A look back at the 2010s: A decade of voices and choices

As another decade draws to a close, the world is preoccupied with perils on the horizon. Climate change is beginning to ravage communities everywhere. The global displacement crisis has reshaped demographics on an unimaginable scale, contributing to political upheaval around the world. Information technologies that enable the creation of vibrant online communities also enable the spread of extremism and misinformation.

But it is worth looking back at the gains humanity has made – especially in addressing gender inequality. Below are four changes that have helped define the last 10 years as a decade of growing voices and choices for women and girls.

Women’s voices have never been louder

For millennia, women endured inequality, discrimination and violence in relative silence. Issues affecting half the human population went neglected by predominantly male policymakers, historians, artists and leaders. But in the 2010s, as technologies enabled women to share their experiences more widely than ever before, anger over these injustices began to smoulder and then ignite.

Between 2010 and 2019, the number of people using the Internet more than doubled from 2 billion to 4.1 billion. Social media networks proliferated, and although men continue to comprise a slightly higher percentage of Internet users than women in most of the world, women’s presence online achieved a critical mass.

Bipana Nepali, a youth activist in Nepal who works with UNFPA, says people are speaking more openly than ever about gender-based violence and harmful practices like child marriage, which were previously “hidden due to shame, stigma and taboo.” She noted, “It’s a good sign that today we are talking about it loudly, publicly, which means we are trying to find a solution.”

And as women’s voices rise into a global chorus, they are not only addressing gender-based violence. They are also rejecting centuries of stigma – calling for an end to period shame, for better access to feminine hygiene supplies, and for better data on long-neglected women’s health issues, like post-partum depression and gynaecological disorders.

Contraceptive choice has expanded

Couples have never before enjoyed as much choice in reliable modern contraception. Since 2000, there has been an explosion in contraception technology, with methods such as vaginal rings, implants, injectable devices and patches entering the market. As the method mix has expanded, preferences have changed.

Globally, the prevalence of both female and male sterilization has declined. In some places, long-acting methods have gained prominence.

Tens of millions more women are using modern contraceptives, especially in places that have the highest levels of need. Since 2012, users of modern contraceptives grew by 53 million in 69 high-priority countries.

Still, there is a long way to go.

Choices have not expanded enough. Data from the UN show that in about one fifth of countries or areas, a single method of contraception accounts for half or more of all contraceptive use.

Gender roles are less rigid

This decade has seen continued increases in women’s and girls’ education levels, with global secondary school enrolment rising from just under 70 percent in 2010 to 75 percent in 2018, according to UNESCO (for boys, the increase went from 72 to 76 percent). Fertility rates also continued to fall, from 2.5 births per woman in 2010 to 2.4 in 2017.

These changes have been accompanied by a rise in the status of women and girls.

Around the world, women have been empowered to take on roles that were once beyond reach.

And women are increasingly seeking to become policymakers themselves. While women continue to lag behind men in elected positions – comprising just under a quarter of all parliamentarians, for example – they are running for office at higher rates than ever before.

“Ten years ago, we could only notice men leading initiatives. Today, women are advocating for their rights and standing up for what they believe in,” Zahraa Talal, a women’s advocate at the Iraq Foundation for Economic Development, told UNFPA.

Commitment to change has never been greater

Thanks to improved data quality and quantity, the world now has a clearer view of the far-reaching consequences of gender inequality, and the urgent work that still lies ahead. For instance, even as child marriage and female genital mutilation rates decline, population growth means that the absolute number of women and girls affected by the practices will actually increase unless action is accelerated.

We also have a better understanding of what is needed to make lasting change. A joint study recently determined the price tag for ending unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal deaths, and gender-based violence, all within a decade. It will cost the world $264 billion, widely agreed to be an affordable amount.

And the world has never seen greater determination to see these efforts through.

Last month, at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, more than 8,300 delegates from about 170 countries convened in Kenya’s capital to make specific, concrete, actionable commitments to advance gender equality, secure sexual and reproductive health and rights, and end gender-based violence. More than 1,200 commitments were made, and billions of dollars were mobilized.

But the greatest achievements still lie ahead. The next decade will open with women and girls stronger and bolder than ever before.

Original source: UNFPA
Published on 23 December 2019