Gender equality isn’t just a fundamental right in human rights, but it is also the only way for the progress of any society Belingheri et al., 2021). Despite recent advances, challenges still exist worldwide in achieving full gender parity. This essay, therefore, will discuss how Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) contributes to promoting gender equality and women empowerment.
There has been some progress in the last few decades towards gender equality, but it is not fast enough to reach the targets set for 2030. Efforts have increased; however, at present, only 15.4% of indicators of Goal 5 are on track, with another 61.5% falling under moderate distance and another 23.1% falling far or very far off track (United Nations, 2023). Although there has been a decrease in forced and early marriages, if the rate does not increase, child marriages will end approximately 300 years from now (United Nations, 2023). Likewise, although there have been some strides in improving representation in leadership positions, it will take approximately 140 years for women to be equally represented in power and leadership positions in employment places as men (United Nations, 2023). Therefore, though gains have been realized, transformative policy reforms together with continuous political commitment must be undertaken.
Despite efforts, persistent challenges hamper gender equality. Gender disparities are perpetuated by discriminatory laws and entrenched social norms that block women’s rights and chances (United Nations, 2023). It is quite amazing that almost half of all married women are unable to make decisions about their own sexual and reproductive health, an indication of the barriers against gender equity within society (United Nations, 2023). Gender-based violence is still a major problem, with 35% of women aged between 15-49 experiencing physical or sexual intimate partner or non-partner sexual violence (United Nations, 2023). In some areas, 1 in 3 females aged between 15-19 years undergo female genital mutilation, putting them at risk of health complications and promoting gender bias (United Nations, 2023). Therefore, these challenges have implications for both individual females’ well-being as well as their ability to participate fully in society.
Amidst the challenges experienced in enhancing gender equality, COVID-19 has emerged as a vital factor in aggravating the existing gender disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown notable gender gaps in diverse areas of life, such as the work environment and academia (Caldarulo et al., 2022). The implementation of lockdown and remote work measures aimed at reducing the spread of viruses has mainly impacted women, thus intensifying existing disparities. A study by Caldarulo et al. (2022) reveals that female researchers in biology, biochemistry, and civil-environmental engineering have suffered more than their male counterparts in this period. Therefore, they have been forced to split their time between family and research, hence reducing time spent on research but increasing work-life conflict, thereby aggrandizing gender inequality.
SDG 5 faces immense hurdles and COVID-19 consequences in terms of gender equality. SDG 5 is composed of numerous targets that work towards gender parity and women’s empowerment worldwide. One of these is Target 5.1, which seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls with a view to removing legal, social, and attitudinal barriers to equality (United Nations, 2023).
In addition, Target 5.2 seeks to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, both in public as well as private spheres, including trafficking and exploitation (United Nations, 2023). Equally important is target 5.3, which deals with harmful practices such as child marriages and female genital mutilation that are designed to protect the welfare rights of women. Additionally, according to the United Nations (2023), target 5.4 demands recognition of unpaid care work and domestic work from a gender perspective that promotes shared responsibility within households (United Nations, 2023). Targets 5.5 and 5.6 are related to ensuring equal representation of women in decision-making bodies, while these entail universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, respectively (United Nations, 2023). United Nations (2023) also argues that targets 5. A, 5. B and 5. C deals with specific initiatives geared towards gender equality through legal reforms, technology access, and good policies that are made for everyone. In this case, there is a possibility of a future world which will be more inclusive and fair to all genders.
In summary, gender equality and empowerment of women continue to remain a pressing global issue. The progress in achieving the SDG 5 goals has been slow despite some improvements made, and this has worsened due to the present pandemic. Nonetheless, there are attempts being put in place to fight against discriminatory practices, violence as well and wage disparities.
References
Belingheri, P., Chiarello, F., Fronzetti Colladon, A., & Rovelli, P. (2021). Twenty years of gender equality research: A scoping review based on a new semantic indicator. Plos one, 16(9), e0256474.
Caldarulo, M., Olsen, J., Frandell, A., Islam, S., Johnson, T. P., Feeney, M. K., … & Welch, E. W. (2022). COVID-19 and gender inequity in science: Consistent harm over time. PloS one, 17(7), e0271089.
United Nations. (2023, October 19). United Nations: Gender equality and Women’s Empowerment. United Nations Sustainable Development. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/
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