overview of gender equality

We can define gender equality as the ease of access to resources and opportunities, including economic participation and decision-making, regardless of gender, and the equal appreciation of different behaviors, desires and needs, regardless of gender. Gender equality is a fundamental human right, and is also essential for achieving peaceful societies with sustainable development.

UN Women warns that there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality of rights and opportunities between men and women. Therefore, it is of great importance that both women, men and children have equal access to quality education, health, economic resources and participation in political life in order to end the multifaceted forms of gender-based social violence.

Gender equality is of course not just a definition. It brings with it many concepts. In this article, we examine all these concepts in depth.

Empowering women for gender equality

Gender equality is the process of being fair to women and men. In order to achieve justice, strategies must be in place to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from operating on equal terms. Equality leads to equality. Gender equality requires that women and men have equal access to socially valued goods, opportunities, resources and rewards. Where gender inequality exists, it is often women who are excluded or disadvantaged in terms of decision-making and access to economic and social resources. Therefore, a critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women by focusing on identifying and correcting power imbalances and giving women greater autonomy to manage their own lives.

Gender equality does not mean that women and men are the same, it simply means that access to opportunities and changes in life are not gender-dependent or constrained. Achieving gender equality requires that both women and men participate as equal partners in life, and that women are empowered at the private and public levels.

Gender considerations in development programme design and implementation

It is important to consider gender concerns when designing and implementing population and development programmes for two reasons. First, there are differences in the roles of women and men, and these differences require different approaches. Second, there is a systematic inequality between women and men. Furthermore, women are systematically underrepresented in the decision-making processes that shape their societies and their own lives.

This pattern of inequality is a constraint on the progress of any society because it limits the opportunities of half of its population. When women are restricted from reaching their full potential, that potential is lost to society as a whole. Program design and implementation should seek to address at least one or both of these factors.

Why is gender equality important?

Gender equality is inherently linked to sustainable development and is crucial to the realization of human rights for all. The overall goal of gender equality is to create a society where women have the same opportunities, rights, and responsibilities in all areas of life. Gender equality exists when both sexes share the same power and influence. Examples of ideal power distribution include equal opportunities for financial independence through employment or business, equal access to education, shared responsibility for the home and children, and freedom from coercion, intimidation, and gender-based violence at work and at home.

Therefore, the most critical part of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women by focusing on identifying and correcting power imbalances and giving women greater autonomy to manage their own lives.