Gender equality

Even before a child is born, gender inequalities shape their lives. 

For girls, this can mean constraints on their health, education, and futures. Many will be unable to complete secondary school, due to forced and early marriage, pregnancy, and unpaid care and domestic work. In adolescence, many will also be at greater risk of gender-based violence. These inequalities can continue into adulthood: Adult women are more likely to be poorer than men and face discrimination in the labour market, including the gender pay gap.  

Gender norms can also be harmful for boys and men. They are often expected to conform to and uphold restrictive ideas of masculinity, which can limit cognitive and emotional development or even drive them into the arms of gangs or militias.

The struggle for gender equality is taking place in rich and poor countries alike. That struggle is vital: Equality is an enabler that can help unlock solutions to a myriad of other challenges. 

Despite considerable advances in our understanding of the interplay of gender dynamics throughout girls and women’s lives, significant gaps remain. These gaps limit the acceleration of global progress towards gender equality. UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti is contributing to achieving gender equality by building evidence on:

• The gendered nature of violence against children and against women
• The effects of social protection on gender equality
• How gender impacts migration
• The role gender plays in child labour
• Intersections between gender and climate change