SDG5 - Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls

Umesh Chandra Pandey, Chhabi Kumar

• Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781789735239
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Gender Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

Conventional development planning lacks sensitivity to the female experience. Tackling gendered discrimination and the exclusion of women, SDG5 aims to 'achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.' This book considers the current state of play and identifies the trends, drivers and impact of gender equality.
Taking a comprehensive and global approach, the book addresses the multifaceted concerns of women within the overall paradigm of the post-2015 development agenda. The authors analyse the patterns of gender inequality in different socioeconomic regions across developing, middle income and developed countries. The book will examine how the gap between policy and implementation might be tackled and contemplate how effective policy action might provide a solution. Offering best practice and posing key challenges for achieving the goal, this is the only book which comprehensively deals with all the key aspects of SDG5 based on the latest credible research.
Concise Guides to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals comprises 17 short books, each examining one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The series provides an integrated assessment of the SDGs from economic, legal, social, environmental and cultural perspectives.

1

BACKGROUND

There is a widespread realisation across the world that the basic objective of human development should be to increase people’s choices. It calls for a system which enhances equality of opportunity and empowers people to participate in and benefit from the development process (United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 1995). Despite this realisation, inequalities continue to persist due to a number of traditional, religious, social, economic and political factors. The causes and consequences of these inequalities have been the subject of a large body of scholarship worldwide. It is evident that any society which does not value every individual and provide enabling conditions for them to realise their full potential cannot progress sustainably. It should be viewed as a matter of not only human rights but also economics.

One of the major groups which requires special attention in this context is women – constituting half the world’s population. It is widely recognised that gender equality is a major prerequisite for the sustainability of the world economy. The matter has come to the forefront of international development with the advent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of United Nations (UN, nd).

While speaking on the occasion of United Nations Association of New York Humanitarian Awards Dinner, in New York on 29 October 2014, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, emphasised as follows (2014a):

We cannot fulfil 100 per cent of the world’s potential by excluding 50 per cent of the world’s people. The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all.

Several studies have amply demonstrated that empowering women, be it in the market place, office or household, increases overall efficiency, well-being and the quality of decision making. However, the condition of women in most societies is far from satisfactory; they are often not involved in most of the decision-making process within the household or community at large. This is largely because of the comparatively lower status ascribed to women in most societies. Despite several research-based findings – and despite the measures taken by the world community to address this challenge – much remains to be done on issues pertaining to gender inequality. We still have several countries where governmental policies restrict women’s participation in entrepreneurial and employment activities. The World Bank’s study Women, Business and the Law 2016 (World Bank, 2015), covering 173 economies, demonstrates that in most parts of the world women’s productive capacity and participation is still restricted, and they continue to suffer from discrimination (Box 1).

Box 1. Patterns of Discrimination against Women across the World.

(a) Legal gender differences are widespread: 155 of the 173 economies covered have at least one law impeding women’s economic opportunities.

(b) The total number of legal gender differences across 173 economies is 943.

(c) In 100 economies, women face gender-based job restrictions.

(d) 46 of the economies covered have no laws specifically protecting women from domestic violence.

(e) In 18 economies, husbands can legally prevent their wives from working.

(f) Lower legal gender equality is associated with fewer girls attending secondary school relative to boys, fewer women working or running businesses and a wider gender wage gap.

(g) Over the past two years, 65 economies carried out 94 reforms increasing women’s economic opportunities.

Source: World Bank (2015, p. 2).

GENDER EQUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

The contribution of women’s labor – in and outside the home – which is absolutely vital for the well-being of the society, continues to remain undervalued and mostly invisible (Action Aid, 2015, p. 2). Furthermore, their roles in society have been largely stereotyped, thereby undermining their true potential to contribute to society. It has been estimated that the underutilisation of women’s true potential leads to significant loss for the global economy. The World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva highlights the connection between earning gaps between men and women and the consequent economic loss for the global economy as follows (World Bank, 2018b):

The world is essentially leaving $160 trillion on the table when we neglect inequality in earnings over the lifetime between men and women.

Socio-cultural constraints, access to resources and educational levels have pushed women to a level where it is difficult for them to escape from poverty traps. Women are considered and treated as subordinates to men; this is a practice which is prevalent in several parts of the worlds. As a result of this subordination, women are often subjected to various types of discrimination, humiliation, oppression, control, exploitation and various forms of violence (Bhasin, 1993). Gender inequality manifests itself differently across education, employment opportunities, healthcare facilities, life expectancy, family life and political participation. Widespread gender discrimination, the cost it inflicts and the magnitude of injustice it represents is the defining challenge of our times. These issues have significantly attracted the attention of global community (Box 2).

As the global community grapples with the challenges of sustainable development, there is an increasing realisation that the underlying drivers of unsustainability and the phenomenon of gender inequality are deeply interlocked and interdependent. This has not only serious consequences for women, but also incurs major costs for all, including businesses and the wider economy. The study carried out by Action Aid (2015, p. 3) underscores the importance of women’s work and emphasises its role in sustainable development as follows:

Box 2. Important Mile Stones in the Journey of Female Empowerment (1946–2015).

1946 Commission on the Status of Women	It is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by Council resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946. Reference: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw
1975 World Conference of the International Women’s Year	The First World Conference on Women was held in Mexico City in 1975, reuniting 133 governments and designing a World Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Women’s Year, providing measures and indications for the advancement of women for the upcoming decade. Reference: https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/mexico.html
1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)	Often considered as an international bill of rights for women, the CEDAW was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. Reference: https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/committee.htm
1994 20-Year Programme of Action	The 20-year Programme of Action was adopted by 179 countries, on the occasion of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994. Reference: https://www.unfpa.org/icpd
1995 Beijing Declaration and Programme of Action	The Fourth World Conference on Women produced the Beijing Declaration and its Platform of Action, unanimously adopted by 189 countries and considered as the most progressive scheme and road map for advancing women’s rights. Reference: https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/fwcwn.html
2000 Millennium Declaration (Millennium Goal Number 3)	MDG3 aims at promoting gender equality and empowering women. Its target 3.A focuses on the need to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015. Reference: https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/gender.shtml
2010 UN Women	In the framework of the UN Reform Agenda, the UN General Assembly established UN Women to accelerate the organisation’s goals on gender equality and empowerment of women. Reference: http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/about-un-women
2015 2030 Agenda: Sustainable Development Goal 05 And Beijing +20	Goal 5 aims at achieving gender equality and empowers all women and girls. Its targets include ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, as well as elimination of harmful practices and the recognition and value of unpaid care and domestic work. Reference: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/genderequalityandwomensempowerment

Source: Adapted from the Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform.

… the vast amount of women’s work, which is either rewarded poorly or not rewarded at all, is being used to subsidise the world economy and fuel unequal and unsustainable growth.

The need to achieve gender equality is clearly stated in the outcome document of United Nation Conference on Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 66/288, annex, paras 31 and 45; Box 3). The resolution contains clear and practical measures for implementing sustainable development through focussed interventions for gender equality. Achieving equality between women and men is therefore a major developmental imperative of our times.

Box 3. General Assembly Resolution 66/288, Annex, Paras 31 and 45.

‘We recognise that gender equality and women’s empowerment are important for sustainable development and our common future. We reaffirm our commitments to ensure women’s equal rights, access and opportunities for participation and leadership in the economy, society and political decision-making …. We underscore that women have a vital role to play in achieving sustainable development. We recognise the leadership role of women, and we resolve to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment and to ensure their full and effective participation in sustainable development policies, programmes and decision-making at all levels’.

SDGS – DO WOMEN HOLD THE KEY?

The SDGs as mandated by the United Nations are guidelines that help national governments globally plan and implement programmes and activities for development. The SDGs emerged from the realisation that development processes in various countries, besides putting a strain on already depleting resources across the globe and degrading the environment, were far from inclusive and equitable. Depriving women and girls of equal participation, choice and opportunities have several implications not only for their lives, but also for the future of the planet as a whole. It is beyond doubt that promoting inclusive development and making efforts to combat climate change are closely linked. Urgent action is required to control the damage caused to natural systems by uncontrolled growth. The phenomenon of climate change and unsustainable patterns of development could reverse the gains of recent times. Every country in the world has a major responsibility to ensure a stable world for coming generations.

Women, apart from being the main caregivers of the family, carry out most household chores. They are also responsible for the provision of water, fuel wood and food for their families. Women are also the most vulnerable section of society; they are adversely impacted by the effects of unsustainable practices and climate change. This is largely due to their economic dependence and lack of land rights. The disruption of usual sources of food, water and fuel wood forces women to travel large distances and spend more time working for less return. Scarce or limited resources also result in making difficult choices; often women and girls are the ones who have to make sacrifices in favour of their male counterparts.

In many homes around the developing world, women are at the heart of the household’s nexus of water, food and energy; thus they often know firsthand about the challenges and potential solutions in these areas. While emphasising the capabilities of wom...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• 1. Background
• 2. Understanding Gender Inequality
• 3. Gender Inequalities as a Social, Economic and Political Challenge of Our Times
• 4. Drivers and Indicators of Gender Inequality
• 5. Gender Inequalities in Developing, Middle Income and Developed Countries
• 6. Women and the Sustainable Development Agenda: A Historical Perspective
• 7. The Relationship of SDG5 to Other Goals
• 8. Policy Action for Gender Equality
• 9. Some Reflections on Inequalities
• References
• Index