Brazil registers 78th position in ranking on gender equality

Brazil has reached the 78th position in the ranking that measures gender equality in 144 countries, according to 2022 Equal Measures 2030 (EM2030) SDG Gender Index, a global report that assesses the evolution of countries in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the United Nations (UN) 2030 agenda.

Brazil's score has reached 66.4 points, behind countries such as Uruguay (31st), Argentina (44th), Chile (49th) and Paraguay (74th). In the previous edition of the ranking in 2019, the country's position was 77th.

According to the document, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed gender inequality in the world. It points out that less than a quarter of the countries is making rapid progress towards gender equality, and one in three countries is making no progress or is moving in the wrong direction.

“As an example, Brazil is the fifth country in the world ranking of child marriages in absolute numbers. The problem is even greater when we consider informal unions, which are much more frequent here,” explained the manager of economic empowerment and gender at Plan International Brazil Raíla Alves. “Although in 2019 Brazil changed the legislation on child marriage, there is still a loophole, as it allows marriage from the age of 16 with the authorization of guardians and/or the Justice. In practice, marriages continue to occur and mainly affect girls under the age of 18,” she added.

Brazil's index score stagnated between 2015 and 2020. “There is no projection of progress towards the goals of the 2030 Agenda, especially regarding equality of gender and empowerment of girls and women. This situation can affect not only girls today, but future generations as well,” she pondered.

Index

The index covers 56 key indicators across 14 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. And it is not possible to “return to normal” regarding gender equality in a post-pandemic scenario, the report reads.

“Returning to normal would be to resume a scenario before the pandemic. Comparing Brazil's position in 2019 to the current one, we realize that little has changed. Therefore, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, it is not enough just to resume what we did before. We will need to accelerate a lot to make up for lost time. And this does not concern only Brazil, but most countries in the world,” she added.

Recommendations

The survey makes six recommendations for accelerating progress on gender equality, such as the reform of laws and the adoption of affirmative policies. The document also suggests encouraging groups of young girls leaders; ending the lack of gender data; investing in public services and social infrastructure; creating spaces for women, supporting feminist organizations and movements; as well as promoting girls´and young women´s empowerment.

As the report points out, “countries that make good use of laws to promote women’s economic inclusion have better health, nutrition and education outcomes for women and their families, more resilient employment for women and more women in politics,” said Raíla.