perfectly. However, some are much further along the path than others. Studies frequently place Iceland as the most gender-equitable country, with its gender gap estimated to be 91% closed – the only country to have closed more than 90%. Norway is a close second at almost 88%. Many countries that we tend to think of as being proactive on gender equity are far less so than you might think; the USA, for example, ranks 43rd, and more than 75% of its gender gap remains open. Of course, measuring these things is a very imperfect science, but it’s notable that most of the countries that perform particularly well have or have had female leaders.

Many people will agree that gender equality is a fundamental human right, and that societies that fail to recognize it as such will often run into major problems with the treatment of certain demographics. However, that leaves plenty more questioning what we can do to promote gender equality and eliminate gender equality discrimination. Let’s explore the major areas!

Promote diverse voices

As we mentioned above, most of the countries that are particularly advanced in terms of women’s rights are those that have had female leaders. That’s not enormously surprising, but it is telling. If we want to enhance gender equality for all parties, we need to put diverse individuals in positions of power. That means we should be looking to elect LBGTQIA+ and female-identifying individuals in more places, especially countries where they are underrepresented in leadership roles. Europe currently leads the way in terms of LGBTQIA+ representation, with Andorra, Serbia, Luxembourg, and Ireland having openly gay political leaders. However, it’s still rare, and in many countries, LGBTQIA+ protections are seriously lacking. 

Women are also severely underrepresented. Only 13 of 193 of the United Nations member states have women as their current head of government, representing a shockingly low proportion. The same source states that only around 60 of those member states have ever even had a woman as the head of government. On a global scale, women and LBGTQIA+ individuals are seriously underrepresented in leadership roles. This has a knock-on effect on policies throughout societies.

If we are to have any hope of improving our gender equity, we need to be looking to elect women and LGBTQIA+ individuals across the planet. Doing so will help advance gender equality in amazing ways, because of the insights and understanding that these individuals will be able to offer!

Improve educational access

Education has the power to be transformative for individuals across the planet. It can break cycles of poverty, and it can reduce many problematic ideas about women in particular. It has been proven as one of the most effective ways to tackle child marriage, for example. Keeping girls in schools allows them to develop their thinking, gives them networks of people, and instills them with more confidence. It also can massively increase their opportunities to gain employment, creating independence.

Furthermore, by investing in girls’ education, countries send a strong, powerful message to them that they matter. They demonstrate that they value girls and women, and see them as worthy contributors to society. This can be an enormously empowering message for them to hear, and may significantly elevate a girl’s chance of growing up to have a good career. Providing good educational opportunities is one of the most effective ways to empower girls and women in today’s world.

Work against gender stereotypes

Gender stereotyping is harmful to everyone – men, women, and non-binary folks. At all levels, we should be working to remove gender stereotyping from the ways in which we view the world. For example, enabling men to take on more caregiving roles through increased paternal rights helps everyone to win; women have more space and energy for their careers, and men get to spend time with their families. 

Splitting domestic work more evenly and discouraging gender-based work will also improve life for all demographics. For example, women should not be automatically relegated to cooking, while men shouldn’t be pressured to undertake hands-on tasks like repairs. Allowing each person to find their strengths and self-assign work accordingly is massively beneficial. It also makes far more space for non-binary individuals, creating a world in which they are free to exist without having to slot themselves into gender norms or contort their sense of who they are to match one or the other binary.

When we work to remove gender from our mental understanding of the world, we enhance its equity. We recognize that we are all people, and that the somewhat arbitrary assignment of “man” or “woman” is not only unhelpful but actively damaging.

We can therefore use these three techniques to start further gender equality across the globe. Electing more female and LGBTQIA+ individuals will help create much-needed political change and improve the atmosphere and attitudes in many societies. Providing better education opportunities will protect girls from harm and increase their options when they grow up. Eliminating gendered language and stereotypes from our minds as much as possible, and deliberately engaging in role reversals, can challenge our perceptions and improve our perspectives on the ground level.

Time to get hands-on!

Spend a few minutes thinking about how gender roles affect your daily life. Are you taking on the bulk of care work because you’re a woman? Are you feeling compelled to do the driving or the home repairs because you’re a man? Are your colleagues assigning you additional tasks based on the way you present? 

Make a list of the ways that gender is affecting how you are treated and how you handle daily tasks, and then see what happens if you deliberately invert this! For example, you and your partner could swap roles for a week, or you might exchange duties with a colleague. This can be an excellent way to enhance your understanding of gender norms.