The power of Gender Equality and how it can empower Women and humanity
Gender Equality is the 5th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to transform our world and a fundamental Human Right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Getting to equal: in Australia.
While women make up 50.7% of the Australian population, the truth is that women continue to face inequality: The national gender “pay gap” is 15.3% and it has remained between 15% and 19% for the past two decades; these differences mean women often receive less in wages and remuneration than men. On average, Australian women must work an extra 56 days a year to earn the same pay as men for doing the same work. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting women workers; as Australian women account for 68% of primary carers for older people and people with disability, the global pandemic has severely reduced the capacity for finding work.
In achieving gender equality, can we empower humanity too?
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres stated that dismantling gender inequality will transform the world and is critical to solving intractable global challenges such as conflict and violence, and the climate crisis. It also will help close the digital divide, lead to fairer globalisation, and increase political representation.
Remember, also, that at the heart of the issue is power and dominance.
Male-dominated power structures underpin everything from national economies, to political systems, to the corporate world and beyond Guterres says.
The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of Principles offering guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community. Some principles include High-Level Corporate Leadership, Treat Women Fairy at Work without Discrimination, Employee Wellbeing, Education and Training for Career Advancement, Community Initiatives, and Advocacy.
Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity for radical, positive action to redress long-standing inequalities in multiple areas of women’s lives and build a more just and resilient world.
At our Gender Equality, Empowering Humanity summit in collaboration with UN Women Australia, we are proud to present our guest speakers Zahra Al Hilaly, Australia’s representative on the UN Women Beijing +25 Youth Taskforce and Janelle Weissman, Executive Director of UN Women Australia. In conjunction with facilitators from UN Youth Australia, they will address the current state of gender equality worldwide and the UN’s involvement in advocating for gender equality.
Learn more about the event here.
