This paper reviews the progress made toward the third Millennium Development Goal (MDG) regarding gender equality and women’s empowerment, and outlines the importance of continuing this focus for the post-2015 development agenda.
Progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG 3; see Box 1) target has been mixed. Although gender equality in access to primary schooling has almost been achieved in most countries, there are still 68 countries where the disparity remains significant. Girls’ enrolment in basic education is lowest in sub Saharan Africa, Oceania and the Middle East. Moreover, gender disparities widen in secondary and tertiary education in most developing countries.
While more women have entered the workforce in recent decades, they typically work at the informal end of labour markets with poor earnings and insecure conditions. This increases the risk of poverty across their lifecycle and makes it less likely that they will be covered by social protection schemes and benefits such as pensions. Women still face a gender pay gap, segregation in occupations and glass ceilings, with over-representation in low-paying jobs and under-representation in senior positions.
Around 800 women die every day from preventable causes during pregnancy and childbirth, making MDG 5 on maternal health the most off track MDG goal in 2013. Gender equality and women’s rights are key to addressing the unfinished business of the MDGs and accelerating global development beyond 2015. Gender equality matters in its own right, and as a prerequisite for the health and development of families and societies, and a driver of economic growth.
Recommendations:
- The post-2015 framework should 1) retain a strong, stand-alone goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment, as recommended by the UN High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP); and 2) include gender-specific targets and indicators in the other goals.
- A strong post-2015 framework will take a holistic view of gender inequalities: 1) addressing girls’ completion of a quality education, 2) women’s economic empowerment, 3) universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, 4) ending violence against women and girls, 5) women’s voice, leadership and influence, 6) women’s participation in peace and security, 7) women’s contributions to environmental sustainability.
- The new framework will need to confront the discriminatory social norms and practices that underlie gender inequality, such as early marriage or tolerance of violence against women.
- Targets and indicators on gender equality act as a powerful stimulus for action. When girls and women are visible in data collection and reporting, governments and donors invest more in gender equality. There is an urgent need for ongoing investment in statistical capacity building and monitoring to improve the measurement of gender equality indicators and the collection of data disaggregated by sex.
