Why Gender Inequality Is Harmful

Gender inequality harms everyone, limiting individuals’ abilities to reach their full potential. Addressing gender inequality also benefits society at large, with stronger economies, more stable societies, and a higher quality of life for all.

Gender equality is about ensuring that all people are treated equally under the law and have access to equal opportunities, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity or sex. The good news is that significant progress has been made towards achieving gender equality. However, there is a growing recognition that further action is required to tackle the root causes of gender inequalities.

This means that policies should focus on the systemic structures and norms that underpin gender inequality, rather than trying to fix individual women. This is important because framing gender equality issues as problems of individual women is likely to fail and reinforce the stereotypes that underlie structural gender inequalities.

Despite the fact that women are just as capable of obtaining highly skilled jobs as men, the reality is that they still face discrimination in many areas of work and life. Across the world, women still earn less than men and are under-represented in positions of leadership. For example, in 2022, only 13 countries had gender-equal cabinet positions and as of January of this year, women only earn 77 cents for every dollar that men make (Equality Now, 2023).

In addition to the economic impacts of these gaps, they can also impact women’s physical and mental health. This is evidenced by the unequal availability of healthcare, with women often receiving lower-quality care, including less timely or accurate diagnoses and treatment (Equality Now, 2023).

As a result of this, women are more likely to experience chronic diseases and shorter lives than men (Seymour and others, 2018). Moreover, during the pandemic, women have been at greater risk of losing their jobs due to reduced labour demand, leading to an increase in the unemployment rate for women (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019).

The good news is that by tackling gender inequalities we can ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to thrive and unlock their full potential. This is why it is so vital that gender equality remains a key international development priority.

While much progress has been made, there is more to be done to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to succeed and to build prosperous and sustainable societies.

What should governments do to reduce inequality?

Gender inequality exists at all levels of innovation from education and training to the practice of invention and commercialization of patents. It can also be influenced by social norms and the ways in which organizations are structured. Policies must therefore aim to address all of these areas and ensure that gender equality is a key consideration in decision-making, processes, and practices. This should not undermine the progress that has already been made but rather consolidate and build on such gains.