SDG 5: Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and
empower all women and girls.
Equal rights and opportunities for all genders—especially in
education, employment, leadership, and decision-making.
● Ending discrimination based on gender, whether in law, culture,
or daily life.
● Making sure that women and girls are treated fairly, have
access to resources, and are not held back by outdated norms or
biases.
I. CHALLENGES and REAL DATA
1. Gender-based violence
❖ Global:
- (WHO 2014 - Global Prevalence of Violence against Women ) : 30%
of women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence,
mostly by intimate partners
→ Indication:
Deep-rooted issues in gender norms; power dynamics;
and system inequality.
Reflect underreporting - actual figures may be higher
- 12,5% were raped or sexually assaulted as children
2. . Unequal representation in leadership
Women remain underrepresented in decision-making and top position. Despite
progress in education, structural barriers, stereotypes, and lack of
political/economic empowerment limit women’s access to power.
(U.S Government Accountability Office)
- Global leadership roles: 28%
- Managerial positions globally: 42%
Source:
- Women in the Workforce: Underrepresentation in Management
- Positions Persists, and the Gender Pay Gap Varies by Industry and
Demographics | U.S. GAO
3. Unpaid and invisible labor
Women perform the majority of unpaid work, which reinforces economic inequality
because women have less time for paid work, leadership, or education
- Global: Women perform 76.2% of total unpaid care work.
- Time Use: Women spend 3x more hours on unpaid domestic work than
men.
- unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/technical-brief-
forecasting-time-spent-in-unpaid-care-and-domestic-work-en.pdf
- wcms_732791.pdf
- Equal pay for work of equal value | UN Women – Headquarters
4. Workplace discrimination and economic disparities.
Even with equal qualifications, women face hiring and wage discrimination.
- Hiring Bias: Women are 30% less likely to be hired for leadership
roles even with equal qualifications.
- Wage Gap: Women earn 20–30% less than men across most sectors.
- Maternity Penalty: Mothers face a 5–10% wage penalty per child
Source:
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra Study via Phys
- IWPR Gender Wage Gap Report, 2023
- Motherhood Is Hard—Pay Penalties Make It Harder - IWPR
II. Targets and indicators SDG 5:
1. Target 5.1 : End all forms of discrimination against women and girls.
5.1.1. Legal framework: measures Government efforts to put in place
legal frameworks that promote, enforce and monitor gender equality
infographic-the-crucial-role-of-legal-frameworks-in-advancing-
gender-equality-en.pdf
2. Target 5.2: Eliminate violence against women and girls.
5.2.1 Proportion of women (15-49) that endures intimate partner
violence
5.2.2. Proportion of women (15-49)t that endures intimate partner
violence
3. Eliminate harmful practices
Indicator:
- 5.3.1. Proportion of women aged 20–24 years who undergone child
marriage were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
- 5.3.2. Proportion of girls and women aged 15–49 years who have
undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), by age
Trend: Child marriage rates declining but still widespread, especially in under-
developing countries (Africa). FGM persists in several countries.
4. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work.
Indicator: Proportion of time spent on unpaid care/domestic work, by sex.
5. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s equal participation and leadership
● Indicator 5.5.1: Proportion of seats held by women in national
parliaments and local governments.
● Indicator 5.5.2: Proportion of women in managerial positions
6. Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health
and rights.
Focuses on whether women can say no to sex, can choose if and when to use
birth control, and make decisions about their own health care.
Indicator: Proportion of women (15-49) who make their own decision
regarding sexual and productive health and rights.
III. Analysis based on the Triangulation model
Linking each triangle corner with SDG 5 (Gender Equality)
1. 3MS (Market as primary, State as secondary)
● Market: Drives change through workplace diversity, equal pay, leadership
programs for women, and family-friendly benefits. Firms also invest in
financial products tailored for women entrepreneurs.
● State: Provides supportive legal foundations and incentives (e.g., tax breaks
for companies with equal pay certification or recognition programs).
● Example: Companies roll out equal pay certification and women-in-
leadership initiatives, supported by government recognition and incentives.
2. 3SC (State + Civil Society collaboration)
● State: Establishes laws, anti-discrimination regulations, and policies
addressing gender-based violence and workplace inequality.
● Civil Society: Mobilizes advocacy, ensures policies reflect community needs,
and monitors implementation.
3. 4CSM (Civil Society leads, State as secondary, Market as tertiary)
● Civil Society: Leads cultural change, mobilizes women’s rights movements,
and pressures both State and Market actors to act responsibly.
● State: Responds by enacting policies such as parental leave reform or
quotas in political participation.
● Market: Adjusts workplace practices, e.g., maternity/paternity benefits and
inclusive HR policies.
4. 4 (Equal collaboration among all three)
● State: Builds the legal and institutional framework for gender equality
● Market: Implements diversity and inclusion policies, supports innovation from
diverse teams, and provides financial tools for women.
● Civil Society: Advocates, monitors, and ensures accountability through
activism and campaigns.
Case Study: Addressing Violence Against Women in Madhya Pradesh, India: The
URJA Program
Intro: Madhya Pradesh disadvantaged state with substantial caste and tribal
populations—struggles with very low rates of reporting for violence against women.
Only 1% of women experiencing violence report it. à The absence of dedicated
police procedures, infrastructure, and gender-sensitive practices led to
underreporting and low trust in police.
Despite chronic understaffing and infrequent in-service training (only about 6.4% of
officers received such training between 2014–19), URJA introduced several
measures to counter these challenges.
Solutions:
· Physical help desks in police stations.
· Increased deployment of female officers at these desks.
· Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and gender-sensitive training for
officers.
· Community outreach to raise awareness.
Positive impacts:
· The presence of help desks provided symbolic and practical safety,
encouraging reporting
· Female officers increased crime registration rates
· SOPs and training began to mitigate gender bias among police.
· Senior officer involvement strengthened accountability and adoption.
Challenges:
· Frequent staff rotation disrupted continuity.
· Ambiguous responsibilities and varied motivation among officers hindered
consistent implementation.
https://reachalliance.org/case-study/addressing-violence-against-women-in-india/
The link between SDG 5 and other SDGs:
Other SDGs Synergies Trade-off
Quality Promote SDG 5 by providing
education 4 people with gender equality
awareness
Reduced Women included bỏ
Inequalities
bỏ
Decent work Society might still associate
and intellect with men à
economic marginalize women
growth bỏ bỏ
Industry, Many of these fields are
Innovation male-oriented.
and
Infrastructur
e
Solutions for SDG 5:
- Set up institutional support to address women in rural areas where violence,
insufficient maternal care, and gender inequality are prevalent.
- Inform the new support mechanism on a large scale to raise awareness
- Tighten government policy on gender equality and the related punishments.
- Encourage women to participate in men-oriented fields like STEM, industrial …
Example: Women in STEM scholarships are offerred by various presitgious instituitions
and organizations like Microsoft, L’Oreal, …
