Worldwide Gender Inequality
Women all around the world suffer from gender inequality in varying degrees. Some places have it harder than others, such as the Middle East and South Asia, but inequality such as the wage gap exists everywhere. Globally, one in three women will experience some kind of sexual violence or partner violence in her lifetime. Additionally, 62 million girls worldwide do not have access to an education, dooming them to a life of poverty. This interactive map shows you the struggles of women in various countries around the world.
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Gender Influenced Countries
Education
Many countries have limited awareness of what females are entitled to.
⅔ of the world’s illiterate adults are women. The women are kept out of school for chores, forced through an arranged marriage, or the family uses money for the boy’s education.
Eg.: Afghanistan - Groups opposing female education attack schools.
Political Participation
Women hold 15.6% of parliamentary seats in the world because people believe that women cannot get the job done, simply because they are women -- not because of their qualifications.
Women, as the ‘weaker gender’, are not allowed to take on big roles in battle.
Eg.: Turkey/Slovakia - Women are not allowed to serve the army in frontline combat.
Mobility
With Islamic law, some countries prohibit women from leaving their house without a man’s permission. If granted permission, the female may not drive, or ride a bicycle on public roads. Doing so requires removal of the veil, which is forbidden.
Some countries restrict women from traveling overseas.
Eg.: Saudi Arabia - While women are allowed to own cars, they are not permitted to drive at any time.
Marriage/Divorce
Many women, because of culture, are forced to get an arranged marriage to men 2-3 times older, before the age of 18.
Eg.: Pakistan - Women must agree to an arranged marriage, otherwise will probably be killed.
Eg.: Lebanon - Men are allowed to get away with a divorce through an oral renunciation. Women must have an eyewitness to testify, and wait up to years to get in front of a judge.
Health Care
Mothers in developing countries are not granted aid or health care through childbirth. As a result, most of these women die during labor.
Eg.: Bahrain - Mothers may not get custody of their child and do not receive financial support.
Jobs/Lands
Women earn about 77% of what men earn for the same amount of work
More than 1.5 billion people in the world live on less than $1 per day, most of whom are women. Due to a lack of financial support, women also do not have a say in land ownership.
Eg.: Zambia - Women may not acquire land without approval of their husband.
Violence
In some countries, a male child is more valuable than a female. With genetic testing, parents are able to find out the gender of their child.
Eg.: India - A female child might be aborted before birth or killed right after birth.
Many countries hold rape laws, yet some require several men to testify whether the rape of a female occurred or not. Often, these females are questioned and blamed without any questioning of the attacker.
Eg.: India - Rape laws do not apply to married women, which leave them exposed to violence.