Breathe
By Sonia Garza González
Since the first minute of March, data, reflections and testimonies on the progress and challenges of the women's agenda have been published around the world. The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index, first published in 2006, is an essential reference that helps us to understand the state of the art of progress and challenges regarding the gaps between men and women, which become even more evident during the month in which International Women's Day is commemorated.
The index assesses nearly 150 countries in four dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment, as well as tracking progress toward closing gender gaps over time.
Even though we can see intergenerational behavioral changes that support the construction of more egalitarian societies, it is quite worrisome to find that "between 2006 and 2023, gender equality advanced from 64.3 to 68.5 on a scale of 0 to 100.
To read with awareness that we are more than 100 years away from closing gender gaps is cruel and disappointing, in a context where we see more women leaders in all fields, where progress has been dizzying in health, technology, politics, business, sports, etc. How can we combat stereotypes and structural barriers?
Until action is taken on the care economy as a key pillar in moving towards greater gender equality, there will be no real transformation, as women are the breadwinners of families that together can be measured in significant proportions of the world's population. The demerit of women's rights has very high economic costs.
There is an urgent need for real co-responsibility on the part of governments, businesses, educational institutions, the media and households. We are all components of a positive or negative equation.
Of course, I recognize valuable leaderships that promote talent, wage equality, training and decent work; however, I also admit that there is still a long way to go for thousands of women to enjoy job opportunities, access to comprehensive health services, education and a life free of violence.
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