The United Nations’ 193 member nations signed and agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Of these, the lofty objective of attaining gender parity and empowering all women and girls by 2030 was emphasized as Goal 5. Just five years later, the COVID-19 epidemic led to a regressive impact on gender equality.

Is there a way to ensure that attempts to reconstruct economies in the COVID-19 period don’t further disadvantage women because of their gender? In this article, we outline 3 most important things that need to be addressed and which leaders must know when they gather again to review the state of gender equality.

TO INCREASE GLOBAL GDP, IT IS NECESSARY TO REDUCE THE WORLDWIDE GENDER GAP.
Uneven power distribution between men and women is not just a moral and social problem but also a serious economic one. Women’s equality may contribute $12 trillion to the global economy if the worldwide gender gap is reduced according to an MGI research in 2015, The Power of Parity: How Advancing Women’s Equality Can Increase Global Growth.

According to the findings, the global economy could gain $12 trillion a year by 2025 if all nations matched the performance of the region’s country that has made the most significant progress toward gender equality. Five years ago, women accounted for only 37 percent of global GDP, making up about half of the world’s workforce. An increase of this magnitude in female labor’s share of global GDP between 2014 and 2025, if things continue as they are, would be the same size as the combined GDPs of Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Developing and mature economies would both benefit greatly, with at least an 8% increase in GDP above business-as-usual. By 2025, an extra $28 trillion in GDP might be generated if women’s involvement in the workforce is equal to men’s, their sector selection is equal to men’s, and their full-time positions are similar to men’s. COVID-19’s epidemic has added urgency—and new risks—to reaching gender parity’s economic advantages. Our estimations have been adjusted appropriately.

THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN SOME PROGRESS TOWARD GENDER EQUALITY SINCE 2015, THE DISPARITIES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN ARE STILL WIDE.
As recently as 2015, worldwide progress in reducing the disparity between men and women has been sluggish. Women’s participation in the workforce and their representation in high-productivity, formal jobs, and leadership positions in the economy were mapped by MGI (essential services and enablers of economic opportunity like digital and financial inclusion, legal protection, and political voice, and physical security and autonomy). Based on MGI’s research of 125 countries, gender equality in society and gender equality in the workplace are linked. Most nations’ social equality ratings tend to be higher than their employment and labor market equality scores. Still, we discovered no countries with high social equality and poor employment and labor market equality. A solution must address both aspects of the problem at once.

Our Gender Parity Score (GPS) ranges from zero (no equality for women and men) to one (equality for men and women) (full gender equality). Progress has been little in the last five years. Gender disparities persist across the world. The worldwide GPS was at 0.60 in 2015, now at 0.61. In 2019, the overall score for gender equality at work was 0.52 points higher than in 2015 (0.51 points). This year, the total score for gender equality in society was 0.67, an improvement over the previous year’s 0.66. Across the board, these patterns are the same. From a worldwide GPS of 0.47 in 2015 to 0.50 in 2019, the Middle East and North Africa areas saw the most rises in gender equality. Gender equality in the workplace and society has declined in several countries since 2015.

WORKING TWO JOBS AT THE SAME TIME IS STILL THE NORM FOR MANY WOMEN
In the workplace, women experience sexism, and in the home, they face sexism. Women working two shifts are not only a phenomenon in emerging countries; it is also a well-established truth in the developed world. Three times as much unpaid care labor is done by women worldwide as by males. The “double shift” is a reality for millions of women in China, who work outside the house but still devote most of their time to domestic duties. Only approximately half of the time they spend at work gets compensated. In all, women in China work an extra day a week than males, a disparity of about one full day. Women’s amount of unpaid care labor in certain countries, such as India, is over ten times more than males.

For example, in the United States, 54% women still do over twice the amount of unpaid care labor as men, but only 22% of men, report performing all or most of the housework. 43% of women are the primary household income earners, and just 12% of males undertake all or most of the domestic labor, even among those who earn the bulk of their family’s money. Moreover, according to the Pew Research Center’s annual survey, 80% of working women have a working husband, but just 56 percent of working males have a working spouse.

CONCLUSION!
In low- and middle-income nations, the gender disparity is the biggest. Volunteering in women’s empowerment programs is a great way to help women all around the globe. In this context, GVI’s dedication to UN SDG 5: Gender Equality and collaborative working style have been critical elements in building volunteer programs on women’s empowerment and community development.

Volunteer and internship opportunities are available to help combat gender inequity. GVI’s activities have helped women become more involved in their local communities and society. Whether you’re expanding educational opportunities for girls and women in India, assisting Cambodian women in advancing their careers, or organizing Laotian women’s health seminars, you can make a difference in the fight for gender equality.

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