Facts on WOMEN
Why equate Gender Issues with
Women’s Issues?
•Because of Sexism and
Gender Stereotypes
•Sexism – prejudice against
certain sex
Women are the epitome of strength, love,
sacrifice and courage.
The role of women in today's world has
changed significantly and for
better. Women are now self-sufficient, well
aware and financially independent. ... With
the encouragement of co-
education, women are now marching side by
side with men, in every walk of life.
Facts on women’s status
• 66% of the world’s illiterate people are women
• Women provide 70% of the unpaid time spent in caring
for family members. This unpaid work provided by
women is estimated at US $11 trillion per year – one
third of the global GDP
• Women own 1% of the land in the world
• Women’s participation in managerial and administrative
posts is around 33% in the developed world, 15% in
Africa and 13% in Asia and the Pacific
• There are only 5 female Chief Executives in the
‘Fortune 500’ corporations, the most valuable
publicly owned companies in the US
• Worldwide, only about 14% of members of
parliament are women. 7% of the world’s cabinet
ministers are women
• In the UN System, women hold 9% of the top
management jobs and 21% of senior management
positions, but 48% of the junior professional civil
service slots.
• - Sources: UNIFEM Statistics on Women and
Development; UN Statistics Division.
• Globally, 750 million women and girls were married before
the age of 18 and at least 200 million women and girls in 30
countries have undergone FGM.
• The rates of girls between 15-19 who are subjected to FGM
(female genital mutilation) in the 30 countries where the
practice is concentrated have dropped from 1 in 2 girls in
2000 to 1 in 3 girls by 2017.
• In 18 countries, husbands can legally prevent their wives
from working; in 39 countries, daughters and sons do not
have equal inheritance rights; and 49 countries lack laws
protecting women from domestic violence.
• One in five women and girls, including 19 per cent of
women and girls aged 15 to 49, have experienced physical
and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner within the
last 12 months. Yet, 49 countries have no laws that
specifically protect women from such violence.
• While women have made important inroads into political
office across the world, their representation in national
parliaments at 23.7 per cent is still far from parity.
• In Southern Asia, a girl’s risk of marrying in childhood has
dropped by over 40per cent since 2000.
• In 46 countries, women now hold more
than 30 per cent of seats in national
parliament in at least one chamber.
• Only 52 per cent of women married or in a
union freely make their own decisions about
sexual relations, contraceptive use and
health care.
• Globally, women are just 13 per cent of
agricultural land holders.
• Women in Northern Africa hold less than one
in five paid jobs in the non-agricultural
sector. The proportion of women in paid
employment outside the agriculture sector has
increased from 35 per cent in 1990 to 41 per
cent in 2015.
• More than 100 countries have taken action to
track budget allocations for gender equality.
Some benefits from focusing on
gender in development
• Positive changes in gender relations and more
respectful social attitudes towards women
• More decision-making and political
participation by women in the community
• Women’s increased knowledge of their legal
rights
• Greater likelihood that girls would stay in
school
• Reduced violence against women
• Improved communication and mutual support
between men and women on family planning,
HIV and other sexually transmitted infections
• Increased knowledge by men of women’s
health care issues
• Shifts in attention about shared roles and
responsibilities between men and women in
childrearing, labour, and reproductive health
issues
- Source: UNFPA: State of the World Population 2005
