GENDER EQUALITY

What is gender equality? Do you really know it? According to UNICEF gender equality means that women and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities and protections. It does not require that girls and boys, or women and men, be the same, or that they be treated exactly alike. It is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision-making, and when the different behaviors, aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued and favored. It is also a fundamental right.

What does it mean to live in an equal society? Equality is measured by access, participation and compensation – in education, employment, civil-society and in government. Where women are given a fair chance to thrive alongside men.

​Gender equality does not mean that women and men will become the same, but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.

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