Most women live in countries with large gender gaps, the UN report reveals

Of the 114 countries surveyed, none has achieved full gender equality, a report by the UN Women and Development Fund (UNDP) has revealed.

Furthermore, less than one percent of the world’s women and girls live in a country with both high female empowerment and a small gender gap in areas such as health and education.

Meanwhile, 3.1 billion women and girls – more than 90 percent of the world’s population – live in countries characterized by a lack of empowerment for women and a large gender gap.

Measure the power, check the differences

The report presents two new indicators to shed light on the complex challenges faced by women worldwide and provide a roadmap for targeted interventions and policy reforms.

The Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) measures women’s ability and freedom to make choices and receive benefits across five dimensions: health, education, inclusion, decision-making, and violence against women.

The Global Education Partnership Index (GGPI) examines gender differences in key dimensions of human development, including health, education, inclusion, and decision-making.

Globally, women are able to achieve on average only 60 percent of their full potential, as measured by WEI. On average, they achieve 28 per cent less than men across key human development measures, as measured by the GGPI.

The full force is unknown

These empowerment gaps and disparities are detrimental not only to women’s well-being and progress but also to overall human progress, the report said.

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous recalled the strong commitment of the international community to gender equality and the empowerment of women under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

However, he said that the latest indicators show that women’s full potential is far from being reached, and that large gender gaps persist, thus hindering and reducing progress towards the implementation of the goals.

“So sustained efforts are needed to promise gender equality, protect the human rights of women and girls and ensure that their basic liberties are fully fulfilled,” he said.

‘Real change for real people’

The indicators highlight the need for comprehensive policy action in the areas of health, education, work-life balance and support for families, and violence against women, which will increase efforts towards a more equitable world and approx.

“Many women and girls live in countries that only allow them to reach a fraction of their potential and these innovative ideas are ultimately designed to help make real change – for real people, ” said Achim Steiner, head of UNDP.