Group 6_B | SDG 5: Gender Equality

Group 6_B | SDG 5: Gender Equality

Introduction to SDG 5

Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) is ‘Gender Equality’ and aims to ‘achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’ by 2030. Its targets enumerate the elimination of all forms of discrimination, violence, exploitation and harmful practices. They also include full participation and opportunities in all spheres of life, healthcare and decision making.

Human civilization has been male-dominated with a division of gender-based roles and responsibilities. Males are the bread earners and venture out of their homes while females tend to household work and children. As a society, perception and times changed, this division became less distinct. However, with respect to gender equality, adjustments have not kept pace with change. According to the World Economic Forum, it would take 257 years to achieve gender parity _[1]. Many women face problems such as patriarchal dominance, sexual harassment, stereotyping and discrimination on a regular basis. Women empowerment is considered a ‘revolt’ against traditionally male-dominated roles and a disruption of the ‘normal’ status quo. Likewise, in many countries, people are unable to accept that the involvement of males in household chores is not beneath them.

Gender inequality is such a gross widescale injustice that it is the most important unsolved human rights challenge and multi-factorial development issue globally. We cannot ignore ~50% of the population _[2] and think of a better world. The fulfilment of SDG 5 is critical to achieve social, economic and sustainable development. Practically all SDGs depend on the completion of SDG 5 _[3].

Achieving the goals of SDG 5 is tough because it includes many stakeholders engaged in collective and constant action through legislation, cultural change, awareness and political will _[4]. A mindboggling benefit according to a McKinsey Global Institute Report is the addition of $28 trillion to the global GDP by equal economic participation of women _[5].

Statistics from UNDP on Gender Equality _[6]

Relevance of SDG 5 to India

India’s current state for some of the key goals are:

1. 5.1: India has full adoption of legal framework for the gender equality and nondiscrimination. _[13]

2. 5.2: India reported 18% (ever partnered women and girls above 15) cases of violence by their intimate partners. Also, the needle has from 19% to 18& over the course of 27 years. _[13]

3. 5.3.1: As of 2016, India had 6% of the total women in the age group of 20-24 years who were married at an age of 15 years or less. Also, India ranks bottom 7^th in the world in terms of this target. _[13]

4. 5.4: Although there are no set targets defined, India had recognized 7.4 hours of unpaid and paid work domestically done by women as of 1998. _[13]

5. 5.5: As of 2018, 24% of the seats in the legislation were held by women representatives, which has seen a jump from roughly 5% in 1990. Although the indicator seems to have doubled over time, yet it stands in bottom 20 in the world. While in the space of corporate firms, India sees on 9% of the firms with women participating in the leadership positions. _[13]_[14]

6. 5.A: India has implemented the rights to equal ownership, still the percentage of women owners is 13% in villages while 73% are farmers. _[8]

For inference India’s achievement on ones requiring on-ground implementation sees a risk. Also, the pace of improvements has been slow and the risk on the 2030 absolute targets is high.

Initiatives:

1. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: To prevent sex selective elimination, ensuring survival and protection of girl child and to ensure education and participation under the umbrella schemes run by the government which also contains Sukanya Samridhi Yojana and Janani Surkasha Yojana. _[9]_[10]_[11]

2. Diversity at workplace: With the advent of tech companies having gender-neutral roles more based on skills, the participation of women has increased. Startup culture in last decade has fueled demand and awareness for diversity and inclusion. _[12]

Business Implications & Responses

Empowerment of girls and women is an essential component in increasing economic growth, promoting social development, and enhancing business performance. Incorporation of this otherwise neglected gender into labor forces would add significant percentage points to growth rates of most nations – even double digits in some cases. Research groups have shown that the US economy would’ve been 11% smaller today if women’s employment patterns wouldn’t have changed 30 years ago. A key differentiator is the fact that investing in women’s empowerment yields dividends in the long run, not just for women but for children as well. Thus, it is pivotal role in upliftment of families, communities and nations. This indirectly benefits the companies that seek technological innovation, capital creation and investment opportunities.

“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.”

- African proverb

_[20]

All countries in Asia Pacific could boost growth by advancing women’s equality_[19]

As the engine that accounts for 90% of growth and job creation in a developing nation, businesses have a responsibility to implement below key themes and their respective GRI sustainability indicators_[15]:

a. Pay parity between men and women: Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men by employee category and by significant locations of operation (Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, G4-LA13)

b. Equal opportunity: suppliers owned and staffed by women and members of vulnerable, marginalized or underrepresented social groups (Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, G4-DMA-b)

c. Workplace violence and harassment redressal systems: an explicit, well-publicized policy of zero tolerance towards gender-based violence and harassment along with a confidential complaint procedure (Women’s Empowerment Principles)

d. Women in leadership: Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per employee category (Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, G4-LA12)

e. Childcare benefits and services: business’ policy on maternity, paternity and family leave length and entitlements and to the extent does this go above the statutory provisions (Women’s Empowerment Principles)

Women are heavily underrepresented in leadership positions_[19]

Bajaj Auto has helped IISER, one of India’s leading research institutes form a dedicated Hall for Women Research Scholars' residence. It has continued to support the Banasthali Vidyapeeth (a women’s university) in building a Hostel and a Bajaj centre for Automation and Bajaj Law School._[27]

Citi Foundation’s Pathways to Progress program operates with partners to expedite access to quality employment opportunities and provide financial and leadership training to the following generation of female leaders. Presently, hardly 1 percent of corporate procurement contracts globally are granted to women-owned businesses. Citi has an inclusive supplier program that is working to grow their spend at women-owned businesses._[18]

Microsoft partnered with Black Girls CODE to facilitate the organization to launch its Seattle chapter, supporting young girls of ages 7–17 with exposure to computer science and technology so they can begin seeing themselves working toward roles in technology. Microsoft started “Do IT, Girls!” multiple sessions of powerful talks providing insights and know-how around state-of-the-art technologies._[28]

Walmart launched a dedicated online space to allow shoppers to buy unique products while helping small women-owned businesses worldwide. It also launched a global women’s economic empowerment initiative to harness its size and scale to empower women across the supply chain. By 2016 it aims to source $20 billion from women-owned businesses in the US. _[16]

Unilever Bangladesh and local companies BATA and Square are partnering with JITA Bangladesh on 'Aparajita,' a project to empower women by helping them become financially independent. Like Unilever changed the name of a famous brand Fair and Lovely to Glow and Lovely, several multinational consumer goods companies, are announcing that they will stop using airbrushing in print campaigns to fight the distortion of women's body image and are developing advertising campaigns and content strategies that promote healthy body image and women and girls' empowerment._[17]

Analysis and Suggested Path Ahead

Worldwide commitments to bring about gender equality had been able to create progress in some areas such as instances of female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage in the recent years, but the global crisis that has arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to overturn whatever progress had been made, by aggravating the condition of women and girls even further. _[24]We will be giving you a snapshot of the global and local progress towards each of the nine targets of SDG 5 by analyzing the respective indicators for each of them.

Analyzing Target 5.1: End discrimination against women and girls

Map showing where the law specifically prevents or penalizes gender-based discrimination in the process of hiring, 2015_[22]

All the world leaders and women’s rights activists were hopeful about 2020 and were planning to celebrate key policy decisions’ anniversaries such as 25^th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, but COVID-19 obstructed all those plans and made any celebrations futile as women worldwide now face acute hardships such as increased care burdens, larger exposure to violence etc. _[26]

Analyzing Target 5.2: End all violence against and exploitation of women and girls.

Map showing share of women, aged 15 years and older, who experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in the past year, 2017_[22]

The lockdown measures due to COVID-19 resulted in many women being stuck at homes with abusive partners. About 243 million_[26] women and girls suffered sexual and/or physical violence from an intimate partner in the previous year, and there was an increase in reporting of domestic violence to police, women’s shelters and helplines in spite of the fact that only 40% of women who experience violence are able to report or seek help, lacking access to the internet or mobile phones. _[24]

Analyzing Target 5.3: Eliminate forced marriages and genital mutilation.

Map showing proportion of women 20 to 24 years of age who were married or in union before age 15 and before age 18, around 2009 and around 2019 (percentage)_[24]

In 2019, 1 in 4 women between the ages of 20 and 24 were married before the age of 18, down from 1 in 4 in 2004. _[26] Southern Asia saw the sharpest decline, with sub-Saharan Africa being at the highest risk right now, with the proportion of such women still being 1 in 3. _[24] Although FGM rates have been declining, even in countries where the decline occurred, measures would need to accelerate by a factor of 10 due to population growth, if we want to meet the target of elimination by 2030. _[24]

Analyzing Target 5.4: Value unpaid care and promote shared domestic responsibilities.

Figure showing the proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, women and men, 2001–2018 (percentage of time spent per day) _[24]

In about 75% of countries with available data, some decline had been observed in the time spent by women on unpaid work _[24]but the COVID-19 crisis worsened the women's lot again. A poll conducted in 17 countries, showed that although both men and women have started taking more responsibility for household and family care, most of the work still falls to females. _[24]

Analyzing Target 5.5: Ensure full participation in leadership and decision-making.

Map showing the proportion of women in national parliaments, 2017_[22]

As of January 1, 2020, the representation of women in national parliaments was a mere 24.9%, although it saw an increase from 22.3% in 2015 due to the presence of gender quotas. In these times, it has become even more important to ensure the fair representation of women in leadership positions to avoid deepening of existing inequalities. _[24]

Analyzing Target 5.6: Universal access to reproductive rights and health

Figure showing the proportion of women aged 15 to 49 years who make their own decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights,2007–2018 (percentage)_[24]

As of 2019, 75 countries had in place 73% of the laws needed to ensure full and equal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Also, countries had in place 79% of regulations in place to ensure free and informed consent of individuals with respect to contraception, including sterilization. _[24]

Analyzing Target 5.A: Equal rights to economic resources, property ownership and financial services

Bubble chart showing percentage of men and women (age 15-49) who solely own a land which is legally
registered with their name, 2016_[22]

Analyzing Target 5.B: Promote empowerment of women through technology.

As per reports, women’s ownership of mobile phones is 6.8 percentage points lower than men, across 2016-2018. In addition to that, many women have their phones monitored by abusive or controlling partners, effectively preventing them from using technology to seek help. _[24]_,_[25]

Analyzing Target 5.C: Adopt and strengthen policies and enforceable legislation for gender equality.

Map showing countries which have systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment 2018_[22]

Although we’re seeing more gender-responsive budgeting than before, according to 2018 data from 69 countries, only 13 countries seemed to have a system in place to track gender empowerment budget data and make it publicly available. _[26]

The UN Secretary-General, in April 2020, urged governments to put women and girls at the center of their recovery efforts, not just because they’re the ones hardest hit, but also since doing this will drive sustainable development for all. Every COVID-19 response plan, recovery package and other resource budgeting must address the gender impacts of this pandemic. This means focusing a rapid and targeted response on:

1. Mitigation of domestic and all other gender-based violence

2. Economic stimulus and social protection packages that serve women.

3. Gathering support for and ensuring equal sharing of care work

4. Ensuring female participation and leadership in COVID-19 response planning and decision-making

This pandemic provides us with opportunity to undertake game-changing actions focused on erasing the long-standing inequalities women face in all walks of life, and build a more just and resilient world. _[23]

Sustainability reports of SIP companies

1. Mondelez: 2019_MDLZ_Snacking_Made_Right_Summary.pdf

2. Boston Consulting Group: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/making-a-difference-2019-annual-sustainability-report

3. Citibank: https://www.citigroup.com/citi/sustainability/

4. Bajaj Auto: https://www.bajajauto.com/-/media/bajaj-auto/Investors/Annual-Reports/BAL_BRR_2019-20_INDI.ashx

5. Cloudtail: https://www.cloudtail.in/e-waste-policy.php

6. Microsoft: https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/5/2018/04/MSFT.Map_.Final_3_28_18.pdf

References:

[1] https://www.weforum.org/projects/closing-the-gender-gap-accelerators

[2] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS

[3] https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-5-gender-equality

[4] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/why-iceland-ranks-first-gender-equality/