Gender Equality is Not Just a Women’s Issue

Gender equality is not just a women’s issue, it’s a fundamental human rights issue and a crucial aspect of sustainable development and economic growth. It is also one of the most pressing challenges for reducing poverty and inequality around the world.

Gender inequality relates to a number of different dimensions of men and women’s lives: the relative size of the labor force, the relative pay gap between men and women, the extent to which they are able to participate in the economy and public life, their access to education and skills development, and the degree to which they are protected from violence at work, home and in society. Despite significant progress in many of these areas, there is still much to do.

The good news is that addressing gender inequality can have significant economic benefits. A growing body of research shows that reducing gender inequality can help foster household decision-making, improve firm/institution performance, and generate substantial macroeconomic benefits by boosting productivity and economic growth, strengthening macroeconomic and financial stability, and lowering income inequality (Kochhar and others, 2017; Sahay and others, 2020; Cihak and Sahay, 2020; Gonzales and others, 2015b).

However, it’s important to recognize that most initiatives to reduce gender inequality are not well targeted. They usually frame the problem as a problem with women and suggest that they need to be “fixed”—to change their behaviours, overcome their fear of failure, and remedy their mindsets. This approach is flawed in several ways. It underestimates the scale of the challenge; it assumes that gender inequality is driven by individual choices and motivations, when in fact it is deeply rooted in organizational systems and cultures; and it misses the fact that gender is inherently intersectional.

Furthermore, focusing on “fixing women” can reinforce the stereotypes and norms that are the root causes of structural gender inequality. It is more effective to identify and target the underlying systemic causes of inequality, which are less visible than individual-level choices, such as the level of risk taking or the tendency towards impostor syndrome.

Gender equality is possible only if we tackle the entrenched power structures that shape our world and make it difficult to move past inequalities. This requires a combination of policy interventions, and a willingness to take the time needed to achieve the desired results. In the meantime, let’s celebrate the progress that is being made and continue to push for greater equity.