The Women’s Rights Movement began on July 13, 1848, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton invited some of her friends for tea, and their talk turned toward the despondent situation of women and their lack of freedom in the world. Today, we celebrate Gender Equality in the month of March to observe the social, political, cultural, and academic achievements of women today—and throughout history—and raise awareness against gender bias in our society.
Gender Equality in Health means that women and men are on an equal footing to fully exercise their rights and potential to be healthy, contribute to health development, and benefit from outcomes. Achieving gender equality requires concrete measures to eliminate gender inequities. Gender equity means fairness and justice in the distribution of benefits, power, resources, and responsibilities between women and men. Women and men have different needs, access to, and control over resources. These differences should be addressed in a manner that rectifies the imbalance between the sexes.
In the Region of the Americas, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, Roma, and members of other ethnic groups continue to experience structural discrimination, exclusion, and inequality. The invisibility and discrimination often experienced by these populations heighten their conditions of vulnerability. These populations pose a challenge for meeting the targets of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those on universal access to health and universal health coverage, tuberculosis, malaria, and mental health, among others.
Learn more about Gender Equality:
There are many resources available to help raise awareness of Gender Equality—and to achieve gender parity and inclusiveness:
Sources: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO)