There is no improvement in biases against women in a decade, with almost nine out of 10 men and women worldwide still holding such biases today, said the latest Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) report.
The Sustainable Development Agenda, adopted by UN Member States in 2015, has set a 2030 deadline for achieving gender equality.
“From corporate boardrooms to presidential cabinets, women remain under-represented in leadership positions. Women have accounted for around 10 per cent of heads of state or government since 1995, leaving them at the margins of decision making in the 21st century," the report stated.
According to the report, half of the people worldwide still believe men make better political leaders than women and more than 40 per cent believe men make better business executives than women.
The report argued that these biases drive hurdles faced by women, manifested in a dismantling of women's rights in many parts of the world with movements against gender equality gaining traction and, in some countries, a surge of human rights violations.
“Biases are also reflected in the severe under-representation of women in leadership. On average, the share of women as heads of state or heads of government has remained around 10 per cent since 1995 and in the labour market women occupy less than a third of managerial positions," the report said.
“Social norms that impair women's rights are also detrimental to society more broadly, dampening the expansion of human development. In fact, lack of progress on gender social norms is unfolding against a human development crisis: the global Human Development Index (HDI) declined in 2020 for the first time on record and again the following year," Pedro Conceicao, head of UNDP's Human Development Report Office, said.
“Everyone stands to gain from ensuring freedom and agency for women," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)