Overview
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
The socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have adversely affected recent progress on gender equality: violence against women and girls has intensified, child marriage increasing after declining in previous years, and more care work at home will affect women disproportionately.
Discriminatory laws and legal gaps prevent women from enjoying their full human rights.
The socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have adversely affected recent progress on gender equality: violence against women and girls has intensified, child marriage increasing after declining in previous years, and more care work at home will affect women disproportionately.
Discriminatory laws and legal gaps prevent women from enjoying their full human rights.
How can an organisation pursue SDG5?
Empowering women and girls and achieving gender equality requires the concerted efforts of all stakeholders, including businesses. All companies have baseline responsibilities to respect human rights, including the rights of women and girls. Beyond these baseline responsibilities, companies also have the opportunity to support the empowerment of women and girls through core business, social investment, public policy engagement and partnerships.
- Encourage participation of women in decision-making and governance at all levels and across all business areas.
- Pay equal remuneration, including benefits, for work of equal value and strive to pay a living wage to all women and men.
- Support access to child and dependent care by providing services, resources and information to both women and men.
- Improve flexible working arrangements that allow a more harmonised work and family life, for example, flexible hours, working from home and holidays during school vacations.
- Establish a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of verbal and physical abuse and sexual harassment. Ensure there is a clearly-communicated policy on dignity and respect at work. Train line managers to manage flexible workers.
- Expand business relationships with women-owned enterprises, including small businesses and women entrepreneurs.
- Senior leaders need to role-model – and champion – flexible working.
- Train all managers to manage people effectively, including on the importance of leading by example, proactively tackling conflict or inappropriate behaviour, and taking formal disciplinary action (where necessary).
- Interrogate your people data to ascertain the number of men and women applying for each role and who gets the job, and look for any ‘cliff-edge’ points in careers when women tend to leave the organisation.
- Wherever possible, advertise jobs as flexible.
- Publish policies on flexible working and parental and carers leave on the organisation’s website to highlight how the organisation supports parents and other people with caring responsibilities.
- Encourage greater take-up of paternity leave and shared parental leave; create a culture where people feel comfortable and confident to request paternity leave and shared parental leave.
“The case for establishing a truly diverse workforce, at all organisational levels, grows more compelling each year…the financial impact - as proven by multiple studies - makes this a no-brainer.” - Harvard Business Review
SDG5 aims to "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls".
It has associated aims that include:
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End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
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Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
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Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
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Recognise and value unpaid care and domestic work.
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Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
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Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.