We also have something to celebrate this March 8th – 03/08/2024 – Deborah Bizarria

Every year, when March arrives, conversations about gender inequality, the trajectory in the search for women’s rights and the challenges we still face intensify. Without a doubt, this is an important debate, which I also try to address in my column. However, considering the celebratory nature of this period, I believe we should reflect on the progress already achieved.

Over the past ten years, we have seen a slow but steady march towards gender equality, according to the World Bank retrospective report. Since the 1970s, countries around the world have approved more than 2,000 legislative reforms in favor of equality between men and women.

There is still a lot to progress. Legally, women have about three-quarters of the economic rights of men, with almost 2.4 billion women of working age still lacking equal economic opportunity. Legal discrimination limits women’s access to participation in markets, with disparities being most pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia. However, highlighting advances is essential to recognize the hard work of women around the world and the positive impact of public policies and collective efforts to overcome these barriers.

For example, in Bangladesh, there is a success story that illustrates progress well. The country has adopted a deliberate and coherent approach to achieving gender priorities, focusing on reducing the fertility rate and increasing the rate of female labor market participation. As a result, women were able to better plan their pregnancies, reducing from 6.9 births per woman in the early 1970s to 2.0 in 2020. During this period, female participation in the labor force increased by almost ten percentage points since 2000. These results were achieved through a collaboration between government, NGOs, academic institutions and development partners, highlighting the power of coordinated actions and long-term commitment.

Additionally, women’s economic empowerment has received a significant boost through the Women Entrepreneurs Financing Initiative (We-Fi), which supports women entrepreneurs in developing countries. This global effort not only facilitates access to financing, but also provides educational resources and a support network to help women establish and grow their businesses. Initiatives like We-Fi demonstrate the importance of addressing gender disparities in entrepreneurship and access to economic resources.

In the field of education and legal rights, notable progress has been made in several countries. The abolition of discriminatory laws and the implementation of policies that promote gender equality in schools have contributed to increasing girls’ enrollment in secondary and higher education. World Bank reports highlight that in many countries, girls now equal or even surpass boys in terms of school enrollment, a key indicator for the future development of gender equality.

Brazil was also not left out of the trend of improvements, with the implementation of effective policies and strong legislation against gender-based violence and advances in maternal education and health. The enrollment rate of women in secondary education (83.2%) exceeds that of men (80.3%) and is in line with that of upper middle-income countries. Women represent 36.6% of graduates in exact sciences areas, marking progress in inclusion in fields that are mostly male. In health, 99.1% of births were attended by trained professionals in 2017, and maternal mortality fell to 60 per 100,000 live births in 2017, below the Latin American average, but still behind developed economies.

This journey towards gender equality, although slow, has resulted in significant progress and achievements. Through legislative reforms, innovative public policies and global efforts like those already mentioned, the world has witnessed tangible improvements in women’s lives. However, the remaining challenges require renewed commitment from all sectors of society to ensure that every woman and girl has the opportunity to realize their full potential.

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