General Article Women and equality

Topic Selected: Gender Equality
This article is 9 years old. Click here to view the latest articles for this topic.

Introduction

Whilst the last century has seen significant progress in women’s empowerment, there are still many inequalities which plague the lives of women today. Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women in the UK face additional barriers to achieving equality. In common with all women they face gender discrimination, but in addition they are also recipients of racial and religious discrimination.

According to UNICEF:

  • 75 million children, of whom 41 million are girls, do not go to primary school.
  • Of the world’s 796 million illiterate adults, two-thirds are women.
  • Data shows that at least one in every three women is a survivor of some form of gender-based violence.
  • Girls between 13 and 18 years of age constitute the largest group in the sex industry. It is estimated that around 500,000 girls below 18 are victims of trafficking each year.
  • More than 80 per cent of the world’s 35 million refugees and displaced people are women and children.

Gender stereotyping

It is important...

Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?

Sign up now for a no obligation FREE TRIAL and view the entire collection