You may think that in 2026 gender gap is no more a thing. Well, if you do you are wrong.
We live in the era of overconsumption and artificial intelligence, organisations are running experiments in the space, we can have a video-call with friends on the other side of the world, get a surgery by means of high technological equipment and techniques, create solutions to bring water in desertic areas. And still, we assist to the existence of a gender gap between women and men, while it should have become a far memory already.
The existence of a gender gap is not only detrimental for women themselves but it profoundly affects the sustainable development of our entire society (men included).
Female gender gap : what is it made of ?
Restricted access to work and income, unpaid family care and domestic work, difficulties in the access to financing and credit, low representation in STEM roles (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), higher risk of health and social negative consequences linked to climate change, lack of representation in leading roles, inadequate healthcare : the list is long.
To resume in one sentence, we can state that women are not equally represented, considered and taken care of as men in our society.
Nel marzo 2026 l’ONU ha segnalato come i diritti delle donne stiano subendo una regressione a livello mondiale. Nonostante questa notizia scioccante, e il fatto che le donne rappresentino la metà della popolazione del pianeta, non abbiamo visto l’informazione circolare sui media quanto avrebbe dovuto.
According to the Gender Snapshot 2024 report, in 2050 due to climate change there will be a raise of 158 million more women and girls in poverty, which means 16 millions more than the total number of men and boys. Even today, women facing food insecurity and hunger are 47.8 million more than men.
Speaking of that, it is important to stress that the social and economic stress related to the effects of climate change is making violence against women and girls dramatically increase (2025 UN Spotlight Brief). Just to make an example, during heatwaves there is an increase of 28% in feminicide.
In all of that, women are underrepresented where it counts.
According to data by the New Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN women, only 1 in 7 countries worldwide is led by women. At the same time women hold just 22.4% of cabinets posts and 27.5 of parliamentary seats worldwide.
How has all this something to do with sustainability ?
IWell, first of all the whole logic behind sustainability is based on equity : if we don’t treat our planet equally, if we don’t manage our money fairly, if we don’t have a social balance, there will be no sustainable future.
Moreover, women represent a considerable part of the workforce and of the entrepreneurs engaging in sustainable projects, which means that the progress of society in matters related to sustainability is strongly depending on the role of women in launching, developing and conducting such projects. If women do not have enough support, a huge amount of sustainable projects and activities will not be put in place.
In this sense, it must also be underlined how women generally tend to take their decisions based on the good for their communities : it is proven how their involvement in politics and business ends up in promoting growth, as well as social and economic development.
Which solutions can we think of in order to close the gender gap ?
Receiving an education that favours gender equality from the youngest age is fundamental. This includes supporting parents in recognising and transforming their own bias, training the education professionals on those subjects and how to avoid subconscious influences.
A global change concerning the legislation for women rights in all countries is needed : this includes not only a secured path for reporting violences and harassment, but also extended rights concerning a fair pay, the possibility to access specialised public services and the right to special paths for retirement especially in case they have one or more children.
The obligation of new orientations in health studies and scientific research should become constitutional : even today too many researches and studies are conducted based on the functioning of men’s body and on men’s reactions to treatments, while it is proven that even the symptoms of illnesses may differ between women and men and that efficiency of treatment is not the same for both of them.
Concerning credit and financing, a specific counselling and set of products and services should be developed for women depending on their geographical area, education, social context and specific need : if it is proven that women tend to engage less in more speculative investments it is also truth that their approach to money related issues is completely different from the one of men. The will to engage in a risk should not be the only factor to take into consideration. Women often prefer to invest with a lower risk but an higher positive impact for society.
Last but not least, we need to make it easier and more attractive for women to join contexts that are currently held mostly by men : this means STEM roles, political direction positions, seats in the governance of companies and countries.
Of course in this article we are not covering the whole subjects : the purpose of this publication is to bring the spotlight back Gender Gap in the hope that this will help to raise consciousness about it and push our readers to take action in favour of a gender equality between men and women.
If you would like to know more about this subject or propose related contents to our blog, feel free to write us : info@theslowcorner.com
Sources :
https://www.undp.org/eurasia/our-focus/gender-equality/gender-equality-and-sustainable-development
https://incae.edu/en/el-impacto-de-la-brecha-de-genero-en-el-desarrollo-sostenible/