Why is gender equity important

Given the key role that language plays in shaping cultural and social attitudes, using gender-inclusive language is a powerful way to promote gender equality and eradicate gender bias. Being inclusive from a gender language perspective means speaking and writing in a way that does not discriminate against a particular sex, social gender or gender identity, and does not perpetuate gender stereotypes. These Guidelines include recommendations and materials, created to help United Nations staff use gender-inclusive language in any type of communication — oral or written, formal or informal — and are a useful starting point for anyone.

Read more about gender equality. Skip to main content. Toggle navigation Welcome to the United Nations. In Cambodia, hundreds of people joined the Siem Reap Running Race in , saying no to violence against women. Women's rights as a human right Gender Equality was made part of international human rights law by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December Children raised in gender-equal environments will do better than those raised with inequality.

Gender equality and race equality are closely linked. Within issues like the gender pay gap, race plays a big role. White and Asian women earn more than black, Hispanic, and native women. In the United States, black women face a higher risk of death from pregnancy-related causes. When gender equality considers race as a factor, it improves race equality at the same time. Poverty rates are the highest among young girls.

As boys and girls get older, the gender gap in poverty gets larger. Gender inequality keeps women and their families trapped in cycles of poverty. When women receive better education, healthcare, and job opportunities, they can thrive. Investing in gender inequality is a sustainable, highly-effective way to reduce poverty.

Everyone benefits from gender equality. Achieving gender equality will not happen overnight. Everyone is affected by gender inequality. Read how gender roles and stereotypes impact different Victorians throughout their lives.

It helps prevent violence against women, is good for the economy, and makes our communities safer and healthier. Read our vision and strategy for gender equality in Victoria. Equality between men and women exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence; have equal opportunities for financial independence through work or through setting up businesses; enjoy equal access to education and the opportunity to develop personal ambitions, interests and talents; share responsibility for the home and children and are completely free from coercion, intimidation and gender-based violence both at work and at home.

Within the context of population and development programmes, gender equality is critical because it will enable women and men to make decisions that impact more positively on their own sexual and reproductive health as well as that of their spouses and families.

Decision-making with regard to such issues as age at marriage, timing of births, use of contraception, and recourse to harmful practices such as female genital cutting stands to be improved with the achievement of gender equality.

However it is important to acknowledge that where gender inequality exists, it is generally women who are excluded or disadvantaged in relation to decision-making and access to economic and social resources. This would enable them to make decisions and take actions to achieve and maintain their own reproductive and sexual health. The achievement of gender equality implies changes for both men and women.

More equitable relationships will need to be based on a redefinition of the rights and responsibilities of women and men in all spheres of life, including the family, the workplace and the society at large.

This fact is, indeed, often overlooked, because the tendency is to consider male characteristics and attributes as the norm, and those of women as a variation of the norm. But the lives of men are just as strongly influenced by gender as those of women. Societal norms and conceptions of masculinity and expectations of men as leaders, husbands or sons create demands on men and shape their behaviour. Men are too often expected to concentrate on the material needs of their families, rather than on the nurturing and caring roles assigned to women.

Socialization in the family and later in schools promotes risk-taking behaviour among young men, and this is often reinforced through peer pressure and media stereotypes. These risks include ones relating to accidents, violence and alcohol consumption.

Men also have the right to assume a more nurturing role, and opportunities for them to do so should be promoted. The adoption of a gender perspective is an important first step; it reveals that there are disadvantages and costs to men accruing from patterns of gender difference.

It also underscores that gender equality is concerned not only with the roles, responsibilities and needs of women and men, but also with the interrelationships between them. We use cookies and other identifiers to help improve your online experience.