Unstereotype Alliance publish report on gender equality and attitudes

On Thursday May 28, Unstereotype Alliance held their webinar “Gender Equality Attitudes Study: Are you ready for change?” Thursday’s webinar coincided with the recent publication of Unstereotype Alliance’s 2019 report of the same title. During the course of the discussion topics such as toxic masculinity, education and women in leadership roles were discussed at length.

The report is the second of its kind, investigating the extent and prevalence of stereotypical attitudes and gender bias across 10 countries including: Colombia, India, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, The Philippines, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. The study aims to act as an “evidence-based instrument that demonstrates how leveraging attitudinal change can be used as a critical tactic towards advancing gender equality”.

The study found four key messages:

• People are aware of gender inequalities faced by women across development dimensions (such as healthcare and education).
• Still, social norms and cultural attitudes justify gender discrimination–among the very same respondents.
• People think media contributes to gender stereotyping.
• There is an overwhelming consensus that gender equality is important for the country’s future success.

The report noted that while gender equality gaps existed in healthcare and education, these gaps were significantly more evident in areas such as media, the workplace, public spaces and households. In regards to media and gender equality, respondents from all 10 countries believed that the media portrays women and men in certain roles.  Furthermore, many people believe that men and women should both be afforded the same opportunities in business and politics, a vast majority indicated that men are more suited to business and political roles.

To read the report in full, please click here.