Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Gender inequality is one of the greatest obstacles to sustainable development, economic growth and poverty reduction. Thanks to MDG 3 on gender equality and women’s empowerment, considerable progress has been made in enrolling girls in school and integrating women into the labour market. Gender equality gained high visibility through MDG 3. However, due to the narrow focus of the objective, important issues such as violence against women, economic inequality and the low participation of women in political decision-making structures were not addressed.
Goal 5 calls for equal opportunities between men and women in economic development, the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, including the elimination of early and forced marriage, and equal participation at all levels.
