A Decade of Stagnation: New UN data shows anti-women biases remain entrenched
United Nations, June 12 (EFE).- The latest global gender index by the United Nations has shown no improvement in biases against females in a decade, with almost 9 out of 10 men and women worldwide still holding such prejudices.
“A staggering 25 percent of people believe it is justified for a man to beat his wife,” said the report released on Monday.
The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) prepared by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) reflects the latest data from the World Values Survey.
“Half of people worldwide still believe men make better political leaders than women, and more than 40 percent believe men make better business executives than women.”
The report notes that women are more skilled and educated than ever before, yet even in the 59 countries where females are now more educated than men, the average gender income gap remains a staggering 39 percent in favor of men.
The data was collected between 2017 and 2022 from 80 countries representing 85 percent of the world population.
The report emphasizes that despite the continued prevalence of bias against women, the data shows change was possible.
An increase in the share of people with no bias in any indicator was evident in 27 of the 38 countries surveyed.
The report’s authors emphasize that to drive change toward greater gender equality, the focus needs to be on expanding human development through investment, insurance, and innovation.
The UNDP argues that governments have a key role in changing social norms and points out that, for example, the rules on parental leave have changed the perception in many places about the responsibility of family care or labor reforms have modified Beliefs about women and work.
“Social norms that impair women’s rights are also detrimental to society more broadly, dampening the expansion of human development,” said Pedro Conceição, head of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office.
“In fact, lack of progress on gender social norms is unfolding against a human development crisis: the global Human Development Index (HDI) declined in 2020 for the first time on record—and again the following year.” EFE
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