SDG5: Achieve gender equality & (economically) empower all women and girls and girls
We see the economic and financial future of Africa’s young women and girls is this generation’s moral obligation. SDG5 calls for the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. For PABWA, we have taken this and asked ourselves what that means to us. For us we have to ensure that achievement of equality and empowerment can only be done through economic means, because that’s the ‘currency of the world’. The SDG’s are a global development imperative, and as such our call is for rapid and extensive action, to achieve this economic and financial inclusion, and not just a declaration.
Research has shown that the world’s future lies in the hands of the young, African, and female – currently the most marginalised on the planet. It is simple – if we ignore what the future holds, and don’t invest to transform the most marginalised, humanity does so at our own peril.
There has been progress made, but even with that progress, towards young women’s economic empowerment, these young women continue to experience unequal access to education, skills development, face challenges in securing decent employment, as well as limited in opportunities to thrive as entrepreneurs. Further to this women’s access to resources, including land and loans, may be restricted by discriminatory and or cultural laws, so young women continue to shoulder an unequal share of unpaid care work, due to deep-seated traditionalism in gender roles.
PABWA is driving programmes, campaigns, and initiatives to contribute to achieving SDG5 in the long-term, by focussing on closing the gender pay gap, vocational training for non-school-going young women and girls, entrepreneurship opportunities, and decent employment, while using our voices to change the narrative on traditional gender roles, for today’s and tomorrow’s women.
Link to site : https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg5