Gender equality and poverty (Essay Sample)

Gender Equality and Poverty as SDG in Papua New Guinea and India
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Introduction
It is clear that the Asia-Pacific region has made significant strides toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but has not yet accomplished any of the 17 SDGs (SDG, 2019). There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), two of which are ending poverty and achieving gender parity. The first of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to ensure that no one lives in extreme poverty around the world by the year 2030. The no poverty goal targets the most vulnerable men, women, and children of all ages. It entails providing support to communities hit by climate and conflict disasters, as well as assisting those communities by providing them with basic needs and social support (Fu et al., 2019). The fifth Sustainable Development Goal is to achieve gender equality, with the overarching aim of eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women (SDG, 2019). This goal requires changes to be made so that women have equal access to economic resources and property ownership. By comparing and contrasting the issues in both countries and the challenges they face in this regard, this paper aims to shed light on how poverty and gender inequality affect Papua New Guinea and India and to identify potential business opportunities regarding these two Sustainable Development Goals SDGs.
Challenges of gender inequality in Papua New Guinea and India
According to international rankings, Papua New Guinea is one of the countries with the worst gender equality. Constitutionally, Papua New Guinea recognizes the equality of the sexes, but patriarchal values persist in the country's predominantly rural population, making constitutional equality difficult to achieve in practice. Papua New Guinea's legislation and culture routinely push women's rights to the back burner. In fact, Papua New Guinea has no female who has been able to win a parliamentary sit. In addition, women are denied opportunities for leadership roles because of barriers to education. Only 18% of Papua New Guinean girls are enrolled in secondary education. Inequality between the sexes has contributed to lower average incomes and lower literacy rates, especially for women. Due to their status as the "inferior sex," women in this country are restricted to the confines of the home and are not afforded many rights. Since women are still largely seen as symbols of sex in Papua New Guinea, the concept of gender equality is seen as elusive and is being used inappropriately.
In Papua New Guinea, male dominance and violence against women are commonplace. One of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world is believed to exist in Papua New Guinea, despite the fact that the country is not a war zone. Girls and women are also frequently used as bartering chips in tribal politics and economics. Therefore, they are more likely to be victims of sexual and gender-based violence, which has become pervasive in Papua New Guinean culture. An estimated two-thirds of women have experienced some form of violence, making the prevalence of violence against women and gender-based violence an unacceptable problem.
On the other hand, gender disparity in India is a major problem that needs to be addressed. While the Indian constitution and decades of legislation have worked to ensure that men and women have equal rights, gender discrimination still takes a devastating toll on women's lives in the country (Choudhuri & Desai, 2020). Inequality in treatment is typically the result of social norms, prejudice, economic disadvantage, and a general lack of understanding. As a proxy for sexism, India has a large gender pay gap. Wages for women were 48% lower than those for men in the late 19th century. Since then, the gap has shrunk to 28% in 2018-19, as per the NSSO's labor force survey data (Lama & MAJUMDER, 2018). Preliminary estimates from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 show that the gap has widened by 7% between 2018-19 and 2020-21, reversing decades of progress. Due to a lack of equal pay and employment opportunities, women in India earn significantly less than men. One can see evidence of discrimination in people's day-to-day interactions, and researchers have concluded that it is widespread in India.
Because of sexism in the Indian art world, it is difficult for female artists and writers to secure backing, publicity, and exhibition opportunities. Gender inequality has also had an impact on women's sports in India, where the dominant narrative holds that women should not participate in physical activity (Singh & Mukherjee, 2018). The government and the media pay less attention to women's sports compared to men's. In addition, most churches in India still only allow men to become catholic priests, despite the fact that religions are termed fair organizations (Mahendra 2018). Because of gender inequality, boys are more likely to have access to better learning environments and more resources than girls. Researchers have found that girls in both formal and informal settings face discrimination in the form of lower standards, a more limited curriculum, and fewer resources than their male counterparts.
Challenges of Poverty in Papua New Guinea and India
Poverty is a major challenge in Papua New Guinea. Children in this country are being affected by early parenthood, mental health issues, anxiety, and drug abuse because of the country's extreme poverty (Kelly-Hanku et al., 2020). Another aspect that contributes to the cycle of poverty in Papua New Guinea is the lack of access to quality healthcare. Essentials like medical equipment, vaccines, and even personnel are sometimes in short supply at healthcare institutions. According to the bank's findings (Cooper 2018), forty percent of PNG households are severely food insecure. Additionally, not all rural children attend village schools. For some students, the distance between their homes and schools can be rather substantial. Increased poverty in Papua New Guinea is mostly attributable to the country's weak leadership (Cox 2021). A large number of young people are actively engaged in violent crime, and this is a direct result of the high rates of poverty in the society. Due to its effect on human motivation, poverty has been linked to a rise in criminal activity, according to the research. Papua New Guinea's administration has failed to establish the kind of social and political order that ensures everyone in the country can live comfortably.
One of the major problems associated with poverty in India is the widespread homelessness among the Indian population. According to studies, there were 1.77 million homeless individuals in India as of 2011 in with the number is reducing at a slow rate (Keane & Thakur, 2018). There is a significant difference between urban and rural locations; in urban areas, homelessness is said to be increasing at a rate of 5% percent, while it decreases in rural areas of which is due to rural-urban migration (Singh 2022). Moreover, one in five households, or around one in seven, reported not having access to food or eating healthful food due of a lack of resources. As the rate of unemployment in the country continue to increase, the poverty rate is also increasing (Tilak, 2018). Additionally, the country's poverty rate is rising as a result of low income earners being unable to buy basic necessities due to the progressive rise in commodity prices.
Gender Equality and No Poverty Sustainable Development Goals as Business opportunities
Papua New Guinea and India can benefit economically from achieving gender equality, which is the fifth Sustainable development target. In particular, countries with high unemployment and few economic possibilities benefit from greater gender equality, which has been shown to drive economic growth. Equal representation of women and men in the workplace will lead to more diverse teams and ultimately, more sound business choices (Gibson & Olivia, 2019). Because of this, several nations have collaborated with GVI to launch initiatives that promote the education of girls and the advancement of women as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In addition, most entrepreneurs in Papua New Guinea and India are both confined and catalyzed by poverty, therefore eradicating it will expand business opportunities in both countries. Businesses' opportunities to profit from innovative approaches to problem solving are r