SDG Blog 8

Gender Equality in Iceland

Iceland is a significant example for gender equality in the world. Iceland has always acknowledged the
need for equal rights among men and women. Women are treated no different than men and are seen as
essential to their society unlike many other countries. Because of this, Iceland ranks number one for
gender equality in the entire world (Erlingsdóttir & Marinósdóttir, 2017).

Having such a high rank in gender equality does not come easy. According to Erlingsdóttir and Marinósdóttir (2017), "It requires the collective action and solidarity of women human rights defenders, political will, and tools such as legislation, gender budgeting and quotas," (Erlingsdóttir & Marinósdóttir, 2017). This collective action has allowed Iceland to achieve gender equality in many areas. Iceland currently has the most narrow wage gap. In order to accomplish this, Parliament pushed to implement an equal pay law that required companies in Iceland to demonstrate that they were following through with this wage reform act, (Domonoske, 2018). If companies do not exhibit their equal employee pay between men and women, they are subject to fines, (Domonoske, 2018). Iceland is still aiming to completely close their gender wage gap within the next 5 years, (World Economic Forum). Furthermore, in regard to politics, in 2016 48% of Iceland’s members of Parliament were women, (World Economic Forum, n.d.). This is almost half women while some countries do not even allow women to hold political seats! With this being said, there is no doubt that Iceland takes gender equality seriously and will do whatever they can in order to ensure both men and women are treated fairly.

Women in Iceland do not take this gender equality for granted. In fact, "the success can be attributed to women taking power and creating alternatives to the male dominant "truths"," (Erlingsdóttir & Marinósdóttir, 2017). In other words, women do not shy away from making their environment more fair than it already is. They contribute to society through education, the workforce, and political seatings just as men do. Just like almost every other country in the world, Iceland was once a country that had a wide gender gap. However, through acknowledgement of gender equality and their actions to make a just society, they have proven gender equality can be achieved.

References

Erlingsdóttir, R. Marinósdóttir, M. (2017). This is why Iceland ranks first for gender equality. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/why-iceland-ranks-first-gender-equality/

Domonoske, C. (2018). Companies In Iceland Now Required To Demonstrate They Pay Men, Women Fairly. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/03/575403863/companies-in-iceland-now-required-to-demonstrate-they-pay-men-women-fairly.

World Economic Forum. (n.d.). Iceland is the best country in the world to be a woman. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/why-iceland-ranks-first-gender-equality/

SDG Blog 7

Gender Equality in Finland



Finland has always been an exemplary example for other countries when it comes to gender equality. In 1906, Finland was the first country in the world to extend the right to vote and stand for elections to all women and men. It was also the first country to elect women to Parliament, (Finland - Society Committed to Gender Equality, 2019). From such an early time, women have been granted rights in this country while some countries are still struggling to acknowledge the need for women's rights. Finland continues to provide women with equal rights that allow both women and men to contribute to society fairly. In Finland, women have access to education, healthcare, jobs, and are able to hold political seats. Countries should work towards creating a safe and equal environment for women like Finland has done for decades.

In 2018, Finland's population was 2,794,629 women and 2,723,290 men, (Gender Equality, 2020). In regard to education, 57.5% of women have tertiary level degrees (Gender Equality, 2020). The employment rate of individuals ages 16-24 is 70.6% women and 72.7% men, (Gender Equality, 2020); this is almost equal while other countries do not even allow women to work! There is also a small gap in wage; women earn 84 euro cents for every euro a man makes, (Gender Equality, 2020). According to the Finland Toolbox (2019), "Finland has placed the human rights of women as one of our priorities. As one of the most crucial aspects of violence against women and girls. Finland promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls," (Finland - Society Committed to Gender Equality, 2019). Their emphasis on gender equality has allowed them to become so close to their sustainable development goal. 

The reason why Finland is doing so well in the area of gender equality is because they have mainstreamed gender equality. Finland has always acknowledged the importance of women's contribution in their country. They promote gender equity and continue to allow women to attain equal rights and protections as men. Other countries tend to ignore the need for women or see them as incompetent. By enforcing laws and highlighting the need for women's rights, they are able to provide women with a safe and equal environment.

References 

Finland - Society Committed to Gender Equality. (2019, February 15). Finland Toolbox. Retrieved from https://toolbox.finland.fi/life-society/finland-society-committed-to-gender-equality/

Gender Equality. (2020, April 16). Statistics Finland. Retrieved from http://www.stat.fi/tup/tasaarvo/index_en.html

SDG Blog 6

Gender Equality in Saudi Arabia



Some countries struggle with gender inequality far more than others. One country that has had a constant battle with gender inequality is Saudi Arabia. Out of the 189 countries covered regarding gender equality, Saudi Arabia is placed at #175 on the gender equality list, (Country Rankings, n.d.). Saudi Arabia's rampant discrimination and abuse against women has made it hard for women to attain any type of freedom. This is why it is important for this country to implement laws and practices that will enforce gender-equality policies and eradicate this gender gap.

According to the Human Rights Watch (Saudi Arabia, 2019), there are multiple reasons why women flee Saudi Arabia. Below is a list of reasons why Saudi Arabian women have left this oppressive country.
1. No Freedom to Travel or Get a Passport
2. No Freedom to Choose Marriage Partner and Child Marriages
3. Domestic Violence
4. Employment Discrimination
5. Healthcare Discrimination
6. Inequality in Divorce, Child Custody, Inheritance
7. challenges to Transferring Guardianship
8. Restrictions on Leaving Prisons and Shelters
9. Restrictions on Studying Abroad
10. Political Repression
(Saudi Arabia, 2019).

In Saudi Arabia, there is a male guardianship system. This system states, "a man controls a Saudi woman's life from her birth until death," (Saudi Arabia, 2019). So if a man can have this much control over a woman's life, how will Saudi Arabia work towards achieving gender equality? According to Malek (2020), Saudi Arabia is quickly working towards creating gender equality in their country by acknowledging barriers against women and finding ways to diminish them (Malek, 2020). Women can now gain access to passports, travel abroad, and drive (Malek, 2020). Women are also allowed to choose where they live, when they leave, and are allowed to be head of the household (Malek, 2020). Additionally, there has been an increase in women participation in the workplace and political seats (Malek, 2020). Sexual harassment has also been criminalized (Malek, 2020).

Saudi Arabia has proven to be working towards gender equality quickly. It is important for countries where women face so many hardships to see how well Saudi Arabia is working towards eradicating this gap. It will allow other oppressive countries to follow in their steps and acknowledge the need for change in hopes of creating a safe environment for women.




References

Country Rankings. (n.d.). Women’s Workplace Equality Index. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/interactive/legal-barriers/country-rankings

Malek, C. (2020). Saudi Arabia on a fast track to gender equality, study suggests. Arab News. Retrieved from https://www.arabnews.com/node/1625046/saudi-arabia

Saudi Arabia: 10 Reasons Why Women Flee. (2019). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/30/saudi-arabia-10-reasons-why-women-flee#

SDG Blog 5

Gender Equality in South Korea



Women in South Korea have suffered from gender inequality for decades. After years of violence and discrimination, there have been several changes made in order to ensure this gender inequality is eradicated. With these changes, women have been able to gain more freedom and empowerment. However, more changes must be made in order to emphasize the need for gender parity.

On June 9th, 2018, 22,000 South Korean women marched through Seoul protesting their need for more privacy (Barr, 2018). These women were specifically protesting the use of small devices called "spy cams" that were being used to violate their privacy in graphic ways (Barr, 2018). Many times these spy cams would take pictures and videos of women and be posted online with no blame being placed on the person responsible (unless a man was the victim), (Barr, 2018). This is only one of the many equality violations women have taken action against. "The World Economic Forum ranked South Korea 116 out of 144 countries in gender equality," (Barr, 2018). Furthermore, a survey involving 2,000 men was conducted and the results stated that 80% of these men psychologically or physically abused their girlfriends (Barr, 2018). In another survey, it was concluded that 78% of women that experienced sexual harassment in the workplace "put up with it," (Barr, 2018). Based on this evidence, it can be said that South Korea must work towards more significant changes in order to decrease violence and discrimination against South Korean women.

Several discriminatory laws have been amended and legislation has changed their unjust ways in hopes of narrowing this gap between men and women. According to Barr (2018), the president of South Korea promised a cabinet of at least 30% women and stayed true to his word (Barr, 2018). Additionally, The Civil Act of 2007 successfully set the minimum marriage age to 18 for men and women (Committee, 2011). Also, the Act on Protection of Children and Youths from Sexual Violence established sexual violence offenses against boys and girls (Committee, 2011). Lastly, The Committee has launched a plan to prevent domestic violence and acknowledged the integration of gender dimensions in programs to promote women's human rights (Committee, 2011).

These changes are slowly working towards creating gender parity in South Korea. More action must be taken in order to reach gender equality faster.

References
Barr, H. (2018). South Korean Women are Fed Up with Inequality. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/14/south-korean-women-are-fed-inequality#
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. (2011). Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Retrieved from https://evaw-global-database.unwomen.org/-/media/files/un%20women/vaw/country%20report/asia/republic%20of%20korea/republic%20of%20korea%20cedaw%20co.pdf?vs=1750

SDG Blog 4

Gender Equality in Qatar



Unfortunately, Qatar has been ranked the second worst country in the world when it comes to gender equality (Sintia, 2020). With this being said, women in Qatar face a great amount of discrimination and oppression. There is a significant lack of women in work, school, and political seats. In fact, Qatar's Gender Gap Index of 2014 indicates that their economic participation is ranked 101/142, political participation is ranked 140/142, and educational attainment is ranked 94/142 (Spring Forward, 2015.). These statistics demonstrate the need for new gender equality implementation in Qatar in order to achieve gender equality for their sustainable development goal.

In order to combat this discrimination against women and provide them with natural human rights, "the Human Rights Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Qatar had organized a forum which had focused on scrutinising and analysing the achievements to date," (Committee, 2019). This forum allowed Committee Experts to ask Delegates questions in regarding their efforts for change. After presenting various reforms and emphasizing the need to eliminate women's oppression in Qatar, some changes have been seen. According to the report, "Four women had joined the Shura Council (...) the Family Affairs Department had been established within the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, as a high-level body to deal with the family and especially women’s issues, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030," (Committee, 2019). However, Committee Expert pointed out that the there are still two major laws, the Family Law and Nationality Act, that are preventing Qatari women from making any real progress towards equality. Furthermore, there is no law prohibiting domestic violence nor is there a national strategy that acknowledges this issue.


In regard to these barriers, Qatar has recently enforced a variety of projects that will tackle this issue; "The National Development Strategy 2018-2022 contained 56 projects which addressed issues such as social protection, women’s empowerment, family support, home support services, and others," (Committee, 2019). These projects include the implementation of a National Anti-Trafficking Committee in order to fight human trafficking and punish those responsible for involvement. 
Based on this information, Qatar is slowly working towards gender equality. However, I do believe more enforcement should take place due to the little amount of change they are experiencing today. 





References

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women examines the report of Qatar. (2019). OHCHR. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24789&LangID=E. 

Radu, S. 2020. Top 10 Worst Countries for Gender Equality, Based on Perception. U.S. News. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/10-worst-countries-for-gender-equality-ranked-by-perception

Spring Forward for Women Programme. (2015). UN Women. Retrieved from https://spring-forward.unwomen.org/en/countries/qatar

SDG Blog 3

Gender Equality in Jordan



Today, Jordan is working on meeting gender equality and female empowerment in their country in several different ways. This focus on diminishing gender inequality will allow more access to education, occupations, health services, land and property, and political decision making. This equal accessibility to these things will broaden our chance to become a much more feasible world.

According to USAID, with equal access to education, "Jordan boasts a highly educated female population with the potential to advance Jordan’s economic, social, and political development," (Gender Equality and Female Empowerment, 2019). However, although Jordan is slowly working towards this equality, there is still a gap between men and women and "constitutional rights and acceptable social norms, with traditional expectations and cultural restraints continuing to limit women’s advancement," (Gender Equality and Female Empowerment., 2019). Despite this, Jordan has partnered with USAID Mission and they are constantly helping Jordan create policy reforms to allow equal education. In fact, they have developed 59 laws and procedures that promote gender equality (Klein, 2018). These laws have helped over 94% of girls to attend primary school and 90% to attend secondary school. Furthermore, they have allowed Jordan to receive one of the highest literacy rates of girls in the Middle East (97.3%), (Klein, 2018). Several programs such as Go Girls, a national initiative that encourages the exposure of STEM subjects to girls, have also been implemented in hopes of achieving gender equality in education.

Aside from education, Jordan is also focusing on the presence of women in politics. According to UN Women, only about one sixth of seats in Jordan's Parliament are held by women (Jordan pledges..., n.d.). In regard to this, government organizations such as The Jordanian National Commission for Women are emphasizing the need for women in policy and narrowing the gap that exists today. New laws have also been implemented and have revised the past electoral law. The New Electoral Law has assigned 15 seats for women (Jordan pledges..., n.d.). After this was initiated, there has been an increase in the total number of women from 12% to 15.4% (20 women), (Jordan pledges..., n.d.).

Jordan has been able to increase gender equality by partnering with organizations, revising laws, and monitoring programs that have been created for SDG 5. Jordan's partnership with USAID, UNICEF, and other nongovernmental organizations has allowed them to become closer to their goal.


References

Gender Equality and Female Empowerment. (2019). USAID. Retrieved from https://www.usaid.gov/jordan/gender-equality-womens-empowerment

Jordan pledges to align national laws with international commitments and expand support to women and girls in many areas (updated). (n.d.) UN Women. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/step-it-up/commitments/jordan

Klein, Grace. (2018). Top 10 Facts About Girls' Education in Jordan. Retrieved from https://borgenproject.org/top-10-facts-about-girls-education-in-jordan/

SDG Blog 2

Gender Equality in India

Today, women in India experience several forms of gender inequality. This includes lack of access to education, work, and representation in political decision making. This hindrance not only affects women, but it also affects humanity as a whole. By refusing to allow women to obtain rights, we are withholding our chance to create a equitable and feasible world. In order to promote gender equality, India is implementing several tactics that will help meet this sustainable development goal. As of June 2019, “India has achieved gender parity at the primary education level and is on track to achieve parity at all education levels,” (“SDG 5: Gender Equality”, n.d.).

In order to ensure gender equality is present, India has developed different strategies such as the prime ministers initiative known as “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao,” (“SDG 5: Gender Equality”, n.d.). Beti Bachao Beti Padhao “is being implemented through a national campaign and focussed multi sectoral action in 100 selected districts low in CSR (Child Sex Ratio),” (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, n.d.). There are three objectives of this initiative. These objectives are: “Prevention of gender biased sex selective elimination,” “Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child,” and “Ensuring education and participation of the girl child,” (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, n.d.). Other programs such as Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana and Janani Suraksha Yojana are also working towards increasing female employment and empowerment of girls, (“SDG 5: Gender Equality”, n.d.). Because of programs like these, India is able to fight gender inequality head on.   
Furthermore, the percentage of seats in political offices held by women is increasing. Although the Lok Sabha, also known as the House of People, has only reached 11% of women, the Panchayati Raj Institutions, also known as local self-government, has achieved a total of 46% of women, (“SDG 5: Gender Equality”, n.d.). However, India is still slowly working on increasing female representation in political and economic offices and organizations.
In order to ensure that these goals are being met, India’s Parliament is playing a significant role in organizing several forums that target these sustainable development goals, including gender equality. According to the Voluntary National Review Report (2017), “ The NITI Aayog, with the Prime Minister as its chairperson, is to provide the overall coordination and leadership,” (Voluntary National Review Report, 2017). Additionally, India is making sure these goals are financially attainable by using programs such as “Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), the world’s largest financial inclusion programme,” (Voluntary National Review Report, 2017). It has allowed “the Government to disburse a cumulative amount of INR 1.6 trillion (USD 25 billion) to 329 million beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer,” (Voluntary National Review Report, 2017). With this money, India has been able to provide employment, build schools, build houses, and so on (Voluntary National Review Report, 2017). 
Like many other countries, India is working extremely hard in order to meet their sustainable development goals. By implementing new programs and continuing to promote these goals, India will be able to achieve gender equality in the future. 

References

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. (n.d.). Government of India. Retrieved from

https://wcd.nic.in/bbbp-schemes
SDG 5: Gender Equality. (n.d.). United Nations in India. Retrieved from

https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-5/
Voluntary National Review Report. (2017). United Nations. Retrieved from

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/15836India.pdf