DOMONDON, Emee Joanne L.

GALVEZ, Lanie A.
VILLANUEVA, Kate Jastine E.
BSIT- 1D

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GENDER EQUITY AND GENDER EQUALITY

Gender equality and gender equity are related concepts, but they have different
meanings and implications that we all need to understand to use them correctly in our gender
inclusion strategies.
Equality means treating everyone the same, regardless of their individual
circumstances or needs. Providing equal treatment for all genders is full of great intentions
but it is not a strategy that will fix the existing differences in society.
Gender equity, on the other hand, goes beyond gender equality to address the specific
needs and challenges of different genders. It recognizes that the different gender identities
don’t have the same life experiences and will need different resources and support to achieve
equality. Gender equity aims to ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to
thrive.
In short, equality is about treating everyone the same, while equity is about giving
everyone what they need to succeed, taking into account their individual circumstances and
the systemic barriers they face. Both gender equity and gender equality are important goals
for creating a more just and inclusive society.

ARTICLES ABOUT GENDER EQUALITY AND GENDER EQUITY:

Gender Action Plan, 2022-2025

A vision for lasting, transformative change

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Gender equality means that girls and boys enjoy the same rights, resources,
opportunities and protections. In 2021, UNICEF ushered in a new gender policy (2021–2030)
articulating our vision for gender equality in our programs, as well as our workplaces and
practices, around the globe. The Gender Action Plan (2022–2025) charts UNICEF’s way
forward with a series of time-bound results that deliver lasting, transformative change for
children, adolescents and women worldwide.
 Our gender policy and Gender Action Plan are evidence-based, integrating the
recommendations of an independent evaluation of UNICEF’s prior Gender Action Plans,
various studies, data analyses (including on the situation of girls) and a series of background
papers on new and emerging areas of interest.

Gender Equality
Societies that protect equal rights for girls and boys create benefits for everyone

Gender disparities often start small in early childhood. Worldwide, girls and boys are
just as likely to be registered at birth and immunized against life-threatening diseases. Many
participate in preschool at similar rates. And as they grow, girls are equally – or slightly more
– developmentally on track than boys.
But adolescence brings significant change. The onset of puberty can expose girls to
discriminatory practices that result in severe physical and mental harm – even rights
violations. Compared to boys their age, adolescent girls face higher burdens of domestic
work, disproportionate risks of child marriage, and greater threats of gender-based violence.
They also face more severe consequences when cut off from critical care.
Complications from pregnancy remain a leading cause of death and disability for adolescent
girls in the least developed countries. This is especially the case for the hundreds of millions
of girls who have been subjected to female genital mutilation, or for child brides, who often
become pregnant young. Adolescent girls are more likely than anyone else to experience
sexual violence. And among new HIV infections in adolescents, three quarters occur in girls.
Learning inequalities also widen as children grow. Girls typically receive less support
than boys to pursue the studies they choose, like science and mathematics. During
adolescence, those who have been married off or become pregnant may be forced to drop out
of school entirely. And in low-income countries, many miss out because their schools can’t
meet girls' safety and hygiene needs, or because families living in poverty tend to favor boys
when investing in their children's futures.
As a result, twice as many girls than boys globally are not in any form of education,
employment or training by the time they reach late adolescence.
When denied their most basic rights, girls have fewer chances to improve their
circumstances and pass down opportunities to their own children – entrenching barriers to
prosperity across generations.
In this way and others, boys also suffer from gender norms. Notions of masculinity
can fuel child labor, gang violence and recruitment into armed groups. No matter where it
prevails, or how it manifests, gender inequality harms every member of society.
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UNICEF builds partnerships across the world to accelerate gender equality. In all
areas of our work, we integrate strategies that address gender-specific discrimination and
disadvantages. This means partnering with national health sectors to expand quality maternal
care and to support the professionalization of the mostly female community health workforce.
It means promoting the role of women in the design and delivery of water, sanitation and
hygiene (WASH) services. And it means working with the education sector to ensure girls
and boys excel in their learning, and find pathways to meaningful employment.
For adolescent girls especially, UNICEF invests in skills building to further their
economic empowerment as entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders. We focus on providing
learning environments at a time and place that suit girls’ individual circumstances. And we
work on assistive technologies for girls with disabilities, along with the expansion of digital
platforms, vocational training and apprenticeships.
To keep girls safe from harm, UNICEF programs focus on preventing gender-based
violence, ending child marriage, eliminating female genital mutilation, supporting menstrual
health management, delivering HIV and AIDS care, meeting girls' specific psychosocial
needs, and more. We invest in innovative models that protect even the hardest-to-reach girls –
like virtual safe spaces that allow them to report violence and connect to local resources for
support.
 Delivering With and For Adolescent Girls
Five game-changing priorities

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This report highlights the voices of nearly 590,000 girls, boys, young women and men
around the world who participated in UNICEF’s poll on policy priorities for advancing
adolescent girls’ rights. They made their voices heard loud and clear on advancing girls’ well-
being and leadership, with five salient, evidence-based and strategic policy priorities.
With six years left to realizes the commitments made to adolescent girls in the
Sustainable Development Goals, urgent investment is needed to progress on their rights
across health, nutrition, education, protection, economic empowerment and indeed gender
inequality: The five game-changing priorities presented in this publication provide a roadmap
for much-needed acceleration towards these goals.
REFERENCES:
https://www.messenger.com/t/100009218919079#:~:text=You%20sent-,https%3A//
www.unicef.org/gender%2Dequality/gender%2Daction%2Dplan%2D2022%2D2025,-Gender
%20Action%20Plan
https://www.messenger.com/t/100009218919079#:~:text=You%20sent-,https%3A//
www.unicef.org/gender%2Dequality,-Gender%20equality
https://www.messenger.com/t/100009218919079#:~:text=You%20sent-,https%3A//
www.unicef.org/reports/delivering%2Dand%2Dadolescent%2Dgirls,-Delivering%20With
%20and