Issue in Focus

Gender equality is a basic human right and its achievement has immense socioeconomic implications. Yet, gender inequalities are deeply rooted in every society.

Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. While progress has been made, no country in the world has achieved gender equality.

  • According to the UN Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change may push up to 158.3 million more women and girls into poverty (16 million more than the total number of men and boys). Progress will need to be made 26 times faster to reach the no poverty goal by 2030.
  • Globally, women spend 2.8 more hours per day than men on unpaid care and domestic work. On the current trajectory, the gap between the time spent by women and men on unpaid care will narrow slightly, but by 2050, women globally will be spending 9.5% more time or 2.3 more hours per day on unpaid care work than men.
  • Women earn an average of 16%  less than men according to Forbes Advisor. Women are paid approximately 84 cents for every dollar a man makes.
  • Women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political leadership. As of 1 November 2023, women’s representation in national Parliaments ranged from 0 to 61.3%, with the average standing at 26.7%.
  • While women represented 46% of world employment, only 32% of managerial positions in the world were occupied by women in 2023.
  • Throughout the world, one in three women and girls have already experienced physical and/or sexual violence. Less than 40% sought help, and of those, only 10% went to the police.
  • More than 640 million or 26% of women aged 15 and older have been subjected to intimate partner violence.
  • Globally, one in five girls were married before age 18.

 
Zonta in Action

In 2024, the SDG Gender Index found that not one country is on track to attain gender equality by 2030. The Global Gender Gap Report 2023 estimates at the current rate of progress, it will take 131 years to reach full parity. While the global parity score has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, the overall rate of change has slowed down significantly. Zonta International has spent more than 100 years advocating for gender equality and continues to fight for the cause. Zonta International also invests in education programs and international services projects to empower women and provide them opportunities to live on an equal basis as men.

Zonta and its clubs advocate on a variety of issues related to gender equality and women’s empowerment through: