Gender inequality

 Gender inequality is one of the oldest and most pervasive forms of inequality in the world. It denies women their voices, devalues their work and make women’s position unequal to men’s, from the household to the national and global levels.

Despite some important progress to change this in recent years, in no country have women achieved economic equality with men, and women are still more likely than men to live in poverty.

Lower-paid, unpaid, undervalued: gender inequality in work

• Low wages. Across the world, women are in the lowest-paid work.  Globally, they earn 24 percent less than men and at the current rate of progress, it will take 170 years to close the gap. 700 million fewer women than men are in paid work.
   
• Lack of decent work. 75 percent of women in developing regions are in the informal economy -  where they are less likely to have employment contracts, legal rights or social protection, and are often not paid enough to escape poverty. 600 million are in the most insecure and precarious forms of work.
   
• Unpaid care work. Women do at least twice as much unpaid care work, such as childcare and housework, as men – sometimes 10 times as much, often on top of their paid work. The value of this work each year is estimated at at least $10.8 trillion – more than three times the size of the global tech industry.


• Longer workdays. Women work longer days than men when paid and unpaid work is counted together. That means globally, a young woman today will work on average the equivalent of four years more than a man over her lifetime.
  

  Increasing women's economic equality would reduce poverty for everyone

  Gender inequality in the economy costs women in developing countries $9 trillion a year – a sum which would not only give new spending power to women and benefit their families and communities, but would also provide a massive boost to the economy as a whole.

  Countries with higher levels of gender equality tend to have higher income levels, and evidence from a number of regions and countries shows closing the gap leads to a reduction in poverty.

  In Latin America for instance, an increase in the number of women in paid work between 2000 and 2010 accounted for around 30 percent of the overall reduction in poverty and income inequality.

  Supporting women to have access to quality and decent work and improve their livelihoods is therefore vital for fulfilling women’s rights, reducing poverty and attaining broader development goals.

  Women’s economic empowerment is a key part of achieving this. We need a human economy that works for women and men alike, and for everyone, not just a fortunate few. 

• Gender disparity is largely the result of the deeply ingrained systems of patriarchy. Discrimination against women begins before birth and called this systemic subordination. Gender inequality in India is a multifaceted problem that affects both men and women. Some argue that gender equality measures, place men at a disadvantage. In the current situation, 68% of girls are still educated as their discrimination affects the country and extreme racism deprives women of justice and equality, which is only education and enlightenment can secure. Equality and equity in education are directly related to the democratic development of the society, where the purpose of education is to produce knowledge makers with the capacity of making the most profitable use of the acquired knowledge. The majority of the nearly six million out-of-school children in India are girls. Between 2006 and 2010, only 26% of girls completed high school, compared to 50% of boys. This gender inequality is most evident in low-income families. Gender disparity is evident in India's childhood literacy rates 82% of boys are literate and only 65% of girls can read and write, according to the 2011 Census of India. Statistics show that about 10% more girls enrolled in Indian high schools by 2019 compared to 2011. While this is a significant increase, much remains to be done to ensure that girls receive the same education as boys. 

  
  
  

India has failed to provide universalization of education as it remains under the stranglehold of major stratifications leading to discrimination. Early marriage, social discrimination, and lack of education infrastructure have resulted in 60 million girls missing out on primary education and the gender gap remains a problem in the country

It is a major area of concern at the school level and the literacy questions remain the largest juggernaut in the Indian management of education.

•    To locate the gaps and possibilities in girls education

•    To establish the link existing between education and women’s quality of life

•    To propose and execute policy measures to enhance girls' education at all levels.

•    To set right the imbalance of relationships in a male-centered and dominated society, education and economic independence are imperative.