SDG 5 – Gender equality
Current barriers to women in power make gender equality a goal for the year 2197, not 2030
In the remaining four years of the 2030 agenda, not one SDG 5 target is on track. Women continue to be excluded from decision-making in parliaments, local governments, boardrooms, courts and communities as well as at home. Legal barriers to equal pay, land rights and economic participation remain stubbornly entrenched. At the current rate, it will take 171 years to achieve SDG 5. Faster progress urgently requires integrated actions that close leadership gaps through quotas; dismantle structural barriers, including discriminatory social norms and violence; and scale up investment in evidence-based programmes and gender data to make progress visible, measurable and meaningful.
Inclusive legal frameworks
Robust laws and policies that promote gender equality and address gender discrimination are essential to achieving change.
Mostly related to employment and economic benefits, they included statutes for equal pay, the removal of restrictions on women in some jobs, non-discrimination in hiring, and ownership or inheritance rights. Yet today, no country achieves a perfect score on all four areas measured by SDG indicator 5.1.1 (Area 1: overarching legal frameworks and public life; Area 2: violence against women; Area 3: employment and economic benefits, Area 4: marriage and family). Of 131 countries, 51% show gaps in each area.
Violence against women and girls
Combating violence, harassment, and the abuse of women and girls in all forms and in all spheres of life, including online, will determine the achievement of gender equality.
Harmful practices
Harmful practices severely undermine the well-being of women and girls, including through long-term physical, emotional and psychological repercussions. They lead to profound societal consequences by perpetuating cycles of poverty, inequality and social instability.
Unpaid care work
Strengthened care policies, services, jobs and infrastructure are required to recognize, reduce and redistribute the unpaid care and domestic work burden, which is primarily shouldered by women.
Leadership and decision-making
Women are often denied leadership and decision-making roles in politics and the private sector.
Sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights
Autonomy in sexual and reproductive health remains limited for many women.
Legal frameworks and land rights
The lack of legal frameworks and limited land rights for women undermine gender equality.
Digital inclusion
Improving women’s access to mobile phones can boost economic independence.
Gender-responsive budgeting
Most fiscal systems do not track resources for gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout the public financial management cycle.
