Gender Equality and Social Progress: Unlocking the Potential of All

Gender equality is more than a fundamental human right. It is the cornerstone of social progress, prosperity, and peace. Half of the world’s population are women and girls, and therefore half of its potential. Yet, despite decades of effort, gender equality remains what UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called “the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world”.

A Foundation for Development and Prosperity

Research consistently shows that empowering women boosts productivity, drives innovation, and strengthens economies. Conversely, persistent gender gaps undermine societies’ ability to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. The cost of inaction is high: an estimated $360 billion in additional annual investment is needed to close the gender gap by 2030.

Social progress depends on ensuring that women and girls enjoy equal access to education, healthcare, employment, and leadership. Equally important is dismantling barriers that perpetuate inequality – from gender-based violence and discriminatory laws to entrenched stereotypes that limit opportunities.

The United Nations and Women

The UN has been central to advancing women’s rights since its founding. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) enshrined equality as a global principle. Subsequent milestones, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), have provided robust frameworks for progress.

These commitments have been reinforced through the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and, more recently, UN Women, established in 2010 to accelerate progress in areas such as political participation, economic empowerment, peace and security, and ending violence against women.

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Building Inclusive Societies

Despite important advances, stark disparities remain. Globally, women earn around 20% less than men, hold only 27% of national parliamentary seats, and in 107 countries a woman has never served as head of state. Violence against women continues at pandemic levels: nearly one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence, most often at the hands of an intimate partner. These realities underscore why gender equality is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Achieving gender equality means ensuring women’s full participation in social, political, and economic life. It also means transforming norms and institutions to support equality in practice — from gender-inclusive language that shapes cultural attitudes, to adaptive social protection systems that protect women, youth, and vulnerable groups.

Upcoming events like the International Day of the Girl Child (11 October) and the Second World Summit for Social Development (4-6 November) will be essential platforms to continue the conversation on gender equality. The path to gender equality is inseparable from the path to social progress and remains at the center of solutions to intersecting crises from economic shocks to climate change.

Learn more about SDG 5 here.

Read the full article on gender equality here.