New York, 15 October 2024 - UN Women's latest flagship report reveals a widening gender gap in social protection - the raft of policies including cash benefits, unemployment protection, pensions and healthcare - leaving women and girls more vulnerable to poverty.
Published ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October, the report shows that a staggering two billion women and girls are without access to any form of social protection. While levels of social protection have increased since 2015, gender gaps in such coverage have widened in most developing regions, suggesting that the recent gains have benefited men more than women.
The report shows the dismal state of maternity protection across the globe. Despite advancements, more than 63 per cent of women worldwide still give birth without access to maternity benefits, with the figure soaring to 94 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. The lack of financial support during maternity leave not only places women at an economic disadvantage, it also compromises their health and well-being and that of their children, perpetuating poverty across generations.
The report paints a stark picture of the gendered nature of poverty. Women and girls are overrepresented among the poor at every stage of life, with the largest gaps during their childbearing years. Women aged 25-34 are 25 per cent more likely to live in extremely poor households than men in the same age group. Conflict and climate change exacerbate this inequality. Women in fragile contexts are 7.7 times more likely to live in extreme poverty compared to those in non-fragile environments.
Gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities are often neglected in the aftermath of shocks. For example, very high rates of inflation since 2022, which have led to spiraling food and energy prices, hit women particularly hard. Yet, out of nearly 1,000 social protection measures adopted by governments across 171 countries in the months that followed, only 18 per cent targeted women's economic security, the report reveals.
Which government policies do the most to keep women out of poverty?
Through the right policies, governments can support women and girls to realize their rights and full potential.
