Gender Equality: Most People Are Biased Against Women, UN Says

[appalachiablue]

Source: DW

A new study shows that almost 90% of people worldwide are biased against women and around half perceive men to make better leaders. And nearly 30% of people think it's justified for a husband to beat his wife.

Women around the world still suffer from widespread gender bias, according to a newly-published report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The study measures how people's social beliefs inhibit gender equality in areas including education, politics and the work force. It contains data from 75 countries, covering over 80% of the world's population.

Pedro Conceicao, director of the Human Development Report Office at UNDP, said that while progress has been made in giving women the same access to basic needs as men in education and health, gender gaps remain in areas "that challenge power relations and are most influential in actually achieving true equality."...



Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/gender-equality-most-people-are-biased-against-women-un-says/a-52644994

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Globally women hold only 24% of parliamentary seats and they make up less than 6% of chief executives in S&P 500 companies, the study showed.

Jordan, Qatar, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe are countries with the highest numbers of bias against gender equality. Countries with the lowest levels of gender bias are Andorra, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Been fighting this for 60 years.

[appalachiablue]

3. Appalling, serious rollback of womens' rights

[appalachiablue]

2. *** MORE: Rollback of womens' rights from The Guardian:***

Last edited Thu Mar 5, 2020, 08:57 AM - Edit history (1)

- The Guardian, 'Nine Out Of Ten People Found To Be Biased Against Women,' March 5, 2020
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/05/nine-out-of-10-people-found-to-be-biased-against-women

Analysis of 75 countries reveals ‘shocking’ scale of global women’s rights backlash.

Almost 90% of people are biased against women, according to a new index that highlights the “shocking” extent of the global backlash towards gender equality. Despite progress in closing the equality gap, 91% of men and 86% of women hold at least one bias against women in relation to politics, economics, education, violence or reproductive rights.

The first gender social norm index analysed data from 75 countries that, collectively, are home to more than 80% of the global population. It found that almost half of people feel men are superior political leaders and more than 40% believe men make better business executives. Almost a third of men and women think it’s acceptable for a man to beat his wife.

While in many countries these biases are shrinking, in many others the biases are actually sliding back. If you take the overall average of the information we have, we show that on average we are sliding back – that biases, instead of shrinking, are growing back.”

[scarletlib]

4. That's because for all of recorded history men have been running everything..

They made all the rules to favor themselves, kept women down and brag about how smart and superior they are. For thousands of years only their opinions have counted. Only their voices have been heard. I don’t know if this can ever change.

The only thing men have over women is their muscular strength. But testosterone should not be the defining element of human superiority.

Men have been running the world for all of recorded history. What has it gotten us? Where are we now? Certainly genocides, wars, torture and cruelty, suppression of 50% of the human race.
And now they have brought the entire world, our ecosystem, to the brink of destruction. And what are all those powerful men doing to rescue us all? Nothing.

I think women should take things over now. Really could we screw things up any worse?

[appalachiablue]

5. Absolutely, excellent summary of the state of the world. Time For Women

to take charge is long overdue, and it's one existential, nightmare of a mess to try to clean up.

Living through testosterone, conflict, violence, oppression, war and chaos is not living, it's hell for humans and the planet.

[GoneOffShore]

11. First we have to find a cure for testosterone poisoning.

[evemac]

20. This is what I've been thinking over the last several years

"Testosterone should not be the defining element of human superiority."
Well said.
The male paradigm does not work well. I mean, it historically has for a while for some, but eventually the male model of "running things" has led to where we are today. What would it take to shift the mindset of humans and entertain that another model might work better for the betterment of humankind? I have no idea of how to get there. I think for those who have power, they will fight to the bitter end before we ever see a real change.

[smirkymonkey]

29. +1000

[dlk]

6. An example might be how Elizabeth Warren has been effectively erased from the primary

She has the skills and experience to be the most effective president. Yet, in the contest of skills vs male posturing, the posturing is winning, hands down.

[not fooled]

8. Exactly

She stood out as the best candidate. 'Muricans still not ready for a female president.

[oldsoftie]

15. She took third in her own state. The people who handily sent her to Senate picked another.

Maybe they just prefer someone else for president & gender isnt the issue?
Because I'd bet they'd send her to the Senate by a large margin again.

[not fooled]

23. You are correct, they did

However I think electability across the US plays a large part in many voters' calculations, and those voters accurately perceive that much of the rest of the country won't vote for a woman for president but might for a Democratic male candidate.

[oldsoftie]

32. But I dont know anyone who doesnt think Michelle Obama would wipe the floor with trump

Including myself.

[pazzyanne]

17. "Muricans still not ready for a female president."

Sad, but true. If it weren't the case we would have a woman in the White House instead of the orange idiot.

[Ohiogal]

26. Well said.

[2naSalit]

30. ++++++++++++++++++!!!

[Lonestarblue]

7. You can also blame the world's religions, written by men for men.

Christianity’s fable of Adam being created as a sole being and then Eve being an unimportant afterthought created from Adam’s rib set the stage for women to be the lesser beings. Patriarchal mores have been perpetuated throughout the centuries through religion and force, as in Islamic countries where women still need permission from a male even to go shopping. The idea that women’s brains are just weaker and women are too emotional for leadership roles continues to be pushed both consciously and subconsciously through media and entertainment. The few women who do achieve top jobs are often portrayed as royal bitches, even though their decisions and actions are ho different than those of males in similar roles. Male privilege is strong and not likely to go away anytime soon.

[appalachiablue]

9. Major religions, male created and operated.

Testosterone, male- led ideologies and systems are based on violence and destruction. Enough.

[whathehell]

13. Male ideologies, period -- It's just as common in atheistic societies..

of communism. The Soviet union was no egalitarian paradise for women.

[appalachiablue]

14. Definitely, misogyny, sexism are integral, rampant in most systems.

Last edited Thu Mar 5, 2020, 11:39 AM - Edit history (1)

Except for one deviant, I've been blessed to have male relatives that respect and believe in women participating equally and achieving.

[whathehell]

18. Yes..

I remember Feminist writer Kate Millet describing it as "The last
remaining caste system" in her book "Sexual Politics".

On the personal side, I, too, have been blessed with mostly good, non-oppresssive male relatives, inluding a wonderful, loving father, who hated two things in this world: One was cruelty and the other was Injustice.

[ehrnst]

10. Get. Out.

[Sugar Smack]

28. Exactly.

Who. Knew.

[whathehell]

12. How nice for us .

[oldsoftie]

16. Not surprising considering how many countries have laws allowing abuse of women.

Sad that at times the UN gives some of these countries a platform of even more power

[Duppers]

19. A good man had a few words about this...

[Duppers]

21. The most troubling, most disgusting is this statistic...

"And nearly 30% of people think it's justified for a husband to beat his wife."

Note: the statement said "people" not just men. What upsets me most is misogynistic women. (I was mothered by one and to this day I resent her.) They almost invariably vote Republican and attend church.

[zaj]

22. Men of all races will unite to keep male hirearchy...

This is why Hillary could lose and Biden could win.

But a smart, dynamic, authentic community organizer didn't threaten the hirearchy as much as a powerful, ambitious, unapologetic feminist.

I'm so sad to learn and I would have never believed it would be harder to elect a liberal woman than a liberal black man.

[Reader Rabbit]

24. "A new study shows that almost 90% of people worldwide are biased against women"

100% of women worldwide say, "No shit, Sherlock."

[TygrBright]

25. Whoa, really? Who knew....?!?

[OnlinePoker]

27. So a very large percentage of women are biased against women? n/t

[Coventina]

31. Yes, some of the most misogynistic people I've ever met are women.

[murielm99]

33. You have that right.

I used to hold leadership positions in the county Democratic party. I stepped back to just being a precinct committee person and a reliable canvasser, phone banker and recruiter. I am 71, and it is time for younger people to take those roles.

While I still held elective positions, the mean girls were the worst at undermining me and being a general pain in the ass. There was only ONE man on our committee who treated me in a misogynistic way.

Even now, when I look at who is doing the real, grassroots work, the unsung work, most of them are women.

[Pacifist Patriot]

39. Super Volunteers are statistically most likely to be...

Women
with children
who work part or full time

Can't remember the name of the organization that crunched the data to determine that, but it has been true for decades.

Basically, super volunteers are defined as volunteers who agree to help in any capacity whenever asked and then do it and/or will dive into a key project and not quit until it is finished.

I have been involved in a number of different types of organizations over the years that rely on volunteers and damned if it isn't true. Yes, you get them in other demographics, but definitely at way higher percentages in that group. And they tend to continue volunteering when kids leave the house and/or they retire.

[Reader Rabbit]

34. Ironically, I posted this on FB and a male acquaintance un-ironically deflected/victim-blamed.

"That means if all men are biased against women 80% of women are too. Sort your shit out girls!"

We got a long way to go, baby.

[Pacifist Patriot]

38. If I had a dime for every online comment I have read...

that says essentially the same thing, I'd retire tomorrow.

[BigmanPigman]

35. Am I a female misogynist if I hate women who hate other women?

I hate those idiots that wear those "You can grab my pussy" t-shirts at the fucking moron's rallies.

[Pacifist Patriot]

37. If you are, I am.

I want to literally slap them. Given my user name, that's saying something.

[Pacifist Patriot]

36. Women reading this...

"Well, duh."