Around 90% of the world are biased against women, according to UN report

6 March 2020, 10:49

The report was released ahead of International Women's Day
The report was released ahead of International Women's Day. Picture: PA
Rachael Kennedy

By Rachael Kennedy

Nearly 90% per cent of the world's population are biased against women, according to a UN report released ahead of International Women's Day.

In the UK, it found more than half the population (54.6 per cent) held at least one gender bias, while just over a quarter (25.5 per cent) held two or more biases.

This left 45.4 per cent who held no gender biases in the topics researched.

The study, released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), analysed data from 75 countries of which make up around 80 per cent of the world's population.

It looked into the gender biases shared by women and men worldwide in a number of areas, including politics, work, and education.

READ MORE: More than a quarter of British men think sexual jokes at work are acceptable

According to the findings, around half the world's population believed men would make better political leaders, while 28% also thought it was justified for a husband to be violent toward his wife.

More than 40 per cent of people think men are better business executives and are more entitled to taking a job.

Pedro Conceição, the head of the UNDP's human development report office, said recent years had focused on ensuring gender equality in "basic needs", but stressed that gaps were "still all too obvious in other areas".

He said: "We have come a long way in recent decades to ensure that women have the same access to life's basic needs as men.

"We have reached parity in primary school enrollment and reduced maternal mortality by 45 per cent since the year 1990.

"But gender gaps are still all to obvious in other areas, particularly those that challenge power relations and are most influential in actually achieving true equality.

"Today, the fight about gender equality is a story of bias and prejudices."

READ MORE: Tracy Brabin to auction sexism row dress for charity

The report then pointed toward examples of "power gaps" that include just ten female leaders out of 193 states, and that women in the labour market being less likely to hold senior positions, and to be paid less for the same roles filled by men.

"The work that has been so effective in ensuring an end to gaps in health or education must now evolve to address something far more challenging: a deeply ingrained bias - among both men and women - against genuine equality," according to Achim Steiner, the administrator of UNDP.

He added: "Current policies, while well intentioned, can only take us so far."

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Russia bombed Ukrainian infrastructure overnight

Russia launches 'massive attack' on Ukraine's power supplies, with 'energy security under growing threat'

South Africa Bus Crash

Girl, 8, the sole survivor as 45 die in bus crash off South Africa bridge

A spokesman has denied reports the sausage dog could be banned.

The wurst news is over: Germany denies claims of sausage dog ban

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Greece Confidence Vote

Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash in Limpopo

Bus falls from bridge in South Africa and erupts into flames, killing at least 45 and leaving child, 8, as lone survivor

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX founder Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for crypto fraud

France Valentino

Former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named Valentino creative director

Russia Shooting

Russia arrests another suspect in concert hall attack that killed 143

American Easter egg

White House’s annual Easter egg roll to be attended by 40,000 people

Barbers in Paris

Proposal to ban discrimination over a person’s hair passes first legal hurdle

Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian Authority names new government following pressure to reform

Arvind Kejriwal

Opposition leader Kejriwal locked up for further four days, court rules

Resident clears rubble from home

Russia wears down Ukrainian defences with missile and drone attacks