A world with true gender equality is a world where girls are encouraged to stay in school and can contribute to the welfare and economic growth of their nation. It is a world where no woman has to fear for her safety at home, on the street or in the workplace.
A truly equal world is one where women's voices are not only present but are heard around board tables or in government and are instrumental in creating and moulding policies that indirectly and directly affect them.
In order to make this world a reality we need everyone regardless of nationality, race or gender on board.
It is time to take action and create the world we all deserve.
The Facts
Gender equality and inclusion form the bedrock of sustainable human development.
Countless studies tell us that when women are treated as equals in society, with respect and with dignity - communities thrive.
While there has been significant progress towards achieving gender equality across the world, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5 - it is clear there is much work to be done.
Focusing on four key areas; violence against women, business, education and leadership, we've taken a global view of the current climate surrounding women rights.
Violence Against Women
Violence against women has reached epidemic proportions across the world. It affects women regardless of nationality, age or race.
3 million women and girls experience FGM every single year. In countries where the practice is most prevalent, 1 in 3 girls suffer from FGM.
Violence against women can happen anywhere at anytime. 1 in 3 women worldwide will or have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. The perpetrators of this violence are usually intimate partners or family members.
Despite significant progress, it is still legal to rape your spouse in 10 countries.
Women in Business
Women face severe legal, economic and social obstacles in the workplace.
Only 6 countries give women the same legal work rights as men.
A woman’s decision to join or remain in work is limited by law in 40% of the world's economies. Equal pay has still not been achieved, with women earning 23% less than men globally. This inequality is deepened as women spend 3 times as many hours as men each day in unpaid care and domestic work.
Even when women manage to create their own businesses they only receive 1% of venture capital funding in comparison to the 89% that goes to all-male founded teams.
Women in Leadership
Despite accounting for more than half of the world’s population, women occupy only 24% of parliamentary seats worldwide.
Less than 30% of government ministers are women, and account for less than 10% of heads of states.
When women do successfully win a seat in parliament, 82% of them experience some form of psychological violence such as death threats and cyber bullying whilst serving their terms in office.
Women and Education
Education is critical for independence, financial autonomy and a country’s economic development, yet women are disproportionately barred from receiving it.
Globally, 750 million adults are illiterate. Two thirds of them are women. Women are often constrained to domestic work.
More than 48.1% of adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa remain out of school. Every year, 15 million girls under the age of 18 are forced into marriage. That means on average 41,000 girls become child brides every day.
Around the World
The One Young World community is made up of over 12,000 passionate young leaders, our One Young World Ambassadors.
They are located across the world, each working to create a more sustainable future. From campaigning to end violence against women and the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), to empowering women in the workplace - our global community is already doing incredible work on a global scale to champion women's rights.
Voices of the One Young World Community
Freddie Ransome
Creator & Producer
Isra Chaker
Civil Rights Activist and Senior Migration and Protection Campaign Lead at Oxfam America
Grace Forrest
Founding Director at Walk Free Foundation
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
US Senator for New York
Farhana Muna
Mental Health Advocate and Founder of Munatic
Leigh-Anne Pinnock
1/4 of Little Mix and Co founder of In a Seashell
Professor Thuli Madonsela
Chief Patron of The Thuli Madonsela Foundation
Luke Hart
Domestic Abuse Survivor, Violence Against Women Advocate
Kate Robertson
Co-founder, One Young World
Dickel Dia
Founder of APHY
Amanda Nguyen
CEO and Founder of Rise
Dame Vivian Hunt
Managing Partner UK and Ireland for McKinsey & Company
Wubetu Shimelash
Founder of Simien Eco Trek
Ronelle King
Founder of Life in Leggings and Pink Parliament
Breshna Musazai
Peace and Education Advocate
Jazz Jennings
Transgender and Queer Rights Activist
Mary Helda Akongo
Fundi Girls Lead at Fundi Bots
Jemima Lovatt
End Domestic Abuse Campaigner
Izzy Obeng
Founding Director at Foundervine
Shilpa Yarlagadda
Founder of Shiffon Co.
Monica Bota Moisin
Founder of the Cultural IP Rights Initiative
Nina West
Performer and Activist
Help us tell the world #ITSTIME to take action to end gender inequality.
Join the conversation for a chance to feature on our social media by downloading our #ITSTIME toolkit and sharing with the news your social network.
Below, we've drafted a ready made social media post for you to share. Simply copy, paste and attached your favourite infographic from the toolkit above!
The #GenderGap will take another 108 years to bridge if we don’t enact radical change now. This #InternationalWomensDay2020, we stand with #OYW to say #ITSTIME to take action and create the world we all deserve. Learn how you can join the conversation: bit.ly/2TR0L0t
With special thanks to campaign partner
