Gender equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of having equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; as well as the state of valuing different behaviours, aspirations, and needs equally, regardless of gender. Other names for gender equality include sexual equality and equality of the sexes.
Gender equality is the final goal, while gender equity and gender neutrality are behaviours and ways of thinking that contribute to the movement toward reaching that objective. However, establishing gender equality is not the aim in and of itself; rather, gender parity, which is a metric used to assess the degree to which women and men are equally represented in a specific setting, might contribute to this purpose. Equality of the sexes encompasses more than just equal representation; rather, it is inextricably linked to the protection of women's rights and often necessitates revisions to existing policies. The worldwide movement for gender equality has not, as of the year 2017, absorbed the idea that there are genders other than women and men, or gender identities that exist outside of the gender binary.
According to UNICEF, equality between the sexes "means that men and women, as well as young girls and boys, have access to the same rights, resources, opportunities, and safeguards. It does not need that women and men be treated precisely the same, nor does it require that women and boys be the same. Neither does it require that girls and boys be the same."
Achieving gender equality on a global scale entails eradicating harmful behaviours against women and girls. These practises include sex trafficking, femicide, military sexual violence, the gender pay gap, and other strategies of oppression. The UNFPA has noted that, "Women have a far higher risk of being impoverished and uneducated than males do, despite the fact that their human rights have been affirmed in a number of international accords. They have a more difficult time obtaining loans, work, training opportunities, and the ability to own property. This is due, in part, to the antiquated notion that women are more suited to the roles of child-bearers and homemakers than they are to the role of breadwinners in their families. They have a much higher risk of being victims of domestic violence compared to males and a significantly lower risk of becoming politically engaged."
Equality between the sexes is now the fifth of the United Nations' seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5), as of the year 2017. The Human Development Reports produced by the United Nations Development Programme are used to compile yearly measurements of gender disparity.