How to go towards a more egalitarian society?

Goals and strategies have been implemented in Europe as well as worldwide to decrease gender inequality. New laws ensure the equality of sexes and the empowerment of women in society.

Gender Equality

Equiterra

The UN Women created Equiterra where all people have equal rights and opportunities, regardless of their gender.

Girls are valued as boys are, and people of all gender and sexuality feel safe and equal.

Unstereotype Avenue

The word stereotype has lost its meaning in this city.

People don’t judge other decisions based on their gender or sexuality, in any case, they help and support them to achieve their dreams. For example, if a little girl wants to become a football player, no one will question her capabilities.

Violence-Free Alley

In Equiterra, it is women’s shared experiences of empowerment and equality that often brings them together, rather than shared experiences of sexual harassment and abuse.
They aren’t taught to walk with their keys between their fingers in case they are attacked or worry about being judged for the clothes they wear. Domestic violence is a rare thing to occur because there are strong laws against it and services to support victims.

Equal Pay Street

Generally, 17.8% of women have suffered physical or sexual violence at the hands of a close partner in the last 12 months, and in most countries with available data, less than 40 per cent of the women who experience violence request help.
In 2017, more than half (58%) of all female victims of intentional homicide were killed by a near partner or family member—that’s 137 women each day.

Women and men are being paid equally for work of equal value. There are no systemic barriers that hold women back because they are encouraged to pursue careers across all sectors. Fathers take parental leave as mothers do and enjoy caring for their children. Minimum wages are set to provide a decent income and there is quality and affordable care available for those who need it.

Globally, women continue to be paid 16 to 22 per cent less than men.
Women on average do three times as much unpaid care and domestic work as men, with long-term consequences for their economic security.

Toxic Masculinity Recycling Plant

Toxic behaviors are turned into attitudes that promote gender equality at the Toxic Masculinity Recycling Plant through creative discussions and learning. Gender identity and expression shift from binary definitions to diversity. Equiterrans are happier and psychologically healthier than those in other societies since they are no longer bound by repressive gender norms.

Demographic and Health Surveys for 42 countries between 2007 and 2017 showed that 8% of women and 13.2 % of men believe a husband is justified in beating his wife if she argues with him.
Nearly 800,000 people die by suicide in the world each year, which is roughly one death every 40 seconds. Suicide among men is four times higher than among women.

Freedom Avenue

One of the basic principles of life in Equiterra is freedom. They include freedom of expression and mobility, the ability to select one's own identity, and the ability to choose how many children to have. Resources to help guide some of these decisions may be found along Freedom Avenue. You'll discover safe and voluntary family planning information here.
HIV testing and treatment are available to anybody, young or old, without stigma or discrimination. Public health services in Equiterra are fully funded and staffed, and user fees are no longer an issue.

190 million women of reproductive age worldwide did not have access to contraceptive methods in 2019.
While difficult to quantify, unsafe abortion-related deaths are estimated to account for between 8 and 11 per cent of all maternal deaths.

Equiterra now only exists in our imagination, but it’s a place that we can all aspire to build.

The 5th sustainable development goal of the United Nations is Gender Equality. To achieve this goal, 9 targets have been outlined:
- 5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
- 5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
- 5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
- 5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
- 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic and public life
- 5.6 Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
- 5.A Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
- 5.B Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
- 5.C Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

Furthermore, The European Commission Released a report about the conditions of women in society and came up with a plan called “The Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025” to decrease gender inequality in Europe and meet the SDGs.

Some concrete actions were undertaken by the European Commission:
- Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence
- Launching an EU-wide awareness-raising campaign, focusing on youth
- Making sure that women and men receive equal pay for the same work and for work of equal value
- Improving the balance between women and men in decision-making positions, including on company boards and in politics
- Encouraging a more balanced participation of women and men in all work sectors for more diversity in the workplace
Also, The European Commission raised awareness about the intersectionality which means that women can face other discrimination not only based on their gender but also their ethnicity, economic status, etc.

However, on an individual level, we can all make a difference!
Raise awareness
- Speak up: Don’t be scared to denounce, talk, discuss, debate
- Give an example: Change will only be possible if we acknowledge and change. This will give example to others around us as an individual but also as a parent. By raising kids with a more egalitarian mindset they will grow up and become open-minded adults.
- Social Media

It’s only after enough people will change that society will change. Change cannot happen overnight