Sustainable Development Goals
SDG5 – Gender Equality
All humans are born equal no matter their gender. It’s our duty to make sure that we all have equal opportunities and rights in every part of life. There is no place for gender discrimination in Scouting.
Ending all discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right, it’s crucial for sustainable future; it’s proven that empowering women and girls helps economic growth and development. While there are more girls in school now compared to the start of the millennium and more women than ever in the labour market, there are still large inequalities in some regions. Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work, and discrimination in public office all remain huge barriers. Climate change and disasters continue to have a disproportionate effect on women and children, as do conflict and migration (UNDP).
Through the partnership with UN Women, WOSM has joined the #HeForShe campaign. In Australia we still have a persistent gender pay gap, and perceptions of gender being tied to specific home/work roles. We need to work together to drive for gender equality, and we have made a commitment through our Sustainability Strategy & Action Plan that “all parts of scouting ensure gender equity, with members at all levels reflecting our diverse community”. Check out the resources below to learn more, take action, and then share to spread the word.
Gender Equality as a global goal covers many aspects, with a key focus on lessening the gap between our genders in pay, representation and roles. For over 30 years, Scouting in Australia has not been gender-biased, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more things we can be doing. The question often arises, how do our personal biases impact on our perception of gender equality and gender bias?
Scouts Australia’s youth program team have started developing ideas for how you might engage with each of the Sustainable Development Goals. This card challenges you to contribute to our global goal of Gender Equality by considering your gender bias. Are there activities or events that you think are only for one gender? Do you stereotype behaviours to belong in a gender category? Have you ever stopped to explore activities you have previously thought were only for one gender? Every small part counts as we work towards these goals!
Learn more and take action
- WOSM’s Scouts For SDGs page: Gender Equality (WOSM)
- Scouting Ireland’s 17days17sdgs campaign: Gender Equality (SI)
How does gender bias impact your life and activities?
In 2020, Scouts Australia produced campaigns for International Women’s Day both nationally and in Branches; check out these stories.
Share your efforts
Now that you’ve taken action, share it to inspire others. If you post to social media, please tag Scouts Australia and include the hashtags #Scouts4SDGs #ScoutsAustralia #SDG05 #GenderEquality, and then head over to scout.org to register your project: https://www.scout.org/node/add/project
