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There has been no progress over the past decade in reducing gender bias, “rooted” in societies despite women’s rights campaigns like MeToo, the UN said on Monday.
In both men and women,social norms based on gender bias are widespread around the world: almost 90% of the population has at least one gender biasamong seven reviewed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
These “prejudices are prevalent among both men and women, suggesting that they are deeply embedded and influence men and women to similar degrees“, continues the report.
Using data from World Values Survey — international project on changing values and beliefs around the world — in 80 countries covering 85% of the world’s population, the UNDP has updated its Social Gender Norms Index (GSNI) which incorporates political dimensions , economic, related to education and physical integrity.
This index does not show “no improvement in prejudice against women in a decade“, “despite major global and local campaigns for women’s rights“like MeToo, notes the UNDP.
For example, almost half of the world’s population (49%) still believe that men make better political leaders than women, and only 27% believe that it is essential for democracy that women have the same rights as men.
Nearly half of the population (46%) believes that men have more right to a job and almost as many (43%) believe that men make better business leaders.
A quarter of the population also find it justifiable for a man to beat his wife, and 28% believe that university is more important for men.
Prejudices that constitute “barriers” for women and lead to “violations” of their rights.
“Without tackling these social gender norms, we will not achieve gender equality or the Sustainable Development Goals“, warns the report.
Indeed, this stagnation of prejudices occurs in a context of decline in human development in general, linked in particular to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Social norms that limit women’s rights are also detrimental to society as a whole, holding back progress in human development.“, commented in a press release Pedro Conceição, director of the UNDP Human Development Report Office.
“Everyone will win if women’s freedom and power are guaranteed“, he insisted.
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