Test your knowledge on gender equality!

Women make up more than two-thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate people according to UN Women. Despite all the progress girls are still less likely to be enrolled in school than boys.Out-of-school girls are at increased risk of violence, child marriage, child labour, trafficking and early childbirth.

Educating girl children is a powerful climate solution. Did you know that some countries, such as Equatorial Guinea, even have laws in place that expel pregnant girls and ban them from returning.

On average, women carry out at least two and a half times more unpaid household and care work than men. Unpaid labour can include things like cooking and cleaning, fetching water and firewood, or taking care of children and the elderly. As a result, they have less time to engage in paid labour, or have to work longer hours.

Of this 32% have experienced it at work! (statistics from UN Women)

According to UNFPA, Disruptions to family planning services in the first year of the pandemic lead to an estimated 1.4 million additional unintended pregnancies. This highlights how severely women’s reproductive choices are affected in crisis situations.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” FGM is a violation of girls’ and women’s human rights but sadly continues to be common in many areas. Due to population growth, the total number of girls affected by FGM and child marriage is actually still increasing.

The 2021 SWOP report found that almost half of women surveyed in low- to middle-income countries have no decision-making power regarding their health, contraceptive use and sex lives.

Child marriage is rooted in gender inequality and the belief that girls and women are inferior to boys and men. It is made worse by poverty, lack of education, harmful social norms and practices, and insecurity (Girls not Brides).

Even in countries that recognize the concept, the penalties for non-consensual sex within marriage may be significantly lower than in other cases. Futher some counties allow rape perpetrators to marry their victims in order to avoid penelaties for their crimes. According to the SOWPR these countries include in Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Bolivia, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gaza, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Philippines, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga and Venezuela (Equality Now, 2020).

Project Drawdown, a scientific initiative that ranks available climate actions based on their effectiveness, found that achieving lower population growth through investment in family planning and girls’ education is actually the second most powerful solution in limiting global warming to 2°C by mid-century.

While some countries now rank highly for gender equality, no country has yet achieved full equality. Empowering women to choose what happens to their bodies and lives benefits both society and the environment. More women in decision-making positions also leads to more policies aimed at improving lives and protecting nature. We all need to do more in the fight to end gender inequality. Learn more about women’s rights here: https://populationmatters.org/womens-rights