Exemplary actions to reduce Global Gender Gap

1. What is gender gap?

The gender gap refers to the differences in opportunities available to individuals of different genders in areas such as Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. It is measured by the Global gender gap index launched in 2006 by World economic forum.

2. Why is it important to have less gender gap?

Females represent half of a society's population and when half of human resources are not used society lags behind in development. Throughout the world, it is clear that women have a harder time accessing resources and opportunities compared to men. Additionally, women are often left out of decision-making processes that greatly impact their communities and personal lives.

3. Historical data representing the gender gap - 

The data from the graph clearly illustrates that the most significant reduction in the gender gap occurred in 2020, but unfortunately, it has regressed in 2021 due to the devastating impact of the pandemic on employment. Research from McKinsey indicates that the majority of job losses during the COVID-19 outbreak were experienced by women. Even after four years, we are still dealing with the effects of the pandemic. One big reason for this is that the virus has caused more unpaid care for children, the elderly, and the sick, and women do most of this care. This problem is made worse by existing gender inequalities.

4. Best and worst countries and reason behind the gender gap

Did you know that Iceland is leading the way in gender parity, with a 93.5% gender gap closed? On the other hand, Sudan is facing challenges with only 56.8% of the gender gap closed. The success in Iceland can be attributed to their strides in political and economic parity, with 50% of ministerial roles occupied by women. Meanwhile, Sudan's struggles stem from discriminatory laws and a patriarchal culture, leading to continued hardships for women.

Strategies to reduce the gender gap

a.) Education - Gender disparity in education is a pressing issue, influenced by factors such as insufficient funding, lack of infrastructure, poverty, discrimination, and cultural beliefs. Females are particularly impacted by these challenges. To address this, the following strategies can be implemented:

1. Implementation of inclusive education policies

2. Addressing cultural beliefs through initiatives such as scholarships, building schools in rural and remote areas, and providing safe transportation for both girls and boys

3. Teaching with gender-sensitive language

4. Removal of gender bias in textbooks and teaching materials

5. Implementation of effective awareness programs

b.) Employment - Gender inequality at work is a multifaceted challenge, encompassing issues like underrepresentation in leadership roles, pay disparities, discrimination, and biases against mothers. To bridge this gap, we can take proactive steps such as - 

1. Practicing equal pay

2. Providing flexible working hours

3. Maintaining gender ratio at the workplace

4. Implement gender equality awareness programs

5. Offer gender-neutral skill development opportunities 

Other strategies include the representation of women in leadership roles, Social protection, Enough funding to promote female development,etc.

Policies implemented by governments to reduce gender gap

Some awesome initiatives that have been making a positive impact on women around the world:

1. Brazil's Emergency Aid cash transfer program provided double the benefits to women-led households during the pandemic, helping to keep the poverty rate among such households down to about 8 percent from a potential increase to over 30 percent.

2. Egypt expanded cash assistance to low-income single mothers to support their children's health and education.

3. In Togo, mobile technology was used to speed up emergency financial support during the pandemic, especially benefiting women.

4. Norway's universal childcare expansion boosted mothers' employment by 32 percentage points.

5. Egypt focused on expanding pre-school availability and improving public transport safety, making it easier for women to access job opportunities.

6. São Tomé and Príncipe launched a gender budgeting initiative with IMF support, aimed at promoting women's equality across government programs.