Gender Inequality – A Fundamental Human Rights Violation

Gender inequality is discrimination that disproportionately disadvantages one sex over another. This is a fundamental human rights violation that impacts the lives of half the world’s population and holds back economic progress in every country.

While important progress has been made in some areas – particularly enrollment in primary and secondary school, as well as labor force participation – gender inequality continues to persist in other areas (e.g., tertiary education, wages and leadership positions) across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated pre-existing gaps, with women shouldering the lion’s share of care work during the epidemic and subsequently taking a disproportionately large hit in terms of lost income and reduced access to health services and social support.

Inequality is driven by a combination of factors, including preference/comparative advantage and gender bias/social norms. While the former drives gender gaps and requires no policy intervention, interventions to reduce the latter are essential as they hurt people’s wellbeing, lead to distortions and lower overall social welfare.

This distinction has implications for the scope of policy responses, with the approach to each issue often varying by country. For example, in countries where male tertiary enrollment is higher than female – and therefore there is no need to intervene to close the gap – it is still necessary to address gender bias/social norms that hold men back from fully participating in society.

Similarly, in countries with laws that give men greater inheritance rights than their wives or daughters, there is no need to intervene to close gender gaps in property ownership; instead, efforts to reduce gender bias/social norms that limit women’s access to land ownership would be the best response.

It’s also important to recognize that men and boys have the right — and responsibility — to assume nurturing roles and contribute to the well-being of their children, families and communities, and that addressing gender equality will also help them. However, this approach is not without challenges. The quality and general relevance of hundreds of studies examining gender differences in preferences, psychological attributes and “soft skills” is a source of ongoing debate.

Regardless, addressing gender equality will require long-term investments that ensure initiatives, programs and projects can be sustained and continue to have real impact over decades. Only then will it be possible to achieve true, lasting and transformational change. The future of our planet is at stake. Let’s get this right.