The world has failed its women and girls, UN report on gender equality
A pregnant woman. A UN report says women in Sub-Saharan Africa are 130 times more likely to die from complications during pregnancy and childbirth than women in Europe and Northern America.
What you need to know:
- A UN Women report reveals that the world falls short of its commitments to women and girls, with no indicator under the SDG 5 fully achieved as of 2023.
- Global maternal mortality has declined by one-third from 2000 to 2020, but progress has stalled since 2015.
- Gender gaps persist in leadership and unpaid work, with women's share in management positions projected to remain below parity by 2050.
- Women still expected to spend 2.3 more hours daily on unpaid care work than men.
In New York, UN Headquarters
The world is falling short of its commitments to women and girls. As the world approaches the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a recent UN Women report reveals a concerning lack of progress in achieving gender equality.
Released yesterday at the 79th United Nations General Assembly, the report titled "Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2023" highlights that not a single indicator under Goal 5 (gender equality) has been fully achieved.
The report emphasises the high cost of failing to invest in women's rights and calls for radical action to accelerate change. It points out that at the current rate, ending extreme poverty among women could take another 137 years, while gender parity in parliaments might not be reached before 2063.
One of the most pressing issues highlighted in the report is maternal mortality. The report states that between 2000 and 2020, maternal mortality declined by one-third globally, from 339 to 223 deaths per 100,000 live births. However, this progress has stalled for nine years since 2015.
The report explicitly notes, "Progress in reducing maternal mortality has come to a halt; maternal mortality declined by one-third globally, from 339 to 223 deaths per 100,000 live births. But progress has stalled since 2015, amid high rates of obstetric complications and infectious and non-communicable diseases."
Women in Sub-Saharan Africa face a significantly higher risk, being 130 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than women in Europe and Northern America. In 2020, nine in ten maternal deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia.
Maternal mortality
Kenya, in particular, faces severe challenges in this area. According to a United States Agency for International Development (USAid) report on Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths in 2024, Kenya ranks fourth among African countries with the highest number of maternal deaths, reporting 594 deaths per 100,000 live births. This puts the country off track to meet the UN's SDG target of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
The USAid report notes that since 2000, remarkable progress has been made on maternal mortality, with a 42 per cent reduction in USAid's 25 priority countries. However, it states, "While Kenya has made significant progress in reducing maternal mortality, it still falls short of the World Health Organisation (WHO) target."
The Kenyan Ministry of Health reports that 15 out of 47 counties account for 98.7 per cent of all maternal deaths in the country. These high-burden counties face multiple challenges, including poverty, insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, and historical marginalisation.
Beyond maternal health, Kenya struggles with gender representation in governance. The country has failed to meet the two-thirds gender threshold in elective and appointive bodies as mandated by its 2010 Constitution. The High Court found that Kenya's Parliament violated women's right to equality by refusing to enact legislation enforcing this gender principle.
The gender gap in power and leadership positions remains a global concern. The UN Women report reveals that at the current rate of progress, women's share of workplace management positions will remain below parity even by 2050. Moreover, the next generation of women is projected to still spend on average 2.3 more hours per day on unpaid care and domestic work than men.
Gender equality
Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director, stated, "Today's report reveals the undeniable truth: progress is achievable, but is not fast enough. We need to keep pushing forward for gender equality to fulfil the commitment made by world leaders in the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing almost 30 years ago and the 2030 Agenda."
Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, emphasised the urgency of the situation: "With the clock ticking, urgency mounts. We need an integrated, holistic approach to advancing gender equality, involving multi-stakeholder collaboration and sustained financial backing. Neglecting to amplify efforts and invest in gender parity jeopardises the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
The report also reveals that no country has implemented all relevant laws to prohibit discrimination, prevent gender-based violence, uphold equal rights in marriage and divorce, guarantee equal pay, and provide full access to sexual and reproductive health.
To address these challenges and eliminate gender inequality across all 17 SDGs, the report calls for decisive actions, increased investments, and an end to discrimination against women and girls. Only through these efforts can the promise of the 2030 Agenda be fulfilled.
