Joining Forces for Gender Equality: What is Holding us Back?

OECD 2023

Joining Forces for Gender Equality: What is Holding us Back? tracks progress and provides policy
recommendations for gender equality in 33 chapters that cover various policy domains, from education,
employment, and entrepreneurship to public life, development, trade, transport, and energy. The report
shows progress in some policy areas, such as paternity leave, pay transparency, flexible work
opportunities, and higher representation of women in leadership roles. Yet, major challenges remain,
including girls’ underrepresentation in educational fields promising better job opportunities, women’s
disproportionate share of unpaid care and housework, lower wages for women than men, barriers to
entrepreneurship and self-employment for women, gender gaps in lifetime earnings and pension income,
and women’s underrepresentation in politics and government leadership positions. Gender impact
assessments and gender budgeting have helped raise awareness of gender inequalities, but gender
stereotypes, discrimination, and limited representation of women in policy making continue to impede
progress. Moreover, violence against women remains a global crisis.
This publication calls for urgent action to address persisting and emerging gender inequalities. These can
only be tackled by “joining forces” of all stakeholders, men and women, through a mainstreamed policy
approach to gender equality that acknowledges its multidimensional nature.

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