What About Men? Men Who Ignore Statistics of Violence & Inequality Towards Women

A recent report released claims violence against women costs globally 1.5 trillion USD. Some countries have a worse track record than others when it comes to inequalities towards women. Many of the countries are in Africa and Southeast Asia, believe it or not the United States is declining in equal rights for women as well.

Social media posts about stories trying to create a level playing field in life for women are always met with male commenters asking, "What about men?"

Violence against women spiked during the world-wide pandemic and the numbers are still relatively high in many parts of the world. Within some cultures violence against women is common practice. Police often refuse to take reports of domestic violence when it is from an intimate partner or husband.

Primary education provides the foundation for a lifetime of learning. Providing universal access to, and ensuring the completion of, primary education for all girls and boys is one of the key areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted in 1995. Since then, considerable progress has been made in achieving universal primary education and closing the gender gap in enrollment. More than two-thirds of countries have reached gender parity (defined as having a gender parity index [GPI] value between 0.97 and 1.03) in enrollment in primary education, but in countries that have not reached parity, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, girls are more likely to be disadvantaged than boys. In Chad and Pakistan, for example, the GPI value is 0.78 and 0.84 respectively, meaning that 78 girls in Chad and 84 girls in Pakistan are enrolled in primary school for every 100 boys.

Source: UNICEF

Worldwide, women only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. As a result, there's a lifetime of income inequality between men and women and more women are retiring into poverty.

This stubborn inequality in the average wages between men and women persists in all countries and across all sectors, because women's work is under-valued and women tend to be concentrated in different jobs than men. Even though the work itself may require equal or more effort and skills, it's valued and remunerated less. For women of colour, immigrant women and mothers, the gap widens. The so-called "motherhood penalty" pushes women into informal economy, casual and part-time work, and tends to be larger in developing countries than in developed countries.

Source: UN Women

African women have experienced inequality in many aspects of life throughout history. Today, some of the largest risks African women face are human trafficking and gender-based violence. These risks are prevalent in underdeveloped areas where women are more likely to have lesser access to education and formal job opportunities. According to a 2005 article in the U.N.’s African Renewal, the majority of impoverished people in Africa are women. Thus, violence against women and modern-day slavery are two major consequences of poverty in Africa today.

Source: Borgen Project

There is education inequality for girls all over the world as well;

Primary education provides the foundation for a lifetime of learning. Providing universal access to, and ensuring the completion of, primary education for all girls and boys is one of the key areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted in 1995. Since then, considerable progress has been made in achieving universal primary education and closing the gender gap in enrollment. More than two-thirds of countries have reached gender parity (defined as having a gender parity index [GPI] value between 0.97 and 1.03) in enrolment in primary education, but in countries that have not reached parity, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, girls are more likely to be disadvantaged than boys. In Chad and Pakistan, for example, the GPI value is 0.78 and 0.84 respectively, meaning that 78 girls in Chad and 84 girls in Pakistan are enrolled in primary school for every 100 boys. Gender disparities disadvantaging girls in primary education persist in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia

Source: Data UNICEF

Instead of men asking, "What about men?" they need to contribute to the betterment of women and girls. The inequalities are starkly different among the genders and the fact that so many men continue to ignore these inequalities is astounding.

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