Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress

"Gender equality remains the greatest human rights challenge. Investing in women is a human rights imperative and cornerstone for building inclusive societies. Progress for women benefits us all."- World Economic Forum. In a world facing many crises, ranging from geopolitical conflicts to soaring poverty levels and the escalating impacts of climate change, achieving gender equality is more imperative than ever. The United Nations (UN) indicates that one of the key challenges in achieving gender equality by 2030 is an alarming lack of financing with a shocking $360 billion annual deficit in spending on gender equality. According to the United Nations Women, more than 342 million women and girls could be living in extreme poverty by 2030. The time for action is now in order to close the budget deficit concerning gender equality. Without a doubt the needs of women must be prioritized by their governments with a calculated and purposeful plan to incorporate gender-responsive financing as well as increase public spending on essential services and social protection. International Women’s Day (IWD) which is observed on March 8 not only celebrates women’s achievements, but is an annual reminder that more action is needed to achieve gender parity. There are two themes this year for IWD. The Genesis. International Women's Day (IWD) grew out of the labour movement when in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. The idea to make it an international event came from Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and advocate for women's rights. In 1910, she raised it at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. Her suggestion was unanimously backed by the 100 women from 17 countries who were at the conference. The first International Women's Day was celebrated in 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The United Nations (UN) started marking the event in 1975. The first theme adopted by the UN (in 1996) was "Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future". Gender Disparities. The campaign’s theme this year is “Inspire Inclusion” while the UN's official theme is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.” International Women's Day is a global commemoration with the focal point being grounded in the women's rights movement. IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. Yet, gender equality continues to be one of the greatest human rights challenges, despite evidence outlining how it will improve the lives of not only women but men also. Gender parity speaks to relative equality in terms of numbers and proportions of women and men, girls and boys, and is often calculated as the ratio of female-to-male values for a given indicator. In the context of gender equality, gender parity refers to the equal contribution of women and men to every dimension of life, whether private or public. This year’s theme underscores the crucial role of inclusion in achieving gender equality. It calls for action to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create environments where all women are valued and respected. Gender Pay Gap. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that women on average continue to be paid about 20 per cent less than men across the world. There are large variations between countries, from a high of over 45 per cent to hardly any difference. The gender pay gap has been reduced in some countries while in others there has been little change. The gender pay gap is a measurable indicator of inequality between women and men. Most governments have legislated to guarantee equality of treatment between men and women in remuneration. The ILO Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 is one of the most highly ratified conventions. Yet, the gender pay gap persists. Alarmingly, the World Economic Forum estimates it will take 202 years to close the global gender pay gap, based on the trend observed over the past 12 years. Additionally, it will take another 131 years to reach gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2023. The disparities along gendered lines are glaring. This is exactly why governments must invest more resources in the training of women and girls especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in order to close the gender pay gap. Research has indicated that far fewer women than men are in management and leadership positions, especially at higher levels. When women are managers, they tend to be more concentrated in management support functions such as human resources and financial administration than in more strategic roles. This brings down the average salary of female managers compared to that of male managers. A Gender-Focused Stimulus Package Needed Unfortunately, the world is off track to achieve gender equality by 2030 this according to the United Nations (UN). Gender equality is goal #5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The UN adds that at the global level, none of the 18 indicators “met or almost met” the targets and only one is “close to target”. At the current rate of progress, it is estimated that it will take up to 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments. Surging global crises have highlighted and exacerbated existing gender inequalities, such as unequal access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. Political leadership and a comprehensive set of policy reforms are needed to dismantle systemic barriers to the achievement of SDG4. Target 5.1: Based on data collected in 2022 in 119 countries, 55% of the countries lacked laws that prohibit direct and indirect discrimination against women; half of the countries continued to lack quotas for women in the national parliament; 60% of the countries failed to have laws defining rape based on the principle of consent; 45% of countries did not mandate equal remuneration for work of equal value; over a third of countries failed to provide maternity leave in accordance with ILO standards; almost a quarter of countries did not grant women equal rights with men to enter into marriage and initiate divorce; and close to three-quarters of countries failed to stipulate 18 years as the minimum age of marriage for women and men, with no exceptions. Real Transformation . Investments and investing in issues concerning women is dismal globally. Just 5% of government aid is focused on tackling violence against women and girls, and less than 0.2% is directed to its prevention. In order to truly transform the lives of women and girls, the World Economic Forum states that an estimated $6.4 trillion per year is needed in 48 developing countries, covering nearly 70% of the population in developing countries in order to achieve gender equality in key areas, including in the goal to end poverty and hunger, and to support more equal participation of women in society by 2030. Goal 4 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals that addresses Quality Education is also off track globally. Worldwide, in 2013, two thirds of the 757 million adults (aged 15 and over) who were unable to read and write were women. Globally, in 2013, 1 in 10 girls were out of school, compared to 1 in 12 boys. This year's campaign theme underscores the crucial role of inclusion in achieving gender equality. It calls for action to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create environments where all women are valued and respected. Inspire Inclusion encourages everyone to recognize the unique perspectives and contributions of women from all walks of life, including those from marginalized communities. In Afghanistan, girls above primary-school age remain banned from classrooms by the Taliban, hindering women's access to equal education. The UN says women and girls in Sudan are being abducted and raped in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), where they are forced to marry and are held for ransom. In Iran, many women continue to defy the rules requiring women to cover their hair. International Women's Day is observed to recognize the cultural, political, social, and economic achievements made by women. The day serves as an opportunity to inspire efforts to end gender biases and discrimination and achieve gender equality. As the international community observes International Women’s Day let us encourage governments to consider and analyze the unique and diverse needs of every person. Let us implore governments to implement their budgets with a gender-responsive element in order to ensure the fair distribution of resources for all. Governments also need to work closely with The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) so as to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. On this International Women’s Day let us rally behind the call to “Invest in women; Accelerate progress.” In the words of Barack Obama, history shows that when women and girls have access to opportunity, societies are more just, economies are more likely to prosper, and governments are more likely to serve the needs of all their people. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #InternationalWomensDay #InvestInWomenAccelerateProgress #InspireInclusion