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On January 28, Women Deliver and Focus 2030 released the first of its kind multi-country public opinion survey, conducted in 17 countries across six continents, which captures attitudes and expectations for major actions to tackle equality. gender issues during COVID-19. Data shows an overwhelming majority of respondents want their governments to do more to promote gender equality.
The investigation comes at a time when the current COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated imbalanced economic opportunities for men and women and has shown the discrimination and abuse women face in the workplace and at home. The results of the survey serve to make visible the urgency of gender issues and to hold governments accountable to tackle discrimination against women.
The new multi-country survey reveals that the overwhelming majority of citizens want their governments to act now to accelerate progress on gender equality.
● A new survey of 17 countries on six continents – representing half of the world’s population – finds that a majority of respondents want their governments to devote more resources and attention to supporting gender equality.
● The first such survey since the COVID-19 epidemic, the new survey shows that the pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on women compared to men, both in terms of mental health and domestic obligations.
● The survey offers a roadmap for the actions the public most want to see, highlighting areas where the attention and investments of leaders and decision-makers can have the most striking impact.
The first of its kind international survey reveals that the global public overwhelmingly supports gender equality, and a resounding majority is ready for their governments and business leaders to take action to close the gender gap.
At the same time, women and girls around the world are suffering the worst effects of the COVID-19 crisis, which has disproportionately affected their mental and physical health, as well as their economic prospects.
The vast majority of respondents – 80% on average across the 17 countries surveyed – said gender equality is a priority for them personally, and 65% said their government should do more to promote gender equality in their country.
The Global Public Perception Survey, published in a new report by Women Deliver and Focus 2030, includes 17 countries on six continents whose inhabitants represent half of the world’s population.
The results come two months before the Generation Equality Forum, a global gathering for gender equality focused on civil society, organized by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France. There, government, private sector and civil society leaders will have a crucial opportunity to engage in bold and specific action on gender issues.
The forum will galvanize political action and secure financial commitments for the period 2021-2026 on measures to advance women’s rights and opportunities around the world.
Sixty-one percent of respondents urged their governments to use this forum as an opportunity to increase funding for gender equality initiatives. “2021 promises to be a pivotal year to accelerate global progress on gender equality.
The Generation Equality Forum will call on governments, businesses, civil society and people of all ages and backgrounds around the world to make bold commitments to make gender equality a reality, ”said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General. and Executive Director of UN Women.
“At such a critical time, it is invigorating to see that global public opinion is not only behind us, but urging us to do more. The world says gender equality can’t wait. We can and we must achieve this in our generation, and it must be intersectional and intergenerational. ”
Despite 25 years of progress since the historic World Conference on Women in Beijing, no country has fully met its commitments to gender equality. More than half of the world’s girls and women – up to 2.1 billion people – live in countries that are not on track to meet key gender equality goals by 2030.
“We have made a lot of progress on gender equality over the past 25 years, but there is still so much work to be done. Now, with COVID-19, just as women assume an inordinate role in responding to the pandemic in their communities and at home, they are also taking on a huge additional burden, and we could see the consequences of this tension playing out for coming years. Said Divya Mathew, Senior Manager, Policy and Advocacy at Women Deliver.
“This survey shows us where the world has failed, but it also provides encouraging news that the vast majority of women and men around the world expect their leaders to act to advance gender equality.”
On the ground in July and August 2020, the survey offers a comprehensive picture of the public’s experience and perception on six key gender equality issues, in addition to information on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives, livelihoods and emotional health of respondents.
He also interviewed participants about their personal experiences with gender discrimination, their attitudes towards sexist practices and their beliefs about the causes of gender discrimination.
The main findings on these questions include:
● The global public supports the need for women to play a role in all aspects of the pandemic response, with 82% of respondents on average saying they believe women should be involved in the response at all levels . However, the facts point to another situation: Although women make up 70% of frontline workers, they currently only make up 24% of COVID-19 response committees. To address these realities, a gender perspective must be applied to COVID-19 response and recovery plans.
● COVID-19 has had a significant impact on women (aged 18-44), who are more likely to report both increased family burden and greater emotional stress. In 13 of the 17 countries studied, women report experiencing more emotional stress and mental health problems than men during the pandemic.
● Young people, especially young women, have the highest expectations of their government to advance gender equality. Three in four young women (aged 18 to 24), in the 17 countries, call on their governments to increase funding for equality in their country during the Gender Equality Forum, compared to two in three on average.
● On average, 57% of women reported experiencing some form of gender discrimination in their lifetime, with the highest rates of discrimination reported in middle-income countries like Kenya (83%), India (81%) and South Africa (72%).
● Overall, the top priority to improve gender equality is to end gender-based violence, including online harassment, sexual assault, forced and child marriages and female genital mutilation. . This was chosen as the first choice by 32% of respondents on average across the 17 countries.
● In the United States, self-identified Black or African American respondents are less likely to say that gender equality has improved over the past 25 years, compared to respondents who identify as white. This trend has not been observed to such an extent in any other country, including countries with a documented history of racial discrimination, such as South Africa. Public support for gender equality crosses generations, political trends and socio-economic groups.
While women support most gender equality issues more than men, a large majority of men also support gender equality. Young people under 25, especially women, are particularly likely to hold their governments accountable for advancing gender equality initiatives.
The survey asked respondents for their views on six major gender equality issues, all of which the public has vividly expected governments to address:
● Violence against women
● Economic justice and women’s rights
● Women’s movements and leadership
● Sexual and reproductive health and rights
● Women and climate change
● Technology for gender equality
Despite broad support for greater gender equality, persistent discriminatory attitudes towards women continue to hamper progress towards eliminating domestic violence and reducing the gender pay gap. At the current rate of progress, it will take another century to achieve professional, political and economic equality between women and men around the world.
Against this background, the survey offers a roadmap for the actions the public most want to see, highlighting areas where the attention and investments of leaders and decision-makers can have the most striking impact.
“It is the responsibility of decision-makers around the world to meet the most pressing needs of girls and women and make real progress towards gender equality,” said Fabrice Ferrier, Director of Focus 2030. “Beyond that, women must have a seat at the tables where decisions about their lives and well-being are made. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers have a duty to match their words with actions on gender equality and to value the ideas and leadership that women bring. Policymakers need to remember that their constituents are watching – and have very high expectations. ”
Kester kenn klomegah previously worked with Inter Press Service (IPS).
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