Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it up for Gender Equality

This message is more pressing than ever for the Maldives. While the country has achieved gender parity in primary and secondary education, women are still underrepresented in senior management posts in the government and private sector. When I sit in formal meetings, often my counterparts at the senior level are mostly men. Women’s unemployment rate of 39 per cent is twice that of the rate of men (19 per cent), with more than one-fifth citing household chores as the main reason. Currently, only 64 out of 1095 local councilors are female. This reflects only 6 per cent of the whole population, half of which are women.

While the national averages present a worrying picture, through my interaction with communities, I have witnessed the critical role women play in the political and social activities at the grassroots level. Many of them have been influential mediators in resolving community-level conflicts, which range from family matters to community level decision making. However, innovative initiatives and contribution of women go often unacknowledged due to cultural and structural inequalities that they face.

In politics, women are acknowledged as strong campaign managers but rarely championed as strong candidates. The gender-segregated data for candidates show female-to-male ratio of 222:2754, again only a mere 8 per cent.