There is not a single woman who inhabits the planet today that will know gender equality. At least, not to continue the current pace of progress towards that goal. A girl born today would have to live more than 202 years to experience what it means to have the same opportunities, salary, rights, power, voice ... than men. Despite the progress made since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995 in the fight against gender violence, reducing maternal mortality or guaranteeing education for girls, prejudices represent a burden that has slowed the pace. Still in 2020, 47.4% of the world's population says that men are better political leaders and 41.4% believe they are better suited to run in business. This is what a study by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) published on Thursday has found.
"It is unacceptable and unsatisfactory. The changes do not happen at the necessary speed and scale," says Raquel Lagunas, adviser on gender equality issues at UNDP, over the two centuries that will take to close the gender gap. "Social norms, expectations, prejudices, gender biases, the belief system are the biggest obstacles to further progress," he explains by telephone. For Pedro Conceição, director of the team in charge of the Human Development Report, a clear example is seen in political participation. "Women did not have the right to vote at the beginning of the 20th century. Now it is a basic progress. But if you look at the heads of state, they barely represent 5%," he says from his office in New York.
The glass ceiling not only prevents the rise of women in the sphere of political power, but also economic and social. While some laws and programs have opened some cracks, this barrier remains strong based on ideas contrary to gender equality. According to the study, 91% of men and 86% of women in the 75 countries (81% of the global population) in which surveys have been conducted have at least one of those macho thoughts. Apart from those already mentioned about the ability to be leaders, 30% believe that it is justified for a man to hit his partner and 50% of men believe that they have more right to a job.
These prejudices are not just men. In fact, women also have these macho ideas incorporated in their thoughts that end up paralyzing the progress of all and of themselves. "Gender biases are inhibitors of opportunities. For example, from the age of 12, girls begin to raise their hands less in class; thereby subtracting possibilities to express their ideas. It is three times more difficult for women become political by external barriers, but also by their own biases, "says Lagunas.
At the current rate, it will take 202 years to close the gender gap
This translates into an over-representation of the female population in informal and precarious jobs, as well as unpaid work at home. But only 21% are employers and 12% millionaires. "Women today are the most qualified in history ... But it seems that this is not enough to achieve equality in adulthood," the authors write. The choice of educational options are also conditioned by prejudice. Thus, only 15% of graduates in careers related to science, technology and mathematics (STEM) are girls.
In the private sphere, social norms also have a negative impact on the lives of women. Every year, 12 million girls are victims of forced marriages, which in most cases means that they have to leave their studies, become pregnant at a very young age and are exposed to an increased risk of complications in childbirth. "By regions, the highest rates are in Africa with 36% of women linked before they turn 18, and South Asia with 29%," notes the UNDP study. In addition, four million are at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation annually. 70% of trafficking victims detected worldwide are girls and women, most of them for sexual exploitation. "It is surprising that one in every 20 girls aged 15 to 19 - about 13 million - has suffered an act of rape in her life, one of the most violent forms of sexual abuse they can suffer," denounces a report released by UNICEF within the framework of the Generación Igualdad campaign.
"The system of norms and beliefs we incorporate since we are young; they are gender unconscious biases about what it means to be male and female," says Lagunas. In general, society expects them to be the ones in charge of the home and they bring the bread home, the report details. "Working this requires a new methodology," notes the expert. "There has to be a systemic change in the family, which is the institution most resistant to change because it is considered private, and also in school, religion, media, culture ... Ultimately in socialization spaces ".
30% of respondents in 75 countries believe that it is justified for a man to hit his partner
The UNDP document urges governments to take a battery of measures along these lines. Take a leap from the tangible - laws, policies, commitments and public statements - to the invisible. Changing mentalities requires "more complex" interventions, recognizes Lagunas. "But you can close the gap," he says positively. "Now other policies are needed. The most effective in this regard is to create awareness, an incentive system and more investment in education," Conceição enumerates. One way is, for example, to promote paternity leave. "This will change the expectation that it will always be the mother who takes care of the baby," he explains. Lagunas proposes "meaningful conversations" as we work in some UNDP gender equality programs. "It's a pending account how to work with men and boys," he adds.
In addition to complexity, these types of interventions face other challenges. One of them is that the results will be observed in the long term and the leaders usually look for results quickly. Gender equality has to become a "country commitment," says Lagunas. The street, taken by a purple tide of women globally, is claiming it. The feminist movement has gained strength in recent years; phenomena such as the Me Too, the Ni one less and more recently the expansion of the anthem A rapist in your way realize it. But some leaders are not only short-term, but do not believe that gender equality is a goal to pursue, as established in the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development agreed by all member countries of the United Nations. "Society has gender biases, it is not surprising that they are reflected in their leaders," Conceição says.
Another stone on the road to gender equality is the emergence of new discrimination. The director of the UNDP human development report points two. Those that generate climate change and new technologies. They are "most vulnerable" to the former because they are the ones who mostly perform work related to nature, such as agriculture. Regarding the digital divide, Conceição underlines how algorithms and artificial intelligence "subtract women's job opportunities because gender biases offer the best paid options to men."
The horizon drawn in the Beijin Declaration, "the most progressive plan that had ever existed to promote women's rights," according to UN Women, is still far. “25 years ago, the governments of the world made a commitment to women and girls, but they have only partially fulfilled their promise. Although the international community has demonstrated the political will necessary to send many girls to school, it has failed shamefully to provide them with the skills and support they need not only to carve out their own future, but to live safely and with dignity. , ”Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore said in a statement. “Access to education is not enough, we must also change behaviors and attitudes towards girls. True equality will only come when all girls are safe from violence, are free to exercise their rights and can enjoy the same opportunities in life, ”ditch.
You can follow PLANETA FUTURO on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe here to our newsletter.