Chronic prejudice against women: A UN report shows that the level of prejudice against women worldwide has not improved in ten years. However, there was a positive change in Germany.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) comes to the conclusion in a report that prejudices against women are still widespread worldwide. The “2023 Gender Social Norms Index” (GSNI), presented in New York on Monday, has not recorded any improvements for about ten years, the UNDP said. Almost nine out of ten men and women worldwide still have prejudices against women, the UNDP report said.
These prejudices impacted human rights compliance and led to the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. The GSNI includes data from 80 countries and, according to the UN, covers around 85 percent of the world’s population. UNDP collected the data based on surveys from 2017 to 2022 with responses from these 80 countries and regions.
The report was based on a question about a total of seven known prejudices, of which a good 87 percent of all women and around 90 percent of all men shared at least one. The prejudices are “widespread” and “deep-rooted,” the report said.
For example, more than two-thirds of people worldwide still think that men are better political leaders than women. A quarter find it justified for a man to hit his wife. Only 27 percent said it is important for democracy that women have the same rights as men. Almost half (46 percent) of people think men have a greater right to a job than women, and 43 percent think men are better business leaders.
UN: Social norms have a negative effect on society
The Gender Social Norm Index therefore shows “no improvement in prejudice against women in a decade” – and that “despite influential global and local campaigns for women’s rights” such as MeToo, the UNDP summarized. The data are “sobering,” it said. “Social norms that restrict women’s rights also have a negative impact on society at large and hinder the advancement of human development,” said UNDP’s Pedro Conceição, who is responsible for the report. “When women gain freedom and autonomy, everyone benefits,” says Conceição.
The report calls on governments worldwide to play their “critical role” in changing gender roles – including by supporting parental leave.
Improved situation in Germany
In some countries around the world, however, the situation has improved, according to the report – including Germany. The proportion of the German population who have no gender prejudice at all has risen from an average of 42 percent in 2017 to 63 percent last year.