Ceplan: Peru reduces gender inequality, but is still above the Latin American average

In the last 10 years, the Gender Inequality Index (IDG) prepared by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reveals that Peru has reduced inequality between men and women by 0.04 (from 0.43 to 0.39), ranking 87 out of 162 countries. Nevertheless, it is still above the average for Latin America (0.389) and the Caribbean and the group of countries with high human development (0.340), reported the National Center for Strategic Planning (Ceplan).

Among the most relevant gender gaps in our country are: health, education, politics and the economy, according to the technical sheet on the national trend regarding the persistence of gender inequality published in the National Observatory of Prospective of Ceplan.

Thus, we have that in the years 2019 and 2020 maternal mortality was reduced by 62 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 383 in 2018; Regarding the closing of educational gaps for women aged 25 and over with at least a secondary education, the departments that experienced an increase were Huancavelica, Huánuco, Cajamarca, Ayacucho and Apurímac; in terms of economic gaps, The participation rate of Peruvian women in the labor market is relatively high compared to the Latin American average, almost 64% according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics.

Some experts recognize that the problem in Peru does not lie in the number of women who work, but in the type of employment, the quality and the level of income that come from these occupations. Many women who are working They carry out activities informally and with low wages.

The Ceplan document recommends that opportunities for women should be created in Peru, promoting education and training in ICTs; in addition to infrastructure in the attention and care of women, as well as legal support to achieve equal prosperity.

The main obstacles

Globally, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) notes that among the main obstacles that prevent girls and women from exercising their right to benefit from education are poverty, geographic isolation, belonging to a minority, disability, early pregnancy, gender-based violence and traditional attitudes related to the role of women.

According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal), The crisis generated by the pandemic deepens the knots of inequality, threatens the autonomy of women and widens the gender gap in the labor marketbecause women mainly work in the informal sector, causing a setback of 10 years.

Given that there is a high risk that the gender gap will not continue to decrease, the World Economic Forum (WEF) calls on countries to prioritize gender parity, inserting the issue on both the public and private agendas of their nations.

Also, with the impact of COVID-19, Closing the global gender gap is expected to take 132 years. However, the Bloomberg agency predicts that by the year 2050, if women had the same educational level and jobs as men, the economy would be boosted by 20 trillion dollars.