Gender inequality a question of power; make this the century of women’s equality: UN chief

The secretary-general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres has said that Gender inequality is fundamentally a question of power and called for men everywhere to support women’s rights. 

He was speaking at The New School, a university in New York City.

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“Just as slavery and colonialism were a stain on previous centuries, women’s inequality should shame us all in the 21st. Because it is not only unacceptable; it is stupid”, he said. 

Talking about male-domination in all power structures in the world he said that at the heart of the gender inequality is power. Patriarchy has impacted males of every age from men to boys, trapping them in rigid gender stereotypes.

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“It is time to stop trying to change women, and start changing the systems that prevent them from achieving their potential. Our power structures have evolved gradually over thousands of years. One further evolution is long overdue. The 21st century must be the century of women’s equality”, he said. 

For the UN chief, gender inequality and discrimination against women and girls remains an overwhelming injustice across the globe. 

“From the ridiculing of women as hysterical or hormonal to the routine judgement of women based on their looks; from the myths and taboos that surround women’s natural bodily functions to mansplaining and victim-blaming – misogyny is everywhere”, he said.

As the United Nations turns 75 this year, the global body is taking greater action to support women’s rights, he added.