Women play a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of sustainable development efforts. Their full and equal participation in decision-making and policy development is essential to create and maintain this pathway. Mainstreaming women’s greater participation in these roles is also crucial in ensuring the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
However, restricted opportunities for women to access education, employment, leisure, and political participation reinforce gender-based social and economic inequalities.
According to UNESCO, approximately 132 million girls do not attend school worldwide. Moreover, gender stereotypes and biases in educational materials and teaching practices remain pervasive, often discouraging girls from pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) studies. This disparity further translates into women’s low representation in critical sectors such as healthcare technology, environmental fields, and top executives in private companies.
Gender stereotypes and biases in educational materials and teaching practices remain pervasive, often discouraging girls from pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) studies.
The economic gender gap remains significant. According to the
International Labour Organization (ILO), women's labour force participation rate stood at 47 percent in 2022, compared to 72 percent for men. Even when women do work, they often earn less than men.
The World Bank data indicates that in 2020, women earned, on average, 77 cents for every dollar that men earned for doing the same work. According to the
UN Women, women perform three times as much unpaid care and domestic work as men. This imbalance, as of January 2023, women made up only 25.5 percent of national parliamentarians globally, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). At this rate, it will take another
50 years to reach gender parity in politics.
When it comes to the protection of rights, World Bank also reported that in 2021,
women had only three-quarters of the legal rights afforded to men on average. Furthermore, women continue to experience higher rates of violence.
A UN Women report claimed that 1 in 3 women globally had experienced either physical or sexual violence at least once in their lives.
The pursuit of sustainable development cannot be effectively undertaken without the full and equal participation of women at all levels of decision-making and policy development. While there are numerous challenges on the path to gender equality, there are also many solutions, from legal and policy reform to cultural shifts. The significant contributions of women in leadership serve as potent reminders of the transformative potential of women's empowerment.
Women leaders often prioritise social issues, including education, health, and social justice, contributing to a more equitable and sustainable society.
Women in decision-making roles can generate positive outcomes for companies and societies. Research compiled by the
Frank Recruitment Group in 2022 found that 87 percent of the top 500 companies led by a female reported profits above the average. In contrast, only 78 percent of companies without a female CEO achieved the same level of success. Their presence in decision-making roles can also inspire future generations of women leaders, thereby furthering the cause of gender equality. Moreover, women leaders often prioritise social issues, including education, health, and social justice, contributing to a more equitable and sustainable society.
A case in point is Jacinda Ardern’s leadership, praised for its
effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Angela Merkel’s strong leadership style brought her recognition as the
leader of the free world, demonstrating audacity by opening doors to thousands of people seeking asylum in Germany while ensuring it stayed the fourth-largest economy in the world.
Thus, it is critical to move from the mere ‘inclusion’ of women to nurturing them into undertaking decision-making roles to establish sustainable development effectively and incorporate gender equality at its core. Not only should women's capabilities be enhanced and their rights protected, but they should also be provided with equal opportunities to engage in decision-making and policy development processes. Propelling women to leadership roles is a multi-faceted task requiring changes on the part of multiple stakeholders.
Governments must further enact and enforce laws promoting women’s equal participation in all areas of public and private life.
The journey, however, begins with women’s equal representation. To begin with, policy interventions by governments can help to achieve this. For instance, Norway has successfully implemented a
40-percent participation for women on corporate boards and has recently proposed expanding it to cover unlisted countries as well. Governments must further enact and enforce laws promoting women’s equal participation in all areas of public and private life. These laws should also prohibit discrimination based on gender and sanction appropriate measures for violations. Corporations should be incentivised to include women in leadership roles. Conscious enablement of talented women managers to be retained and rise in corporate structures is necessary.
As mere representation in political and corporate governance is not enough, women should be provided with the necessary skills and knowledge to participate effectively in decision-making processes. This can be achieved through capacity-building programs, training, mentorship initiatives, and enabling women to network better for growth.
Education is the next big frontier for women. Education systems should encourage girls to be active participants, leaders, and decision-makers. Introducing and reinforcing gender equality concepts from an early age can help create a society that values and promotes women’s participation in decision-making roles. In higher education, barriers to women’s participation in STEM fields and their subsequent employment in related fields must be identified and eliminated.
Education systems should encourage girls to be active participants, leaders, and decision-makers. Introducing and reinforcing gender equality concepts from an early age can help create a society that values and promotes women’s participation in decision-making roles.
Societies must challenge and change patriarchal norms and attitudes that consider women less capable of leadership. Encouraging a cultural shift towards recognizing and appreciating women’s capabilities is essential for their inclusion in key roles that can influence change.
Incorporating women into leadership roles meaningfully is challenging. It requires concerted efforts from individuals, societies, governments, and global organisations. These efforts, however, are an investment towards creating a more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable world. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all. As we advance in the decade of action, we must remember that gender equality is not just a standalone goal but a crucial facilitator in achieving all our sustainable development objectives. Thus, our success in sustainable development hinges heavily on our ability to foster gender equality, dismantle patriarchal norms, and amplify the voices and capabilities of women worldwide.
Naghma Mulla is the Chief Executive Officer at EdelGive Foundation and a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors.
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