Is equal opportunity the only solution for achieving gender equality? or is this goal obstructed now by a greater number of problems and issues?

In fact, achieving gender equality is a global challenge, as the United Nations Secretary-General has stated that achieving gender equality and empowering girls and women is the unfinished business of our time and the greatest human rights challenge in our world.¹

Despite the progress, Syria has made in relation to the international changes on gender equality and women’s access to education and employment, violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving development and building peace in society.

Goal 5: Gender Equality

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.²

However, social norms and various forms of violence against women constitute an obstacle to achieving this equality. They also put pressure on the efforts aimed at activating women’s roles and empowerment. Therefore, the Goal 5 targets are:

1. End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
2. Eliminate all forms of violence against all girls and women.
3. Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life
4. Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
5. Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources
6. Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment

Providing equal opportunities for women to access education, health care, and decent work, in addition to taking on political and economic roles, represents the pillar of sustainable development. The empowerment of women within their society plays a fundamental role in the progress of society.

In Syria, there are many youth-led and community initiatives seeking to achieve gender equality. In addition to agencies and NGOs pursue, through their activities and goals, to achieve equality, empower women and activate their role in society.

One of them is the Mauj organization, which is a non-profit civic local organization that works in a participatory manner to address societal and developmental issues and links them to reality-driven media content that seeks to create a state of change. Mauj also seeks to achieve gender balance through its media coverage, in order to overcome discrimination against women and achieve gender equality through its community and development activities.³

The Role of Education in achieving equality

Gender equality requires an approach that ensures that girls and boys, women and men not only gain access to and complete education cycles but are empowered equally in and through education.⁴

However, there is still a societal gap that prevents a large number of girls from exercising their right to education, due to various reasons such as poverty, early marriage, and pregnancy. In addition to the impact of gender-based violence and traditional attitudes about the status and role of women.

Therefore, the development of educational strategies in order to reach the various groups of society without discrimination is an important and effective link in the path to gender equality. From this point of view, the plans and strategies of community institutions in the educational and vocational fields aim at providing education opportunities that are appropriate for societal groups, in addition to equal opportunities to achieve equality.

The Role of the USW Initiative in Achieving Goal 5

The Uplifting Syrian Women initiative aims to uplift society again by advancing its women, supporting them, and walking with them step by step until they can achieve their desired goals. These are among the various services and activities provided by the initiative in order to empower women in the educational, economic, professional, and social fields; which is a milestone in achieving gender equality in Syrian Society.

Also read:

• Goal 4: Quality Education.
• End Poverty and End Hanger in Syria.
• Good Health and Well-being in Syria.

References: 

[1] UN- Global Issues

[2] UN- Sustainable Development

[3] Mauj Foundation

[4] UNESCO