Gender Equity to Equality in 2022, are we NOT there yet?

What is Gender Equality vs Equity?

Gender Equality requires equal enjoyment by women and men of socially-valued goods, opportunities, resources and rewards. It also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes.

It is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.

Gender Equity is the process of allocating resources, programs, and decision making fairly to all genders without any discrimination on the basis of gender, and addressing any imbalances in the benefits available to people of different genders.

In a nutshell, gender equity is the process of being fair to women and men equally, which leads to gender equality.

What is the Core Importance of Gender Equity?

It puts the focus on fairness and justice regarding benefits and needs for women and men, girls and boys.

Equity is used for example within the education, health and humanitarian sectors referring to the equal distribution of resources based on the needs of different groups of people.

What is an Example of an Equity?

Equity is the ownership of any asset after any liabilities associated with the asset are cleared. For example, if you own a car worth $25,000, but you owe $5,000 on that vehicle, the car represents $20,000 equity. It is the value or interest of the most junior class of investors in assets.

What is the Core Importance of Gender Equality?

Gender equality prevents violence against women and girls. Due to our global failure in this goal, women and girls still in 2022 face greater risks of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, cervical cancer, malnutrition, lower vision, respiratory infections, malnutrition and elder abuse, amongst others.

Women and girls also face unacceptably high levels of violence rooted in gender inequality and are at grave risk of rape and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, and child, early and forced marriage. Globally, the court systems still do not exhibit balance or fairness when women or girls appear seeking justice for themselves when confronting any of these mentioned issues.

WHO figures show that about 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. [Stated by WHO]

Forbes says: If gender equality is the end, gender equity is the means.
Gender equality “does not mean that women and men will become the same, but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.”

Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs. This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different, but which is considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations, and opportunities.

UN WOMEN has stated that the theme for International Women’s Day 2022: is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”

The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March, 2022 (IWD 2022) is, “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, recognizing the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, to build a more sustainable future for all.

Advancing gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. The issues of climate change and sustainability have had and will continue to have, severe and lasting impacts on our environment, economic and social development. Those who are amongst the most vulnerable and marginalized experience the deepest impacts.

Women are increasingly being recognized as more vulnerable to climate change impacts than men, as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent on the natural resources which climate change threatens the most.

The theme for International Women’s Day is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 66th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66): “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs”.

Why is Gender Inequality Still a Big Problem?

In real terms, gender inequality is still a major challenge on local, national and global levels. Not only does it affect the lives of individual men and women, but the inequality between genders also stunts economic growth and hinders development.

Globally, women still have fewer opportunities for economic participation than men, less access to basic and higher education, greater health and safety risks, and less political representation.

Gender is an important consideration in development. It is a way of looking at how social norms and power structures impact on the lives and opportunities available to different groups of men and women. Globally, more women than men live in poverty.

These are ten examples of gender inequality still existing in our world today:

1. Lack of Mobility
2. Freedom of Marriage
3. Discriminatory Divorce Rights
4. Citizenship
5. Frontline Combat
5. Custody Rights
6. Violence
7. Professional Obstacles

Gender awareness increase plays an important role in informing women and men about gender equality, the benefits of a more gender-equal society and the consequences of gender inequality. Gender awareness raising intends to change attitudes, behaviors and beliefs that reinforce inequalities between women and men.

Gender is also a social construct. As the World Health Organization (WHO) explains:

“Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms, roles, and relationships of and between groups of women and men. It varies from society to society and can be changed.”

We also want to note that women uphold 50% of the population on this earth, offering equality even numerically. Wink!

Humanity has survived droughts, floods, pandemics, plagues, wars and more yet here we sit in 2022 AD.; still not open to acknowledge the degree by which women have contributed to-date, especially through inventions ranging from chemotherapy, DNA structure and radiation for x-rays to nuclear fission required for electricity; nor appreciate the productivity in the survival of this planet that women have played throughout history ‘manning’ farms, ‘man’aging factories during wars, raising children including future ‘men’ and so much more…

Even more than a thousand of years ago women were to play small or act and appear to be a man.

Pharaoh Hatshepsut enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous reign. She built magnificent temples, protected Egypt’s borders and masterminded a highly profitable trading mission to the mysterious land of Punt.

Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh, ruling as a man would for over 20 years and portraying herself in statues and paintings with a male body and false beard. As a sphinx, Hatshepsut displays a lion’s mane and a pharaoh’s beard.

She should have been feted as one of the most successful of the 18th Dynasty kings.

NOTE: Cleopatra would rule some 14 centuries later.

How long will this planet take to realize that we are all equal to achieve the level of life that our individual desire, destiny, intelligence and work ethic allows? Gender should NOT be a discussion.

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