Empowering women and girls for the benefit of our people and planet

International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to reflect on the progress, or lack thereof, that we’ve made to ensure full inclusion, dignity and respect for all – especially this year, as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on women’s rights and empowerment.

Women’s rights are, after all, human rights. The right to live free from violence, slavery, and discrimination; to be educated; to own property; to vote; to have equal opportunities and to earn a fair and equal wage. Fundamental rights enshrined in United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number five: Gender Equality.

It’s a well-known fact that empowering women and girls is the single biggest catalyst for unleashing human development and economic growth – worth an estimated $28 trillion by 2025. And yet gender parity is still an incredible 108 years away.

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise therefore that every year on this day I often feel a sense of deja vu. A nauseating feeling that groundhog-day has come around again, as we consider the work that’s still to be done and the time we’ve lost in accelerating meaningful change.

It’s hard to acknowledge, but the facts and statistics about women’s place in the world remain infuriatingly stubborn. Women’s access to nutrition, health, education and political and financial empowerment still significantly trails that of men. Women account for 70% of those in poverty. They earn 23% less than men globally. There are more illiterate women in the world than men. And women are more likely to be raped, trafficked or attacked – which has mobilised millions to protest as part of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

So, what can we do to make a positive difference to this agenda that we all care so deeply about?

A good start would be rethinking our early learning system, so that we address gender equality at the earliest age possible, before unconscious bias creeps in and becomes ingrained and hard to unlearn. Research for example suggests that female characters are massively underrepresented in children’s literature with lead characters 50% more likely to be male than female. If these stereotypes are embedded at a young age, how can we expect children to look up to role models if they don’t see anyone similar to them?

I recently saw a new children’s book - Sophie Says I Can I Will, written by Esther Marshall - which aims to address this problem by showcasing a diverse range of women in careers ranging from STEM and medicine to sport. This is a great way to empower children to become whatever they want regardless of gender. We need many more examples of this kind of enlightened schooling.

Business also needs to step up, as I come across far too many companies that still merely pay lip service to women’s inclusion, despite the overwhelming evidence that more gender-balanced organisations perform better. Business can play a key role in challenging adverse social norms and stereotypes that hold women back. A great example being the Unstereotype Alliance – a bold initiative convened by UN Women and championed by Unilever – that seeks to use the power of advertising to eradicate harmful gender-based stereotypes.

The more we can do to support equal rights, skills and opportunities for all the better, as this is central to the success of the SDGs. For example, we know that women disproportionately re-invest their incomes back into their families and communities, which helps to improve health, education and social mobility. And they are typically more collaborative, emotionally intelligent, long-term focused and purpose-driven – essential qualities that are key to addressing our biggest social and environmental challenges and needed now more than ever.

It’s time for bold leadership from governments, business, civil society groups and citizens to bring about a more inclusive world. After all, an equal world is an enabled world.

But, in my view, we need to focus less on today as a celebration of what’s been achieved, and more on using it as a scorecard of what’s left to be done.