United Nations Target Gender Equality for Urban Development

According to a United Nations study, the cities of the future will prosper only if there is gender equality in the key areas of health, employment, and housing. The report cited the need for increasing opportunities for women and presented arguments to support this need.

Ground-breaking study

The study, “State of Women in Cities Report 2012/13” recognizes the need for our male-dominated society to increase women’s participation because they are the “key drivers” of the growth of wealth contributing to the betterment of the quality of life of communities in the urban setting. The study says that a full realization of women’s potentials leads to households and communities reaping more rewards and benefitting all.

This study was produced by UN-HABITAT, also known as the United Nations Human Settlements Programme which is based in Nairobi, Kenya. The primary mandate of this organization is to promote sustainable cities and towns both environmentally and socially. Its main goal is to provide people with adequate shelter. This agency is also concerned with various projects for the benefit of the youth sector.

The future

The study argues that removal of the barriers to women’s participation in the dynamics of urban dwelling will lead to economic growth. The projections for the future identify women as the majority of the dwellers of cities as more and more households are emerging and all of them are headed by females. It is projected than in the future urban populations will be dominated by women with the female component comprising the majority in people 60 years old and older as well as those aged 80 years and above.

Equal rights and opportunities for women and children

Furthermore, the study enumerate the areas where women should enjoy equal rights with men, namely on economic, political, and moral-ethical grounds. It reiterated the advantages of promoting such a society. When women and men are on equal footing, women’s individuality and well-being are improved and this will promote collective prosperity and as a consequence make the cities that they live in more prosperous as well.

Based on these arguments presented in the report the agency calls for policy changes geared towards the enhancement of gender equity and equality for women.

Important economic contributions

Women have traditionally played the role of carers and nurturers in human societies. They perform everyday unpaid tasks and chores such as washing, caring for children, the sick and the elderly cleaning and other services for the benefit of the household. They contribute to ensuring that their communities function well by performing these tasks the value of which are often unrecognized.

Women also contribute more concretely to the economy with the paid work that they do. The contributions of the female workforce should not be undermined because they are a critical component of various industries such as manufacturing, information and communications technology, the service sector among others. However, better opportunities for employment remain scarce, and women are often not given adequate compensation and benefits. And they even fall prey to urban violence and face all sorts of discrimination at work and on the streets.