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Now to the rest of the newsletter. The world is making progress toward gender equality — but it is too slow and uneven. We take a closer look. 

The world’s largest equality problem

This week, just 10 out of 133 heads of state and government speaking at the UN General Assembly are women. That’s 7.5%, down from 12% last year. There has never been a woman chief of the assembly, although several are now (reportedly) in contention.

Understanding power – who has it, how they got it, what they do with it, and why – is fundamental to the fight against poverty. It’s especially relevant to one of the most intractable and costly issues facing humanity: gender inequality.

The world was built for men. Largely, white men. You may be familiar with the consequences: There’s a US$172 trillion dollar wage gap between men and women’s total expected lifetime earnings. The gender gap in food insecurity more than doubled between 2019 and 2021. And as a woman, where you are born may determine whether you are educated, have formal employment, can open a bank account, or safely survive childbirth.

Yet the world is sustained, in many ways, by women and girls. They’re 70% of global health and social care workers. They grow up to 80% of the world’s staple foods. They spend a collective 200 million hours every day gathering water for their families. For every example of oppression, there is a counterpoint of how women’s equality and empowerment benefits society as a whole – and how women tirelessly and fearlessly challenge the systems that hold us all back.

Political leaders and thousands of others are descending on New York for UNGA. Many will pay lip service to the world’s largest inequality problem. So let’s look closer at a gap that’s persisted through all of human history, directly impacting every person who has ever lived.

– Micaela Iveson, Policy & Projects Manager

3 things to know

1. Nowhere on earth do women and men enjoy full equality. 51% of countries have one or more restrictions preventing women from doing the same jobs as men. Globally, less than 27% of seats in parliaments are held by women. Women held 50% or more of the seats in national parliaments… in just six countries in 2023. Only one of those countries, Rwanda, is in Africa. One in every eight women and girls between ages 15 and 49 was the victim of sexual or physical violence by an intimate partner in 🚨 the 🚨 previous 🚨 year. 🚨

Uneven gender equality globally

Why it matters: 45 million fewer people could be food insecure globally if the gender gap in farm productivity and the wage gap in food systems were closed. If current trends continue, it will take an estimated 137 years to lift all women and girls out of poverty.

2. Gender inequality is expensive. Failing to close gender gaps in education and employment could cost the global economy over US$10 trillion annually. That’s more than the GDP of France and Japan combined. The cost to sub-Saharan Africa exceeds 10% of GDP.

Why it matters: Beyond the human costs, gender inequality takes an economic toll on families, communities, and countries. Despite some progress, about 1 in 4 girls globally still get married before turning 18, underscoring the persistence of harmful practices that limit opportunities for girls.

Here’s one solution: Closing the digital gender gap (i.e. giving girls and women the same access to and training on technologies) could save low- and middle-income countries US$500 billion over the next five years, highlighting the need for digital inclusion to drive economic and social progress.

3. Gender inequality is affecting women’s health. One in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes. One in 10 girls is forced into sex. In sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections in 2023. That’s a marked contrast to other regions, where over 73% of new HIV infections occurred among men and boys.

Why it matters: Incredible progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS: Fewer people acquired HIV in 2023 than at any point since the 1980s. But funding declined by 7.9% between 2020 and 2023, threatening to undo some of those gains. Violence against women and harmful gender norms are hindering efforts to reduce new infections amongst women and girls, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Here’s one solution: Countries should fully fund the Global Fund, whose next funding replenishment takes place next year. The Global Fund has helped cut the death rates from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 61% since 2002, saving 65 million lives.

From the ONE Team

• ONE has spent 20 years making voices heard to create a more just and fair world for everyone, everywhere — and we are just getting started.
• ONE is among 120 UK organisations calling on the UK government to avoid cutting aid in its upcoming budget.
• Désiré Assogbavi on whether the US’s proposal for two permanent African seats on the UN Security Council is acceptable.
• Micaela Iveson on one of international development’s most underappreciated success stories.
• LOOK AHEAD: On 25 September, we’re launching the Trillions Tracker, a tool to track whether governments are meeting the climate and development needs of developing countries.

In the queue:

• Whatever happened to the global effort to wipe out cervical cancer with a vaccine?
• The 2024 Goalkeepers report highlights the worrying state of childhood malnutrition.
• Leaders can rise to the summit, together.

The ONE Campaign’s data.one.org provides cutting edge data and analysis on the economic, political, and social changes impacting Africa. Check it out HERE.

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