25% of people globally think wife beating is justified: UN
Almost 90% of people globally are biased against women, according to a new United Nations (UN) report, highlighting that progress toward gender equality has stalled. Shockingly, the report also found that 25% of people globally believe it is justified for a man to beat his wife. Furthermore, 50% of people globally still believe men make better political leaders than women, the report found.
Why does this story matter?
The report comes months after UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of "vanishing" progress toward gender equality. In March, Guterres highlighted several instances of highhandedness and high prevalence of violence against women. He advocated for "collective" and "urgent" action, ranging from improving education, income, and employment for women and girls, particularly in developing countries, to encouraging women and girls to participate in science and technology.
Skewed social norms impediment to attaining gender equality: UNDP report
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study, issued on Monday, incorporates the World Values Survey (WVS) data—collected between 2010 and 2022. The authors warn that skewed gender social norms are a "fundamental impediment to attaining gender equality" and that society's undervaluation of women's skills and rights limits women's choices and chances. They said biases were observed across locations, income levels, developmental stages, and cultures.
Gender Inequality Index remained stagnant since 2019
The report further said that the UNDP's composite measure of gender inequality in empowerment, known as the Global Gender Inequality Index (GII), has remained stagnant since 2019. This means that the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030, the report noted. The report reflected views from 80 countries and territories and covered 85% of the global population.
Only 10% of women hold top government position
According to the report, biases manifest in a variety of ways, such as the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. As such, women hold fewer than one-third of management jobs in the labor sector, and barely 10% of women lead governments. Meanwhile, the average gender income difference remains 39% in favor of males in the 59 nations where women are more educated than men.
Gender bias harmful to human development too: UNDP's Conceição
The report added that the gender issue has been exacerbated due to COVID-19 and the global pushback against women's rights. Such a situation is also harmful to human development, Pedro Conceição, head of the UNDP's Human Development Report Office, said. He said the lack of progress on gender reforms caused the worldwide Human Development Index (HDI) to fall for the first time in 2020.
