Decade of Stagnation
Biased Gender Social Norms are blocking the Path to Gender Equality
The gender social norms biases we carry into the voting booths, board meetings, interview panels, and assemblies have been blocking women’s ability to achieve their full potential.
The Gender Social Norms Index 2023 (GSNI) sheds light on the persistent presence of biased gender social norms across the world. Covering 85% of the world's population, the index reveals around 87% of women and 90% of men (figure below) harbour biases against women across key dimensions: politics, education, economics, and physical integrity.
Almost half of the people in the world believe that men make better political leaders than women do. Consequently, women still face an uphill battle in exercising political power, despite the removal of many formal barriers for women holding office. On average, the share of women as heads of state or heads of government has remained consistently below 12 percent since 1995.
The GSNI data shows 10 years of stagnation in gender biases. Biased gender social norms could be tackled by education and awareness raising, and through representation and recognition, among others.