Over the years, the UN has continued to champion for gender parity, which is embedded in the fact that it is key to fostering collective peace, justice, prosperity and sustainable worlds. Falling under SDG 5, gender quality is not only recognized as a human right, but it is believed to be the solution for economic inequality, poverty and societal rot.
Particularly the latter part. This is how.
Overtime the conversation around gender parity has led to myths and misconceptions that seem to champion a divide between men and women. The connotation around gender equality is that women are being overly empowered to take up spaces and thus leaving men out of the equation. And what more could fuel this narrative than witnessing women around the world getting into tech, finance into positions of power, leadership and transforming societies?
The result is mixed reactions like we see in the tweets below;
Such opinions only scratch the surface of what most if not an influential few might be thinking, whenever gender parity is mentioned.
On one hand, the argument is that women are given preferential treatment as it is and that gender parity shouldn’t even be an issue. What should be highlighted is equality for men. For sure the depth of challenges experienced by both genders are different everywhere and we cannot refute that like women, men are also faced with loads of their own,
On the other hand, we cannot ignore history and the social constructs that women have been raised under. The statistics that back the effects of child marriages, FGM, gender stereotypes, discrimination, lack of access to reproductive health, education, sexual harassment and violence can only tell much.
What is experienced by individuals, whether at the workplace, at homes, in countries, due to the same cultural norms, outdated practices or beliefs is a whole yet another different story.
As the UN emphasizes the truth is that although tremendous milestones have been covered in getting women to the mainstream, in positions of power and leadership, in government (25% women vs 75% men) much has yet to be done.
Perhaps it the comparison of numbers and contrasting men against women that cements the notion that gender parity is a fight against men, but it is not. More than a women issue, gender parity is a global economic, peace, justice and human rights issue.
The fight to get women in positions of power is justified as this is how women can make important decisions that affect them.
For such change to happen, of course financial resources, influence and power is needed. Girls need to be educated and provided with reproductive health materials to stay in school for whole durations as their male counterparts. As of 2020, the UN posits that, 1 in 10 young women are still illiterate.
When it comes to the economic sector, women who make 75% of the global workforce could impact the society widely if they are empowered to take up male dominated spaces such tech,innovation, finances, math, science, and even the government.
But for that to be effective gender pay parity has to be addressed which is currently at 78 cents to 1 dollar for the same exact job.
Someone would ask how does gender parity yield peace and justice?
The answer is if more countries set reforms that address domestic violence, if more quotas of women got in positions of leadership in jurisdictions such as peace and justice then perhaps the push towards a peaceful and sustainable world would be possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqylHqH0l78
If you are wondering as a man where does that leave you?
This is also your battle against sexual violence, harassment and gender stereotypes. It is a chance for you as an individual (EachforEquality) to take action and speak up against such matters for they hinder equality and the value both men and women have in realizing thriving societies and economies.
For more resources and how you can take part in I am Generation Equality, visit the International Women’s Day theme for 2020, here.
AfricanBlink 
The issue is not gender equality, you can’t seek equality unless one truly surpass the other, there can be no need for equality if everyone eats at the same pace and is sated with the same quantity of food. But if one or more eats faster and more than others there’s a need to intervene for equality in the table, but the man and the womb man, the queen and the king, the God and the goddess have never been the same but divinely different in their physical existence, but in their true existence as a soul spirit/mind they are all equally human beings, existing in a complete gender of both male the conscious, and the feminine the subconscious. The problem the true illness is Forgetfulness/sleepiness/blindedness/ignorance of our true anatomy or nature as a humane being, for we humans exist in 3 forms, the soul/the flame like a phone battery, the spirit/mind the light that illuminates from the flame like the software, and the material flesh, the housing of the soul spirit, our human physical vessel like the hardware. Human we are thee natured, soul, spirit/mind and flesh. We live to express those three natures, souls nature is in being, to be, presentness, repose in anything you do,the god and goddess in us. Spirit/mind in movement, mental creation, obligations, the queen and the king in us, then procreation, physically creation of another human being that’s the flesh., the womb man and the man. So, a conscious woman knows, she’s a womb man,a man special with a womb,, a queen in her feminine role in the community, and in her house, things that calls for a woman’s touch to be perfectly accomplished, she’s a queen when she knows those roles and accomplish them, then a goddess, for she’s not flesh but soul spirit/mind residing in a flesh vessel,, a flame emitting light and warmth , flame the soul, light the spirit/mind, warmth is ecstasy and bliss of doing good, living by the truth, living in light, being true to your nature and the spirit/mind is a complete gender both male female, conscious and subconscious, like God’s nature, so you a complete Godlike spirit residing in a feminine flesh, hence a goddess. Does that bring it to light?
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