The fifth of the UN SDGs refers to gender equality. <\/p>\n
To mark International Women\u2019s Day<\/a>, we are going to analyze the concept of gender equality.<\/p>\n This principle is even included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>, specifically Goal 5: \u201cAchieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.\u201d<\/p>\n Definition of gender equality <\/p>\n According to the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Legal Spanish, gender equality refers to \u201cequal opportunities and rights between women and men in the private and public spheres that provide and guarantee them the possibility of living the life they desire.\u201d<\/p>\n This same institution explains that \u201cit can be defined in general terms as equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities between women and men; young people, and girls and boys.\u201d<\/p>\n Gender equality that \u201ctakes into account the interests, needs, and priorities, recognizing the diversity of different groups of women and men,\u201d based on the premise that gender \u201cis understood as the sociocultural constructs that differentiate and shape the roles, perceptions, and statuses of women and men in a society.\u201d<\/p>\n Gender equality in the SDGs <\/p>\n Returning to the SDGs, and as we have already mentioned, one of the 17 global goals adopted by the UN in 2015 refers precisely to gender equality.<\/p>\n As stated by the United Nations, gender equality goes beyond being a fundamental human right, placing it as \u201cone of the essential foundations for building a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the progress made in recent decades, the truth is that inequalities still prevail for half of the world\u2019s population, reflected in data such as women earning 23% less than men in the global labor market or spending three times as many hours on unpaid domestic and care work.<\/p>\n Another aspect highlighted by the UN in SDG 5 is that \u201csexual violence and exploitation, the unequal distribution of unpaid domestic and care work, and discrimination in public office continue to pose enormous obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n Likewise, some data are provided to contextualize the evolution of the achievement of gender equality.<\/p>\n For example, it is estimated that at the current rate it will take 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to close the gaps in legal protection and eliminate discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be equally represented in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years for there to be equal representation in national parliaments.<\/p>\n For all these reasons, the fifth of the goals set by the supranational organization founded in 1945 is to be \u201ca key element in national policies, budgets, and institutions.\u201d The United Nations therefore calls for \u201cpolitical leadership, investment, and comprehensive policy reforms to dismantle the systemic barriers that prevent the achievement of Goal 5.\u201d<\/p>\n Telef\u00f3nica and gender equality <\/p>\n