Around the world, we celebrate the achievements of women on International Women’s Day, which began back in 1911. But the day also highlights the work we need to do in order to achieve gender parity. In this article from the World Economic Forum, author Kate Whiting outlines 7 stats about gender inequality that we need to pay attention to.
Whiting notes that a gender-balanced world benefits everyone, economically and socially. Because of this, it’s everyone’s responsibility to make it happen.
Here are the stats about gender inequality:
1. Women are 47% more likely to suffer severe injuries in car crashes because safety features are designed for men
University of Virginia researchers showed that the positioning of head restraints, as well as women’s shorter height, different neck strength and musculature, in addition to their preferred seating position, meant they were more susceptible to injury.
2. 33,000 girls become child brides every day
Around the world, 12 million girls each year get married before the age of 18.
There are different reasons this happens. But it’s often because girls are not as valued as boys. And marrying girls off at a young age transfers the ‘economic burden’ to another family.
3. Women in rural parts of Africa spend 40 billion hours a year collecting water
This according to the UN. In rural sub-Saharan Africa, a lack of services and infrastructure, as well as an expectation of household duties and limited employment opportunities for women, means they shoulder an unequal burden of gathering water and wood for their families.
4. It will take 108 years to close the gender gap
The biggest gaps to close are in the economic and political empowerment dimensions, which will take 202 and 107 years to close, respectively.
5. Only 6 countries give women equal legal work rights as men
A recent report from the World Bank found that only Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg and Sweden scored full marks.
Overall, a typical economy only gives women three-quarters the rights of men in the measured areas.
6. 22% of AI professionals are women – and it could be down to lack of confidence
According to the Forum’s Global Gender Gap report, only 22% of the world’s AI professionals are women, compared with 78% who are men. Because of this, there is a gender gap of 72% to close—reflecting the broader STEM skills gap.
The researchers said: “Women might avoid scientific pursuits because their self-views lead them to mischaracterize how well they are doing on any given scientific task.”
7. For every woman film character, there are 2.24 men
The Geena Davis Institute analysed 120 theatrical releases between 2010 and 2013 in 10 countries. All in all, they found that of the 5,799 speaking or named characters, less than a third (30.9%) were women and more than a third (69.1%) were men.
As the statistics in this article show, women around the world face vastly different types of inequality. From cultural representation, to domestic burdens, and child marriage. Gender inequality has deeply-roots in our systems. However, coming together through collective action can truly lead the type of change we need to see.
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