Gender Social Norms Index |Ias Banenge

Context:

Recently, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) 2023.

Relevance:

GS II: International Relations

Dimensions of the Article:

Quantifying Biases: The GSNI 2023 is a tool that measures biases against women by capturing people’s attitudes towards women’s roles.
Tracking Attitudes: The index examines people’s attitudes towards women across four dimensions: political, educational, economic, and physical integrity.

Widespread Biases: The index, which covers 85 percent of the global population, reveals that nearly 9 out of 10 men and women hold fundamental biases against women. This indicates the prevalence of gender biases and discrimination.
Persistence of Biases: Alarmingly, almost 90 percent of people still hold at least one bias against women. This highlights the need for continued efforts to address and challenge these biases.
Acceptance of Violence: Shockingly, 25 percent of people believe it is justified for a man to beat his wife, indicating a concerning acceptance of gender-based violence in certain societies.
Political Underrepresentation: Countries with higher biases in gender social norms also exhibit lower representation of women in parliamentary positions. This suggests that biases in societal norms contribute to the political marginalization of women.
Intersectional Biases: Indigenous women, migrant women, and women with disabilities face additional challenges in terms of political representation. Overlapping biases further limit their opportunities and perpetuate inequalities.
Education-Economic Gap: Despite recent improvements in educational achievements, there is a disconnect between education and economic outcomes for women. The increase in education levels has not translated into better economic opportunities for women.