From Gender Parity to Gender Equality
“The uneven playing field between women and men comes at a significant economic cost as it hampers productivity and weighs on growth”.
-Christine Lagard
Achieving gender equality has been a crucial topic of discussion across all parts of the world. However, despite progress, gender-based inequalities are still prevalent and remain large. Many intergovernmental organizations such as the UN and the IMF have emphatically stated that the empowerment of women by fostering a favorable environment that facilitates the active participation of women in economic, political, and social decisions is significant in driving the global economy forward[1]. While inequality is an economic phenomenon that has always existed throughout history, improving gender inclusivity is a fundamental step in achieving an inclusive society. Reaching gender equality in society is a multi faceted approach with healthcare, labor markets and the empowerment of women being three distinct contributors.
The Gender Inequality Index (GII)[2]is developed using key factors such as the maternal mortality rate, adolescent birth rate, and share of seats in parliament, population with at least some secondary education and the labor force participation of the country. With several studies evidently showing that men around the world earn more than women, get more access to education and participate more in decision-making and political life, gender inequality remains an impediment to economic development. While the GII has its limitations, it is yet an effective indicator for global comparisons. The GII of some of the developing countries in Asia as depicted in the graph below portrays how drastically these nations defer from bridging gender parity in society (i.e. Hong Kong, China (SAR) ranks 7thin the Gender Inequality Index, while India ranks the 130thnation in the Index).
Source: Human Development Report 2018, UNDP
Quality and Accessibility of Healthcare
People are susceptible to different health conditions and diseases throughout their life course. The effect of a detrimental healthcare system affects the physical and mental health, and wellbeing of an individual. Various studies have suggested that there are gender-based differences arising in health. More specifically, violence, exploitation, bigoted societal practices and the dire working conditions women are subjected to have unfavourable effects on the long-term health and wellbeing of a woman. In the long run, vulnerabilities to adverse health outcomes continue to affect unemployment in a nation, which results in exclusion in the labor force, detrimental child health and subsequently, development outcomes that are below par.
People are susceptible to different health conditions and diseases throughout their life course. The effect of a detrimental healthcare system affects the physical and mental health, and wellbeing of an individual. Various studies have suggested that there are gender-based differences arising in health. More specifically, violence, exploitation, bigoted societal practices and the dire working conditions women are subjected to have unfavourable effects on the long-term health and wellbeing of a woman. In the long run, vulnerabilities to adverse health outcomes continue to affect unemployment in a nation, which results in exclusion in the labor force, detrimental child health and subsequently, development outcomes that are below par.
Health is a crucial element of human capital. With unavailability and inaccessibility to healthcare services, gender inequalities in access to healthcare have been a critical issue affecting a larger population of women compared to men, particularly women suffering from poverty[3]. Maternal mortality rates are higher in South Asian developing countries; in remote areas affected by poverty, where women are less likely to receive adequate health care, largely due to improper health infrastructure and the lack of expertise. In 2015, only 40% of pregnant women in low-income countries received the recommended healthcare. 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries. Approximately 830 women die everyday due to preventable causes related to childbirth and pregnancy globally[4]. Such dismal facts highlight the lack of gender inclusivity in healthcare still prevalent.
Damaging cultural norms and practices further aggravate gender differences in health. Factors such as child marriages, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the culturally perceived preference for a son, abuse and violence against women contribute to gender disparity in health, leading to barriers that widen inequalities in the economy.
Minimising such disparities in health by fostering an ecosystem that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable is crucial. To reduce damaging gender-based inequalities in health, ‘gender mainstreaming’ has been an effective approach in policy making[5], which encompasses the varying interests and concerns of both women and men. These differences in interests are used to develop, implement and evaluate state policies, programmes and development projects from provincial level, leading up to state level. However, gender mainstreaming is a long-term strategy that is only successful with an inclusive legal framework, effectively implemented with specific policies for the advancement and empowerment of women. Hence, It is significant that an equitable and stronger healthcare system is created, through adequate investment in both soft and hard infrastructure that is essential for the advancement of human capital.
Inclusive Labor Markets
Despite significant progress on diversifying the labor force and paving way for equality, women are still far from achieving equality in the workplace. Studies evidently state that young women bear the highest risk of unemployment. While considerable improvement has been made in regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Asia and Eastern Europe to reduce the gender disparity in the labor force, it is observable that much of the female labor force is involved in family businesses. In regions such as South Asia, the dominant form of non-agriculture employment has been in the informal sectors that do not guarantee higher job quality, further preventing their access to social protection. 
As a proportion of total employment, women continue to remain overrepresented in lower paid jobs that include ‘elementary occupations’ such as ‘service and sales workers’. Gender gaps are largely prevalent in the labor force fueled by unpaid work, excessive working hours for particularly the self employed who deviate from national regulations, working shorter hours against their choice and engaging in part-time employment. Moreover, the average difference between the remuneration for men and women, coined as the ‘gender pay gap’, has long been a subject of debate. It is fundament that such inequalities in the workplace are improved to ensure active participation of women in formal employment. Increasing female labor participation will contribute to macroeconomic stability and fuel economic growth by increasing productivity and mitigating the effects of a shrinking workforce. Active and equal participation of men and women is essential for an inclusive and sustainable economy that will significantly boost welfare and growth.
Empowering Women
Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger, competitive and sustainable economies. From a macroeconomic perspective, empowering women is essential for achieving the internationally agreed goals set by the UN. Empowerment of women will continue to improve the quality of life for women, children, families and communities.
By definition, empowerment of women is the process by which women gain power and control over their lives and acquire the ability to make strategic choices. Studies have suggested that the process of empowering women is five dimensional. Focus should be on improving their sense of self worth, their right to have and determine choices, their right to have access to opportunities and resources without discrimination, their right to have power and control their lives, and their ability to influence the direction of social change.
In the short term, it is suggested that adequate education, training, awareness raising programmes and building confidence are some important tools in empowering women. However, such efforts should be coupled with long-term strategies. These include transforming the structure of institutions to ensure reinforcement of equality, increasing access by providing equal opportunities, and proscribing gender discrimination.
The challenge of gender disparity in the society is a major barrier to social equity and sustainable development. Although eliminating biases and inequalities completely will take a long time, it is crucial that both the public and private sectors take progressive measures to foster equality. Government focus should be on developing an inclusive fiscal framework that enables equal and active participation of women in the economy. Additionally, the implementation of a comprehensive legal framework is crucial in fostering an ecosystem that empowers women; by denouncing gender-based discrimination, abuse and violence against women. It is important to look beyond the statistics and reduce gender disparity not only in the workplace but at home too.
References:
[1]UNESCO. (2019). Gender Inclusion. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/urban-development/migrants-inclusion-in-cities/good-practices/gender-inclusion/
[2]UNDP. (2019). Human Development Reports. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GII
[3]Peters, D., Garg, A., Bloom, G., Walker, D., Brieger, W., & Hafizur Rahman, M. (2008). Poverty and Access to Health Care in Developing Countries. Annals Of The New York Academy Of Sciences, 1136(1), 161-171. doi: 10.1196/annals.1425.011
[4]WHO. (2018). Maternal mortality. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
[5]COE. (2018). What is gender mainstreaming?. Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/en/web/genderequality/what-is-gender-mainstreaming
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