Ways to promote gender equality in daily life

Everyone's support for gender equality is vital for human development and equal world, it prevents violence against women and girls and allows them to grow as a whole.

Achieving gender equality will allow us to attain greater things together and enable women to have a say on making decisions that impact their gender, rather than letting men take the lead on matters that have little impact on them.

Equality for all (women, men, LGBTQ+, POC) can speed up the process of improving access to family planning and reproductive health services, safety, education, and access to necessities - things that many do not currently have.

Often, as someone who doesn't face oppression anywhere near as much as these marginalised groups, you may feel as though your voice may not be heard on the matter so you keep quiet, but there are several things you can do in daily life to help encourage equality and help women feel safer. Whether it's big or small, it all adds up.

Educate yourself

Go out of your way to read, listen, and share women's stories.

Understanding women and their life experiences may help open your eyes to what they go through, as it can often be dismissed by those that haven’t had the experiences themselves. Different types of women go through different experiences, so being open to diverse topics can encourage more understanding and action.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a great TED talk that could help get you started, its all about why ‘we should all be feminist’.

“We teach girls that they can have ambition, but not too much ... to be successful, but not too successful, or they'll threaten men”, says author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Share Household chores

Household chores should be spread equally for all adults under one roof, it is not the female's job to do the cooking, cleaning, childcare and so on. If you feel as though you do not currently share the chores equally with your household, then start helping out more and showing your appreciation for the things the women in your home do.

One study taken out by University College London, showed that, women who live with men continue to do most of the housework, they are five times more likely to spend around 20 hours a week on chores.

Another study showed that the overload of chores on women can increase their chances of mental illness and lower their motivation at work.

Watch for signs of Domestic Violence

If you notice signs of domestic abuse or sexual harassment or assault, do not stay quiet, speak up and as if the victim wants help.

Of course, it is not just women that face domestic and sexual abuse, but they are more likely to and a lack of gender equality in certain situations can be, at times, dangerous and deadly for women.

According to Humboldt, 91% of victims of rape and sexual assault are female, and 99% of perpetrators are male.

A study taken out by Women's aid in 2020 showed that 1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 have experienced domestic violence in the last year.

If you spot the following signs on anyone, report it!

• Being withdrawn or isolated

• Has bruises, bites, or burns

• Not allowed to leave the house

• Has finances controlled

• Their social media monitored

Reject male chauvinist

Do not make any comments that are meant to degrade and humiliate women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people of colour, or any other marginalised group. Doing so will lead to others thinking it is ok and will not solve the oppression of these groups.

Another thing you can do to help is, speak up when you hear someone making chauvinist or racist comments, let people know that it is not ok to do so and it never will be.

Research has found that 97% of women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment and over 95% of BAME Britons have faced racism, this needs to change!

Support and encourage women

Supporting women and encouraging them to gain power could help increase the chances of equality, especially in the workplace. With more women in charge, the more respect they will gain, eventually leading to businesses putting females as leads and gaining more respect from their opposites, as well as giving younger girls role models to look up to.

This could also help encourage equal pay for the same roles, as this is currently a huge gender inequality issue.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there is a 7.9% gender pay gap for full time employees in the UK. Compared to lower-paid employees, the higher earners are more likely to face a larger hourly pay gap between the sexes.

If you are aware of this gender gap, speak up and ensure your equals are in fact equal.

It is also vital to encourage women to run for positions of power, this will mean more women can make the decision on situations that effect their bodies, rather than the men that already are.

In summary, do not sit back and watch gender inequality happen, do something about it and make a change.