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Workplace inequality -

According to the UN, as of 2020 less than half of working-age women were in the labor market. This is a statistic that has barely changed over the last 25 years.

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Workplace inequality: US -

In 2019 in the US, women were actually gaining a foothold in the job market. The official statistics stated that women held more jobs than men. This had only happened once in history for a very short period between 2009 and 2010.

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Workplace inequality: behind the statistics -

That being said, women were more likely to be working part-time because of domestic responsibilities and they were still at the mercy of the gender pay gap. At the time, they were earning 81 cents for every dollar their male colleagues received.

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Workplace inequality: pandemic -

Sadly, the imbalance worsened once the pandemic hit in early 2020. At the end of the year there were 5.4 million less women in the workforce due to job losses. Men lost 4.4 million jobs.

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Workplace inequality: job losses -

In December alone there were 140,000 job losses in the US. However, the most shocking part is that they were all women. In fact, it was 156,000 women who lost their jobs, but men gained 16,000 jobs so it balanced out at 140,000.

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Unpaid labor -

On average, women all over the world spend twice as much time performing unpaid labor than men. This includes household chores, cooking, childcare, and caring for aging relatives.

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Unpaid labor: worldwide inequality -

In India, women spend an average of six hours on unpaid labor each day, while men spend only one. In the US, women spend four hours, while men spend two and half. There is no country in the world where the time spent is equal.

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Unpaid labor: benefits of shared responsibility -

Women across the world still bear the majority of the responsibility for childcare in their families. Studies show that when men contribute to 40% of the childcare or more, the children get better test scores, have higher self-esteem, and fewer behavioral problems. The men themselves are proven to be less likely to suffer from depression or drug abuse.

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Melinda Gates - Melinda Gates’ 2019 book ‘The Moment of Lift’ explores the undeniable connection between women’s empowerment and the growth of society. It also highlights some truly shocking statistics.

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Maternity leave -

There are only eight countries in the world that do not provide paid maternity leave, and the United States is one of them. The others include low-income nations such as Liberia, Papua New Guinea, and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland).

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Misogyny in law - Melinda Gates’ book also delves into the flawed legal systems around the world that do not protect women's rights. In many cases, they actively impede them.

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Laws: child marriage -

There are still 117 nations that allow child marriage. It’s estimated that 33,000 girls are married each day. There are approximately 650 million women in the world who were married as children. That’s twice the population of the US.

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Laws: pay inequality - Some 104 countries do not have laws that ensure equal pay for equal work among men and women. This means a woman with the same experience doing the same job at the same level as her male co-worker can be paid less with no legal recourse.

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Laws: job restrictions -

Over 100 countries make certain jobs off-limits for women. For example, women in Belarus are not allowed to drive buses, and in Pakistan women are not allowed to repair machinery.

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Laws: inheritance -

There are 39 countries where a daughter cannot legally inherit the same proportion of assets as a son. In the UK, an estate must be passed down to the firstborn son, skipping the eldest daughter.

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Laws: inheritance -

There are 36 countries with laws that limit what a wife can inherit from her husband. In Africa it often occurs that a woman inherits her husband’s land after his death but her in-laws take it or sell it and she will not be able to regain it or receive compensation.

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Laws: working hours -

There are 29 countries that restrict the hours that women are allowed to work. In Bahrain, Nigeria, and Malaysia, women are not allowed to perform certain jobs at night.

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Laws: guardianship -

In 18 countries men are allowed to prohibit their wives from working. These countries are split between Africa and the Middle East.

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Laws: guardianship -

There are 17 countries that put restrictions on women’s freedom to travel outside of their homes without permission or escort by a male relative.

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Laws: guardianship -

In Qatar, single women under the age of 25 require the permission of a male guardian to travel outside of the country.

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Laws: rights in cases of sexual assault - In some US states, including Alabama, there is no law preventing an abuser from claiming parental rights.

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Education -

Girls in low-income countries still face massive barriers to education. It’s estimated that for every 100 boys that attend school in these countries there are only 55 girls.

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Education -

There are 130 million girls who are not receiving an education. There are half a billion women who cannot read.

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Malala Yousafzai -

Renowned activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban when she was 15 years old for campaigning for the educational rights of girls in Pakistan. In many countries there is strong resistance to female empowerment.

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Poverty and financial inequality: hunger -

Gender is a major cause of poverty and hunger. The UN estimates that 60% of chronically hungry people in the world are female.

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Poverty and financial inequality: banking -

More than one billion women in the world do not have access to a bank account.

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Women in leadership -

Around the world, women make up only around 25% of parliamentary positions. This has doubled since 1995, but it would need to double again in order to be representative of the population.

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Safety inequality: assault -

One in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. The most common form of violence against women is perpetrated by a romantic partner.

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Safety inequality: violence in the home -

Around the world, 44% of girls aged 14-19 believe that a husband is entitled to beat his wife due to the societal norms in their homes and countries.

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Safety inequality: prioritizing men's safety -

Women are 47% more likely to suffer severe injuries in car crashes because safety features are designed for men.

Sources: (Pan MacMillan) (CNN) (UN Women) (United Nations) (One) (The Lily) 

See also: Malala Yousafzai and other young activists changing the world

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