Ending Gender Inequality

Gender inequality is the unequal treatment of people based on their sex or gender, which impacts women and girls in particular. It also blocks women from participating in public life and is a key driver of poverty for both women and girls.

Despite increasing focus on gender equality, large gaps remain between countries and within the same country at different levels of development. The reasons for these gaps are complex and vary by context. In many cases, they reflect the interplay of economic, social and cultural factors that are often intersecting.

The most visible type of inequality is the pay gap between men and women. This gap is especially wide in countries that require companies to publicly disclose their wages, as well as in countries where women are less likely to hold top positions in the workforce. These gaps are even bigger in industries that have a high percentage of male workers, such as banks and tech firms.

In advanced economies, the gap narrows as education improves. However, it is still far too common for boys to outperform girls in schools and for men to earn higher salaries than women in the same jobs. This inequality is exacerbated by the fact that more girls than boys drop out of school, which reduces the lifetime earning potential for both.

Gender inequality also persists in developing countries, where girls are more likely to be employed in informal and unprotected sectors of the economy. In addition, they do much more of the domestic work in their homes, which has a negative impact on health (for example, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many women to double or triple their workload and thus increase their risk of violence). Girls are also more vulnerable to sexual and reproductive health risks, including HIV infection.

Although it is a challenge, the evidence shows that gender equality can be achieved. Women’s rights must be a core part of the solution to global poverty and inequalities.

Policy interventions, both general and targeted, can make a big difference in reducing gaps. The paper compares the effectiveness of different approaches, examining both their design and implementation. It also discusses some considerations in addressing gender inequality going forward.

Gender equality should not only be seen as a fundamental human right for women and girls, but as an opportunity to end extreme poverty for both groups. In order to do this, we need to recognize that women and men have different rights, responsibilities and needs. Gender analysis can help us to understand these differences, and support more holistic policies that consider the full range of issues faced by women and girls. This includes ensuring that the right of women to assume a nurturing role in their families and communities is fully incorporated into policies that address maternal and child health. It is equally important to recognize that men also have a responsibility in respect of their own and their partners’ sexual and reproductive health.