Skip to main content

Falling behind - International Women's Day 2020 #EachforEqual

With International women's day fast approaching I thought I would share some shocking information I came across this week. I read an article written by The Guardian that changed my whole perception on gender equality. I didn't want to believe the headline and thought 'yeah this is a classic case of manipulating data for a headline' but after researching, unfortunately, this wasn't the case...
'Nine out of 10 people found to be biased against women' 
the headline screamed at me. The article summed up data gathered from the United Nations Development Programme. This data uncovered the shocking scale of women's rights globally. It analysed the data of 75 countries containing over 80% of the worlds population. It found that almost 90% of people are biased against women. 90%. I knew it was bad, but I didn't realise it was quite that bad. In the UK and US this figure was not so high but still over half of people held those views. 

It also found that half of people think men make superior political leaders. 
Unfortunately, this point did not surprise me. We know that women are not represented equally when it comes to business and politics. Women's representation in politics does not account for voting rates let alone population. However, the next line really shook me to the core. 

'Almost a third of men and women think it’s acceptable for a man to beat his wife.' 
I have no words. 

UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 - Gender Equality also discussed that 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner within the last 12 months. Unbelievably, 49 countries do not have laws protecting women from this kind of violence.  

A gender index created by Equal Measures concluded that NO country was on target to achieve the UN sustainable development targets on gender equality by the deadline of 2030. 

Unfortunately, some hold the view that 'any progress is good progress' and that 'gender equality is sorted' but to this I strongly disagree. It is not good enough to allow more generations to grow up in an unequal world with unequal opportunities, unequal pay and unequal rights. I naively believed that things were improving. Not as quickly as I liked, but still improving. However, the UN programme highlighted that in some countries, attitudes towards women have actually worsened. 

The UN stated '...attitudes appear to have worsened in recent years, signalling that progress cannot be taken for granted.'  However, I don't believe women should wake up daily with an attitude of gratitude towards having equal rights to that of a man.  It is a right not a want. Although I am glad that there is progress in some countries, this does not outweigh the fall backs of others. We are all behind where we should be. Behind is behind. 
As stated by the united nations sustainable development goals 'Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world'.

Challenge gender stereotypes.
Stand up for what you believe is right. 
Fight for an equal future. 

'An equal world is an enabled world' 

Happy international women's day! 
#IWD2020 #Each for Equal 
For more information and to see where I gathered my data please see the links below:
The Guardian
United Nations Development Programme 
UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 - Gender Equality
International Women's Day
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Autumn reflection

Happy Monday folks! Where has this last week gone? In fact, how has autumn nearly come and gone! Scarfs, candles, pumpkins, warm drinks and leaves, this time of year is so lovely. This season is always one for getting back into the swings of uni/school work and coming to terms with the fact that summer is now a distant memory, the nights draw closer and the weather gets more and more dreary with each coming day…. Yay? But after a few years of study, I feel like I have got into the balance of life/work but every year September brings around the challenge all over again. With what feels like mountains to do, sometimes the things I enjoy seem to slip. So, having just been set 5 projects all due by December, I thought now would be a good time to outline what I find are the best ways to manage those stressy times but still get what needs to be done… well… done! 1)       Lists – an old but true suggestion. Write everything down. The stress of forgetting something is gone and u
2 comments
Read more

Finding the light within the storm

January was a month of lockdown, isolation and teaching from home. A month of sunrises, walks and reading. Dancing, painting, snow falls and quiet. There was beauty where you looked for it. Moments of calm amongst this storm. The snow bought a welcome relief. Some variety to living so cooped up. It felt lovely to feel such coolness in the air and to see the world looking so bright. I built a snowman and felt my worries slipping away. I enjoyed hot chocolates and cosy blankets. February started off much like January but harder. Days working from home felt filled with stress and worry. Long days slumped over a laptop, grinding teeth and headaches, deadlines and lesson plans. However, it has also been filled with love. Valentines day, walks, yummy food and still more memories from this month to make. I wanted to share a few things that are lighting up my life so far in 2021. We all need to find the light in the storm. I downloaded an app called one second everyday and I really recommend y
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations and Mantras

Meditation is a practise that is growing in popularity. It looks to increase calmness and enhance overall health and well-being.  Meditation focuses on the positive connection between the mind and body. It does not look to change you into a different person. It looks to help you to explore yourself more deeply. There are many different types and reasons that people practise meditation but they all have 4 aspects in common; They usually take place in a quiet space. They use a posture that keeps the spine straight whether that be sitting, standing or laying down. They use focus on a mantra, object or the feeling of your breath. They focus on a sense of self compassion when watching thoughts come and go. Meditation has been found to have a positive impact on health from health conditions such as IBS and high blood pressure to mental health conditions. 5 reasons to meditate : "1: Understand your pain 2: Lower your stress 3: Connect better 4: Improve focus 5: Reduce brain chatter"
1 comment
Read more