The Levers of Change: Gender Equality Attitudes Study 2022

"Driving attitudinal change requires tackling locally nuanced beliefs and perceptions. This [study] provides localized and insightful guidance to decision-makers in their efforts to effectively address harmful gender stereotypes and the threats they pose to their societies."

UN Women holds that discriminatory social norms and attitudes perpetuate historical and structural patterns of gender inequality and have a negative impact on the social, economic, and sustainable development of countries around the world. The Gender Equality Attitudes Study qualifies the scale of harmful gender-based stereotypes across countries, with the vision to monitor how - if at all - these stereotypes change over time. Led by UN Women, the study was undertaken in partnership with Kantar, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever.

The pilot study, "Are You Ready for Change? Gender Equality Attitudes Study 2019", was conducted in 2018 across 10 countries: Colombia, India, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United States (US). This second iteration of the study, conducted in 2020, has expanded to include 10 additional countries: Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Mexico, Poland, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, and Viet Nam. It also revisits the first cohort to monitor changes in attitudes over time. Interviews were done online, face-to-face, or a combination, as appropriate for each country. Approximately 1,000 interviews were conducted in each country.

After exploring the importance of gender equality, the report organises findings according to:

• Barriers at the individual level, in the following areas of focus: control over personal decisions (access to physical property, control over personal finances, and influence over whom to marry); family roles and responsibilities; and safety from domestic violence.
• Barriers at the societal level, in the following areas of focus: education and health care; work/employment; leadership and political participation; barriers to safety in public spaces; and gender stereotypes in the media.
• Findings by country: The findings of this study show that gender attitudes vary vastly across some of the unifying themes in the 20 countries.

Select findings:

• Gender stereotypes and antiquated attitudes prevail: When asked about how to secure their countries' future success, most respondents agree that gender equality in all areas is essential (91%), yet only 60% of men believe that more respect for women's rights is "completely important", compared to 74% of women. Men are more likely than women to endorse traditional roles, with 40% of male respondents agreeing that "a man's job is to earn money while a woman’s job is to look after the house and the family", compared to 31% of female respondents. Similarly, 51% of men agree that "women should work less and devote more time to caring for their family", compared to 46% of women. This view is held most fervently among younger cohorts of men. Younger men also perceive men as better political leaders: 46% of men aged 16-19 and 47% of men aged 20-34 agree that "men are better political leaders than women" - markedly higher than the total respondent average of 38%. The research reveals that times of hardship can lead to reversals in the hard-won gains in gender equality: 25% of respondents agree that "in times of food shortages, priority should be given to men", and 31% of respondents agree that "when jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women".
• The next generation of women are strong advocates for change, but young men are lagging behind: Young women aged 16-19 expect equality, and they are not afraid to voice this. The vast majority (87%) believe that it is essential for society to treat women as equal to men, compared to 81% of men in the same age cohort. Similarly, 76% of young women aged 16-19 believe that greater respect for women's rights in all areas is "completely important" for their countries' success, compared to 63% of male respondents of the same age. Young men aged 16-19 hold far more traditional attitudes, across multiple topic areas and countries. In Viet Nam, nearly 60% of male respondents aged 16-19 agree that secretarial jobs are better suited for women, compared to just 49% of females in the same age group. These findings "demonstrate the criticality of challenging stereotypes and cultural norms in childhood and early adulthood to avoid affirming attitudes that continue to hold gender equality back."
• Women continue to face multiple barriers to political leadership and decision-making: As women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide, 82% of respondents agree that having more opportunities for women in politics is important for their country's success. This view is now more widely held than in 2018, registering an increase of 2 percentage points. While there is greater acknowledgment of women's potential contributions in politics, it is believed to be just as difficult for women to run for elected office in 2020 as it was in 2018. Also, 63% of respondents agree that it is easy for men to run for elected office, and only 38% agree that it is easy for women to do the same.
• Prevailing attitudes hamper progress for women in business and leadership positions: 9 in 10 respondents agree that equal pay for equal work is important to their country's future success, and 58% of respondents believe that having more opportunities for women in business is "completely important" for their country's success. However, there is variation across countries. There is also striking disparity across countries when it comes to perceptions of men's and women's performance in business. In Kenya, nearly 50% of respondents agree that service jobs are better suited for women, and 33% believe that men make better business executives than women. However, in Brazil and Colombia, only 20% agree that service jobs are better suited for women, 15% of respondents believe that men are better business executives than women. These findings explain why, in most countries, respondents believe that it is significantly more difficult for women to be hired as skilled workers than for men.
• COVID-19 has set back attitudes towards domestic violence: On average, there has been a 2-percentage-point increase since 2018 in the belief that there are acceptable circumstances for someone to hit their spouse or partner - a change driven mostly by Sweden, India, and the US, where respondents agreeing with the statement increased by 5 percentage points. Men are more likely to condone abusive behaviour than women. In the surveyed countries, 20% of men and 14% of women disagree that women should be free to refuse sex with their husband or partner under any circumstance. Nearly 70% of respondents in Senegal, 42% in Nigeria, and 19% in India disagree that a woman should be free to refuse sex with her husband or partner. These findings indicate that "Women need a clear understanding of their rights and social norms that condone domestic violence need to be addressed as a priority. Furthermore, judicial systems must better protect women, ensure that perpetrators of violence are held accountable for their actions, and ensure that those who speak out against it are supported."
• Education drives more progressive attitudes across all dimensions for both genders, yet social norms hold girls and women back: Across countries, 88% of respondents agree that it is important to ensure higher education for women; however, 27% of male respondents agree that it is more important for a boy to get a university education than a girl, compared to 20% of female respondents who agree with the same. In India, 2 out of 3 of all respondents agree that it is more important for a boy to get a university education than for a girl. In the Philippines, 44% of male respondents and 39% of female respondents agree that priority should be given to boys.
• The media continue to portray traditional gender roles, particularly male roles: In 2020, 68% of respondents, compared to 54% in 2018, believe that the media portray women in traditional female roles, such as wives, mothers, or caregivers; 72% of respondents in 2020, compared to 52% in 2018, believe the media represent men in conventional male roles, including as providers for the family, as leaders, or as businessmen. These findings indicate that the media need to increase progressive portrayals of both women and men and to reinforce these across all countries in order to counter deep-rooted stereotypical gender roles.

UN Women emphasises the need for governments, the media, and society at large to support young activists in driving change and removing structural barriers that keep in place the discriminatory social norms and attitudes that continue to hinder progress for women and girls everywhere.

Click here for an interactive dashboard on the UN Women Global Data Hub that enables users to explore and filter the findings by area(s) of interest.