The eight goals

Promoting gender equality means ensuring that women have the same chances as men to improve their lives and the lives of their families.

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Amanda, 15, stands arm-in-arm with her aunt on a hillside overlooking their neighbourhood in Colombia. They are both victims of commercial sexual exploitation and are the day-to-day support for their immediate family -- 15 people in all.

Unfortunately, in both developed and developing countries, women are often not given the same opportunities in education, employment, and in government. For example, many poor households in developing countries will only send their boys to school, forcing girls to help care for the home and other family members. Goal 3 means guaranteeing that women have equal opportunities to make their lives, and the lives of their families, better.

What needs to be done?

Attitudes around women’s roles in society have to change. The world needs to start implementing and enforcing laws that protect women’s rights, and to acknowledge the fact that gender inequality contributes to poverty. Women’s property rights are one important area that needs to be addressed. Women are responsible for producing much of the food in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, but many do not have secure ownership of the land they work on. Women also need to have the same opportunities as men to participate in the decision-making process, both in government and at home. Women must have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives for the MDGs to become a reality by 2015.

How are young people affected or involved?

Young people need to be leaders in the fight to end unfair discrimination against women. But ending gender inequality can’t be just a woman’s responsibility. We need men to join the fight to end discrimination against women, too. The world will never be able to achieve the MDGs if women do not have an equal chance, and we need everybody to join their voice and demand that governments make a real change now.

The information in this section comes from the Millennium Campaign’s Youth MDG Campaign Kit.