Gender biases remain entrenched Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad June 13, 2023: The latest Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) report has revealed no improvement in biases against women in a decade, with almost 9 out of 10 men and women worldwide still holding such biases today. Half of the people worldwide still believe men make better political leaders than women, and more than 40 percent believe men make better business executives than women. A staggering 25 percent of people believe it is justified for a man to beat his wife, according to the new GSNI report launched today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), reflecting the latest data from the World Values Survey. The report argues that these biases drive hurdles faced by women, manifested in a dismantling of women’s rights in many parts of the world with movements against gender equality gaining traction and, in some countries, a surge of human rights violations. Biases are also reflected in the severe underrepresentation of women in leadership. On average, the share of women as heads of state or heads of government has remained around 10 percent since 1995 and in the labor market women occupy less than a third of managerial positions. The report also sheds light on a broken link between women’s progress in education and economic empowerment. Women are more skilled and educated than ever before, yet even in the 59 countries where women are now more educated than men, the average gender income gap remains a staggering 39 percent in favor of men.