Gender equality is still a problem wherever you are in the world. Everyone is affected by it whether you are a woman, man, trans or gender diverse and all ages and backgrounds.
The index found that no country had yet achieved full gender parity. The countries that had closed the highest percentage of their gender gaps were Iceland (90.8%), Finland (86%) and Norway (84.5%). In comparison, the UK had closed 78% of its gender gap, ranking 22nd out of 146 countries. 27 Feb 2023.
This does appear to be affecting some industries more than others, where jobs are still being prominently filled by a particular sex as they have the qualifications required, not even mentioning the gap in pay, where it is estimated that male employees are paid at least 10% more than their female counterparts.
Many organisations are facing incremental demands to factor gender into their diversity policies, which can be challenging if there is not an equal gender split on job applications. (Which leads on to another question… but that’s for another day!)
So, is this the fault of organisations or our education system not encouraging teenagers to study what was typically classed a “woman” or “man” job so in turn could be hindering development, as people are unable to reach their potential or goals/ambitions.
So, do schools and colleges, teachers, parents, employers need to promote and encourage teenagers to study in more gender diverse roles now so that real gender equality can happen in the next 5-10 years!
Let’s try and break this taboo!
“If men and women are expected to do the same work as each other, we must teach them the same things.” Aristotle