UN Report Reveals Alarming Biases Towards Women, Calls For Progressive Attitude

According to the latest report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the Gender Social Norms Index, gender bias remains the same across the globe as it was a decade ago. The UN report revealed that nine out of ten people of all genders were biased against women.

The report published by the UN development programme on Monday unearthed that 69 percent of people in 80 countries believed that men are better political leaders, 40 percent believed that men are better at business, and 25 percent of the participants believed that it was justifiable for men to beat their female partner. The report also noted that only a mere 27 percent believed that women had the same rights as men in a democratic country.

UN Report On Bias Against Women

The data was collected over a period of five years between 2017 and 2022, and the most shocking fact was that the figures remained stagnant compared to the previous report, which was published in 2020 using data collected between 2005 and 2014.

This is a highly concerning revelation considering that the scenario has remained unchanged for the past decade. Despite the rise of feminist groups, equality activists, women’s organisations, and social movements that aim to establish gender equality, the recent revelations of the UN report revealed that we have made zero progress across the globe in terms of eradicating gender bias.

The revelations aren’t entirely shocking because of how regressive certain countries are turning out to be, taking the world multiple steps away from building a progressive and inclusive society. However, the numbers are worrisome as they indicate the lack of women empowerment and progressivism in the world.

Alarming Situations In Countries

Since the Taliban invaded Afghanistan in 2021 and took over the country’s government, women have been gradually erased from the public domain. The Taliban imposed a ban on women’s higher education, and that accounts for a significant number of women being forced back into the dark ages.

South Korea is a country that outrightly follows anti-feminist policies, and it’s an undeniable fact that the country, despite several feminist protests, including the MeToo movement, the escape the corset movement, etc., is highly biased towards women.

A recent German-based online study revealed that believed one-third of men between the age of 18-35 believed violence against women was acceptable. Further, they believed in conventional family roles where the man provides and the woman takes care of the family. This indicated the prevalence of gender-biased attitude in the country.

Why Haven't We Progressed Over The Decade?

Talking about India, our country ranks 122 out of 190 countries globally according to the Gender Inequality Index. India, being a country internalised with a patriarchal mindset, has a high crime rate against women. As per the National Crime Records Bureau, around one crore cases of crime against women were registered in the last five years. In 2022, the National Commission for Women filed nearly 31,000 complaints of crimes against women. This has been the highest since 2014.

India is one of the countries that is ingrained with conventional beliefs and traditional practises that hinder women’s growth. From the unimaginably high rate of intimate partner violence against women to the regular gender bias prevailing in every other household, it's a sign that we’ve not advanced much. While a section of women are breaking the glass ceiling and making headway, a large part of women in our society lacks the opportunity to find their breakthroughs.

It’s nothing but the patriarchal thoughts that have been ingrained in our brains that’s holding Indian society back from letting its women make strides. Society at large continues to perceive that household chores and childcare are the primary roles of women. So many women’s dreams are crushed as they are forced to adhere to the conventional standards of society and lead a submissive life at the cost of sacrificing their aspirations.

We are halfway through 2023, and at this rate, achieving gender equality by 2030 will continue to remain a distant dream. Only a shift in attitudes, inducing an open and progressive mindset, and eradicating conventional beliefs and practises will prevent the numbers from remaining stagnant and make some progress towards establishing an egalitarian world.

Suggested Reading: One-Third Of Young Men Believe Violence Against Women Is Acceptable In Germany: Study

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