International Women ’s Day, 2021The World Not Only Needs Women Leaders – It Needs Feminist Leaders

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCOBy Audrey Azoulay and Katrín JakobsdóttirPARIS and REYKJAVIK, Mar 5 2021 (IPS) International Women’s Day pays tribute to the achievements of women worldwide and reminds us what still needs to be done for full gender equality. In 2021, we are taking stock of the many ways in which COVID-19 has disproportionately affected women and girls around the world. The pandemic has created a new landscape. Although women have played a key role in responding to the crisis, gender inequalities have widened across the board. In education, 767 million women and girls were impacted by school closures. Eleven million may never return to class, joining the 132 million already out of school before the crisis struck. From the economic perspective, the recession is pushing 47 million more women and girls into poverty, destroying their economic independence and making them more vulnerable to gender-based discrimination and violence. As we look at this landscape, we have to ask ourselves: if gender equality is our goal, what kind of leadership will the world need moving forward? It is not enough to just count the number of women in the highest positions of power. No single person at the top of the pyramid can repair the damage being done to the progress that has been made in gender equality since the world adopted the Beijing Declaration on women’s rights 25 years ago. What we need are leaders for gender equality – and we need them everywhere...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Civil Society Crime & Justice Economy & Trade Education Featured Gender Gender Violence Global Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Inequity Labour TerraViva United Nations Women & Economy Women in Politic Source Type: news