Definition of Gender
Gender refers to the complex range of social, cultural, psychological, and, to a lesser extent, biological characteristics, roles, norms, and expectations societies assign to individuals based on perceived or assumed sex. While sex refers to biological differences such as chromosomes and reproductive anatomy, gender is fundamentally a social construct encompassing the roles, behaviors, identities, and power relations associated with being male, female, or other gender identities. These traits and roles are learned, can vary across cultures and time periods, and are not fixed, allowing for recognition of non-binary, transgender, and other gender-diverse identities. Therefore, gender profoundly influences individual experience, relationships, and societal structures, often shaping access to resources, decision-making, and opportunities.
Definition of Equality
Equality, in the context of social and human rights, denotes a state in which every individual or group is accorded the same rights, status, and opportunities without discrimination based on identity factors such as gender, race, class, age, disability, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Social equality implies that all persons can participate fully in society and enjoy access to the same opportunities and protections, regardless of who they are or the circumstances of their birth. In practice, equality is both a legal and moral principle enshrined internationally (such as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), safeguarding people from discrimination, ensuring non-hierarchical social relations, and supporting equitable participation in economic, political, civil, and cultural life.
The Relationship Between Gender and Equality
Gender and equality are deeply interrelated concepts. Gender equality specifically refers to a social condition in which one’s access to rights, resources, opportunities, and protections is unaffected by gender identity or expression. This relationship recognizes that gender, as a social construct, often produces power imbalances which privilege one group (typically men and boys) and subordinate others (women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals), resulting in discriminatory practices, limited agency, and structural inequities. Gender equality therefore represents both the absence of discrimination based on gender and the realization of equal opportunities, decision-making, resource sharing, and representation, regardless of one's gender. Only by systematically addressing the social, cultural, economic, and political factors that drive gender-based discrimination can genuine equality be achieved.
Countries with the Worst Gender Inequality and the Definition of Gender in Practice
According to global indices such as the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender Inequality Index and the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, the countries with the most severe gender inequality include Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, Chad, and South Sudan. In these environments, gender as defined—socially constructed roles and norms—results in extremely restrictive, hierarchical systems where women, girls, and gender-diverse people are systematically disadvantaged or excluded.
For example:
Afghanistan imposes legal and social structures that prohibit girls from secondary or higher education and tightly restrict their movement and participation in public life, erasing decades of progress and reinforcing the idea that women’s place is strictly domestic.
Yemen enforces laws and norms that prevent women from accessing healthcare or marrying without male guardian approval, with women’s testimony in courts and legal rights worth less than men’s, signifying the deep entrenchment of gender as a mechanism of inequality.
Sudan and Chad similarly maintain legal, religious, and cultural frameworks predicated on rigid gender roles that exclude women and girls from leadership, economic participation, and even basic human rights.
In this context, the definition of gender as a social construct is not only descriptive but is directly tied to practices that maintain inequality by sanctioning male privilege and institutionalizing female subordination. Equality, as defined, cannot exist under these realities, as access to opportunities and autonomy is systemically denied based on gendered expectations.
Experiences of Suffering Caused by Gender Inequality
The suffering engendered by gender inequality in these countries is acute and multidimensional, rooted in and perpetuated by the rigid social definition of gender. Key aspects include:
1. Restricted Autonomy and Rights
Women and girls are denied education, freedom of movement, and legal personhood, limiting their choices in all spheres of life and making them dependent on male relatives or husbands. Gender-diverse individuals often face violence, invisibility, or legal non-recognition.
2. Gender-Based and Sexual Violence
Rates of domestic abuse, sexual violence, forced marriage (including child marriage), and practices like female genital mutilation are alarmingly high, with legal systems offering little or no recourse.
3. Economic Marginalization
Women are frequently excluded from the labor market, paid less than men, denied property rights, and face significant barriers to acquiring resources, which exacerbates poverty and food insecurity.
4. Health and Well-being Consequences
Limited access to healthcare and reproductive rights, poor maternal and child health outcomes, and psychological distress (such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD from trauma and social exclusion) are commonplace.
5. Political and Social Exclusion
Women and gender minorities have minimal representation in decision-making, leadership, or peace processes, keeping laws and policies male-dominated and often opposed to furthering equality.
Coping strategies used by those affected include relying on informal community or humanitarian support, advocacy through grassroots women’s organizations, and, distressingly, acceptance of inequitable or risky “survival” strategies such as entering early marriage, unpaid labor, or internal displacement.
Most Concerning Issues and Living Circumstances
The most pressing and pervasive dangers for people in these environments include:
Prevalence of physical and sexual violence from both within families and the wider society, with little protection or accountability.
Denied or interrupted education for girls and gender-diverse youth, perpetuating cycles of illiteracy and economic dependence.
Widespread poverty and hunger, disproportionately affecting women-headed households and marginalized communities.
Forced and child marriage and harmful practices like female genital mutilation, usually justified by cultural or religious gender norms.
Legal invisibility, with laws that do not protect against discrimination, violence, or exclusion and often actively sustain them.
Mental health deterioration, as a result of trauma, constant threat, and an absence of meaningful agency.
United Nations Institutions and Their Interventions
A range of United Nations institutions are active in countries with severe gender inequality, foremost among them:
UN Women: The principal entity for gender equality, supporting local organizations, governments, and legal reform, advocating women’s leadership, and providing direct empowerment, advocacy, and violence prevention programming, often in partnership with other UN entities.
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme): Integrates gender objectives in development and post-conflict rebuilding to increase women’s political participation, strengthen national legal frameworks, and promote economic empowerment.
UNICEF: Focuses on girls’ education, child marriage prevention, and child protection, with a strong emphasis on reaching the most marginalized and supporting SDG 5 through child-focused interventions.
UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund): Works on reproductive health, advocacy to end harmful practices, and empowering women and girls in humanitarian and development contexts.
WHO and other humanitarian agencies address the health dimensions of gender inequality, train providers, and promote access to essential services.
These agencies provide direct aid, education programs, protection services, legal advocacy, community mobilization, and capacity building—each aligned with a commitment to the full realization of gender equality.
SDG 5: Gender Equality—Targets and Alignment with the Full Scope of Gender Definition
Sustainable Development Goal 5 calls for achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls worldwide, with targets that address:
Ending all forms of discrimination, violence, and harmful practices
Recognizing and valuing unpaid care and domestic work
Ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights
Enhancing women’s participation and leadership in public life
Legal reforms for equal rights to resources and property.
The targets of SDG 5 are closely aligned with the full scope of gender equality as defined by the social, cultural, and legal dimensions of gender: they seek not only to remove discriminatory laws but also to transform the roles, norms, and institutional structures that perpetuate inequality. The SDG framework thus aspires to address both formal and substantive equality—tackling power imbalances, violence, systemic exclusion, and intersecting forms of discrimination.
However, as the realities in countries like Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, Chad, and South Sudan make clear, achieving these targets remains a substantial challenge, requiring persistent local and international commitment, and transformation of the deep-seated social meanings attached to gender.
Conclusion
Gender is a social construct, intricately tied to ideas, roles, and expectations learned and enforced by society, shaping individual destinies and power relations, while equality is the principle demanding fair treatment and access for all regardless of identity. The relationship between gender and equality is fundamental: without gender equality, social justice and human development cannot be fully realized. In the countries with the worst gender inequality, the definition of gender is itself a blueprint for exclusion, and people—especially women and girls—experience profound suffering. United Nations agencies, through integrated and context-sensitive programs, strive to address the cultural, legal, and structural roots of gender inequality, aspiring to fulfill the far-reaching ambitions of SDG 5.Yet lasting progress will demand continuous, comprehensive engagement at all levels to reshape societies toward the true promise of equality for people of every gender.
