Every year on August 26, the world joins the United States of America in marking the Women’s Equality Day – a day that was designated by the US Congress in 1971 to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting women the right to vote. Half a century on, the Women’s Equality Day is calling attention to continuing efforts towards gender equality.
Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls by 2030 is goal number 5 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The reality, though, is that gender parity remains far off the mark. According to the United Nations, representation of women in national parliaments across the world sits at 25.6 per cent, 36.3 per cent in local governments and 28.2 per cent in managerial positions.