How Gender Inequality Affects People Worldwide

Gender inequality affects people worldwide. It is found everywhere, from the smallest communities to the highest levels of government. It has a profound impact on the lives of individuals and their families, as well as society as a whole. It can slow economic growth, which makes it harder for individuals and families to improve their standard of living or even make ends meet. Gender equality is a fundamental human right and key to achieving peace and full human potential, as well as sustainable development.

While there have been substantial declines in global gender inequality, especially with respect to enrollment in school and labor force participation, the world is still far from achieving gender parity. In addition, a large proportion of women are paid less for their work and endure poor working conditions. They are more likely to be affected by the effects of climate change and other adversities, as they tend to lack access to insurance and other risk-mitigating measures (OECD, 2021).

Moreover, while women and girls have rights, needs and capabilities that are different from those of men, they also carry specific responsibilities in relation to their families and communities. These include being able to assume caregiving roles, participate in the labor market and make decisions about their own health. This includes having unimpeded access to sexual and reproductive health services and the choice of whether or not to have children.

The evolving focus of policy initiatives for gender equality reflects the changing nature of the problems and challenges that remain. While important progress has been made in tackling more visible forms of gender inequality, such as differences in school enrollment and labor force participation, other dimensions of the problem have become more subtle and implicit, such as variations in field of study, distribution of employment across sectors and mid-level management positions. As a result, targeted gender policies will likely play a bigger role than general ones. Analytical work geared toward understanding how to design gender-specific policies to tackle these issues will be necessary.

Some researchers argue that the current trend of declining global gender inequality is due largely to endogenous factors, specifically economic growth and development. This theory, which is known as modernization or neoclassical approach, holds that as countries move up the ladder of development they will experience improvements in social and economic conditions that will lead to wider reductions in inequality between men and women. This is a common assumption and has led to gender-specific movements such as Women in Development or Gender and Development. However, it is important to note that this line of reasoning overlooks the fact that many of the underlying sources of inequality are not under anyone’s control, including poverty levels, population growth rates and religious, cultural and ideological traditions. Furthermore, it may not fully explain the lag in global reductions in inequality between men and women that has been observed in recent decades.