Report on Gender Equality and the Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Assessing Progress Towards SDG 5

A comprehensive analysis by U.N. Women, titled Gender Snapshot 2025, indicates that thirty years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) is critically insufficient. The report, based on over 100 data sources, warns that without urgent and targeted interventions, the 2030 targets for gender equality will not be met. Persistent gaps in gender equality are evident across multiple sectors, and recent cuts in development aid threaten to widen these disparities, jeopardizing the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Key Disparities Impacting Multiple Sustainable Development Goals

The report highlights significant inequalities between men and women that directly undermine progress on several SDGs:

• SDG 1 (No Poverty): 9.2% of women and girls (376 million) live in extreme poverty, compared to 8.6% of men and boys.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): Food insecurity affects 64 million more adult women than men.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): While women have a longer life expectancy, they spend more years in poor health (10.9 years) compared to men (8 years).
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Only 46.4% of working-age women were employed in 2024, versus 69.5% of men. Furthermore, women perform 2.5 times more unpaid domestic and care work than men, a key barrier to economic participation.

Progress and Setbacks in Health and Education (SDG 3 & SDG 4)

While some progress has been made, significant challenges remain, particularly in low-income nations.

1. Maternal and Reproductive Health: Maternal mortality decreased globally from 328 to 197 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2000 and 2023. Adolescent fertility also declined from 66.3 to 38.3 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19. However, in the lowest-income countries, adolescent births have increased from 4.7 million in 2000 to 5.6 million in 2024.
2. Education: Girls are now more likely to complete their schooling than at any other point in history, a significant achievement for SDG 4.
3. Funding Deficits: Reductions in official development assistance have had a severe impact. In early 2025, over 60% of women-led HIV organizations experienced funding losses or service suspensions, directly threatening progress on SDG 3.

Underrepresentation in Leadership and Decision-Making (SDG 5.5 & SDG 16)

The systematic exclusion of women from leadership roles perpetuates gender inequality and hinders the achievement of just and inclusive societies as envisioned in SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

• Political Participation: As of 2025, women hold only 27.2% of parliamentary seats and 35.5% of local government positions. A total of 102 countries have never had a female head of state or government.
• Economic Leadership: Women occupy 30% of management positions. At the current rate of progress, achieving gender parity in this area will take nearly a century.
• Health Sector: Despite making up 67% of the global health workforce, women face a 24% gender pay gap and are systematically excluded from leadership roles, which deprioritizes their health needs.
• Reproductive Rights: Only 56.3% of women in relationships have full decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Violence, Conflict, and Climate Change: Intersecting Threats to the SDGs

The report underscores how violence, conflict, and climate change disproportionately affect women and girls, creating significant barriers to achieving the SDGs.

• Gender-Based Violence (SDG 5.2): More than one in eight women (12.5%) experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner in the past year. Harmful practices persist, with nearly one in five young girls married before age 18 and four million girls subjected to genital mutilation annually.
• Conflict and Security (SDG 16.1): In the past year, 676 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of a lethal conflict, the highest number recorded in 30 years. However, peace processes with significant female participation are 20% more likely to be sustainable.
• Climate Justice (SDG 13 & SDG 1): Without decisive climate action, the impacts of climate change could push an additional 158 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050.

Conclusion: An Urgent Call to Action for the 2030 Agenda

The findings of the Gender Snapshot 2025 serve as a stark warning that the world is failing to meet its commitments under the Beijing Declaration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Achieving SDG 5 is not only a goal in itself but a prerequisite for the success of all other SDGs. A comprehensive package of interventions is required, including prioritizing gender equality in all policies, reversing cuts to development aid, and ensuring women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in all spheres of life to consolidate development, advance peace, and foster thriving economies.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty

  The article directly addresses poverty by highlighting the gender disparity in extreme poverty rates. It states that “9.2% of women and girls (376 million) currently live in extreme poverty, compared with 8.6% of men and boys.” It also connects poverty to climate change, estimating that “up to 158 million more women and girls could fall into extreme poverty by 2050 due to the impacts of climate change.”

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The issue of food insecurity is mentioned with a clear gender dimension. The article points out that “64 million more adult women than men suffer from food insecurity,” directly linking to the goal of ending hunger and ensuring access to food.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article extensively discusses women’s health. It notes progress in reducing maternal mortality, which “fell from 328 to 197 deaths per 100,000 live births,” and a decline in adolescent fertility. However, it also points out that women “spend more years of their lives in poor health than men” and that only “56.3% of women… have full decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights.”

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This is the central theme of the article. It covers multiple facets of gender inequality, including violence against women (“More than one in eight women (12.5%) experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner”), harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation, the burden of unpaid care work, and the underrepresentation of women in political and economic leadership roles (“they still hold only 27.2% of parliamentary seats”).

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article highlights significant gender gaps in the labor market. It states that in 2024, “46.4% of women of working age were employed, compared with 69.5% of men.” It also mentions the gender pay gap, noting that women in the global health workforce “face a 24% gender pay gap.” The burden of unpaid care work is identified as a major barrier keeping “708 million women outside the labor force globally.”

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article connects climate change to gender inequality by pointing out the disproportionate impact on women and girls. It warns that “without action, the U.N. estimates that up to 158 million more women and girls could fall into extreme poverty by 2050 due to the impacts of climate change.”

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article touches upon women’s role in peace processes and their exposure to conflict. It states that “peace processes with significant participation by women are 20% more likely to endure.” It also highlights the vulnerability of women in conflict zones, noting that “last year, 676 million of them lived within 50 kilometers [31 miles] of a lethal conflict.” Furthermore, it discusses women’s representation in the judiciary.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 1.1: Eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere.

   The article directly relates to this target by providing sex-disaggregated data on extreme poverty, showing that women and girls are disproportionately affected (“9.2% of women and girls… live in extreme poverty, compared with 8.6% of men and boys”).

2. Target 3.1: Reduce the global maternal mortality ratio.

   This target is explicitly addressed with data showing significant progress: “maternal mortality fell from 328 to 197 deaths per 100,000 live births” between 2000 and 2023.

3. Target 3.7: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services.

   The article discusses progress in this area, such as the decline in adolescent fertility (“from 66.3 to 38.3 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19”). It also highlights a major gap, stating that “only 56.3% of women… have full decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights.”

4. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls.

   The article provides data relevant to this target, indicating that “More than one in eight women (12.5%) experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner in the past year.”

5. Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

   This target is addressed with statistics on child marriage (“Nearly one in five young girls married before the age of 18”) and female genital mutilation (“every year four million girls undergo genital mutilation”).

6. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work.

   The article highlights the unequal burden of unpaid work, stating that women “dedicate 2.5 times more hours per day than men” to these tasks, which directly relates to this target.

7. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political, economic and public life.

   This target is extensively covered with data on women’s underrepresentation in parliament (“27.2% of parliamentary seats”), local government (“35.5% of local government positions”), and corporate management (“30% of management positions”).

8. Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.

   The article addresses this target by comparing labor force participation rates (“46.4% of women… were employed, compared with 69.5% of men”) and highlighting the gender pay gap (“women… face a 24% gender pay gap”).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Poverty and Hunger Indicators

  • Proportion of women and men living in extreme poverty (9.2% of women vs. 8.6% of men).
  • Number of women suffering from food insecurity compared to men (64 million more women).

• Health Indicators

  • Maternal mortality ratio (fell from 328 to 197 deaths per 100,000 live births).
  • Adolescent birth rate (dropped from 66.3 to 38.3 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19).
  • Proportion of women who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care (only 56.3%).

• Gender Equality and Empowerment Indicators

  • Proportion of women subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months (12.5%).
  • Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 18 (nearly one in five).
  • Number of girls undergoing female genital mutilation annually (four million).
  • Average number of hours spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex (women dedicate 2.5 times more hours than men).
  • Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (27.2%).
  • Proportion of seats held by women in local governments (35.5%).
  • Proportion of women in managerial positions (30%).

• Economic Indicators

  • Labor force participation rate by sex (46.4% of women vs. 69.5% of men).
  • Gender pay gap (24% in the global health workforce, 23% globally).

• Peace and Justice Indicators

  • Proportion of women and girls living in proximity to armed conflict (676 million lived within 50 km of a lethal conflict).

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

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