4.5 Civic education & Citizenship Gender equality Gender equality is a fundamental human right. It implies that people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities, regardless of their sex or sexuality. This means that everyone should be free whatever career and lifestyle they choose without discrimination – men, women and people who identify themselves as females, males, or any other combination. to pursue Meaning of the term gender The term gender is not to be confused with the term sex. While the former, in fact, has sociological implications based on individuals’ behaviour in a social context, the latter refers to biological features and is associated with the physical and physiological characteristics of humans or animals. Gender therefore includes the attitudes, feelings, and behaviours that a given culture associates to people or social groups. An example could be the common belief that “boys never cry” and “girls play with dolls”. Unfortunately, such gender stereotypes often lead to discrimination and inequalities. Gender inequality Even though gender inequality concerns both men and women, it has always been regarded mostly as a women’s issue. Since ancient times women have faced and unfair discrimination, have been deprived of some rights or have been completely dependent on their fathers’ or husbands’ decisions; their role in society, confined to a domestic sphere, has always been valued less than men’s. widespread Current situation Some progress towards women’s has been made over the course of the years, however women in all countries are still subjected to several forms of unfair treatment, including discrimination, , domestic violence, forced marriage, of property rights, lack of access to education, work and health. Additionally, the proportion of women in decision-making positions both at political and economic levels of society is still inferior to men. They are also paid less than men even if they perform the same tasks: today, women still earn 24% less than men, on average. empowerment harassment denial SDGs: Goal 5 It is widely recognised that achievement of gender equality is essential to peace, democracy and sustainable economic development. This is the reason why it has been included in the 2030 Agenda ratified by the UN in 2015, representing Goal 5 of the 17 SDGs. World nations have committed themselves to: guaranteeing access to education; eliminating any form of violence against women and girls; early and forced marriage; banning guaranteeing equal participation at all levels; adopting policies to support women’s empowerment. Reducing the gender gap and empowering women will accelerate the progress towards sustainable development across the world.