Global perspectives on gender equality – failing to prove success in measurement

The UN also established the UN Development Fund for Women in 1976, which operates through UNIFEM, a committee based network across 18 countries to promote its commitment to key social policy issues raised by broader women's movements.

This includes an agenda of campaigns and actions against domestic violence; increased participation of women in peace and conflict resolution; women's human rights; promoting women's formal participation in governance; action against HIV AIDS and; women in economic policy and poverty (UNIFEM, 2010). UNIFEM provides funds for projects across its agenda, through local and international NGOs and projects within government bureaucracies, such as women's budget audits.

However, despite these initiatives over the forty years since the UN's first efforts to include a gender agenda, there continues to be overwhelming accounts of oppression of women across the world. There are also many misinterpretations of the GDI and the GEM and the ultimate goal of raising awareness about gender has not engendered great interest in the world's media, leaving their policy impact as questionable.

Also, under its gender equality goal, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UNMDGs) reports success in countries that now have strong percentages of women in government. One country that scores the highest level of achievement is Afghanistan. Under its new constitution formed in 2004, it has a requirement that in the lower house of 250 delegates directly elected through a system of proportional representation, at least 64 delegates must be women. Similarly 23 of the 100 delegates in the upper house are women.

Although such an achievement should be applauded, it is highly questionable to read it as a marker of improved gender equality as the women, like all other members, act for tribal interests not the interests of women. RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan) reports that there has been no real progress for the national status of women and that women continue to be victims of public beatings, honour killings, child brides, fundamentalist intimidation against attending school and so on.

There is little global leadership that embraces global gender equality, however, as with the increasing voice against global poverty, it is possible to envision a broad collaboration across the world that objects to gender inequality. This must happen by starting with the worst inequalities and promoting instances where it exists the least.