Is Gender Equality Possible Without Tackling Racial and Economic Injustice?

Introduction

Despite progress toward gender equality in recent decades, women across the world continue to face widespread discrimination. This discrimination is not limited to a single domain; it is structural, cultural, legal, and economic. It affects women differently, depending on their location, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, and other intersecting factors. The compounded impact is especially severe for women who belong to marginalized or minority groups. This blog explores the various types of discrimination faced by women today, supported by data, tables, and references.

1. Economic Discrimination

One of the most persistent forms of discrimination is economic inequality. Globally, women earn less than men for the same work, have limited access to capital, and are often overrepresented in low-paying or informal jobs.

Indicator	Men	Women	Source
Global average income gap	100%	77%	World Economic Forum, 2024
Informal employment (global average)	58%	71%	ILO, Women and Men in the Informal Economy, 2023
Access to bank accounts (global)	72%	65%	World Bank Global Findex Database, 2023

Women, especially from racial minorities or indigenous backgrounds, are disproportionately represented in domestic work, agriculture, and garment industries—sectors often characterized by poor wages, lack of legal protection, and unsafe working conditions.

2. Educational Discrimination

Although global female enrollment in schools has improved, deep disparities remain in certain regions and among minority groups.

·         According to UNESCO (2023), 130 million girls worldwide are out of school.

·         Girls from poor rural households, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, are four times more likely to be out of school than boys from wealthy urban families.

Access to education becomes even more difficult for disabled girls, girls from conflict zones, and those belonging to minority ethnic or religious groups.

3. Racial and Ethnic Discrimination

The intersection of race and gender magnifies discrimination. Women from minority racial or ethnic groups face restricted access to justice, healthcare, and political representation.

Case in Point:
Black, Indigenous, and Latin American women in the U.S. and Latin America report lower levels of access to quality maternal healthcare, leading to higher mortality rates.

Group	Maternal Mortality Rate (per 100,000 live births)	Country
Indigenous women	230	Bolivia
African American women	55	United States
White women	19	United States

(Source: WHO 2024; CDC Maternal Health Report)

4. Gender-Based Violence and War-Time Discrimination

One of the gravest violations of women’s rights is gender-based violence (GBV), including sexual assault, harassment, domestic abuse, and trafficking. In war zones, rape and sexual violence have historically been used as tools of ethnic cleansing and oppression.

·         According to UN Women (2024), 1 in 3 women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence.

·         In conflict zones like Syria, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, women from minority ethnic groups were deliberately targeted for rape and trafficking.

Trafficking and Double Discrimination:
Women who are trafficked are often from already marginalized communities. They face racial discrimination, gender-based abuse, and legal exclusion. Their vulnerability is compounded by lack of support systems and legal recognition.

5. Political Underrepresentation

Women's representation in politics is improving, but significant gaps remain. These gaps are wider for women from racially or ethnically marginalized groups.

Region	Women in Parliament (%)	Women from Minority Groups (%)
Europe (average)	32	6
Africa (average)	25	8
Asia (average)	19	3

(Source: IPU, Women in Politics Report 2024)

Women refugees and migrants are largely excluded from decision-making processes, often lacking even basic freedom of movement or access to legal representation.

6. Health Disparities and Reproductive Rights

Women’s access to healthcare is heavily influenced by gender, geography, and race. Discrimination manifests in:

·         Inadequate maternal healthcare for rural and minority women.

·         Forced sterilizations (notably of Indigenous women in Canada and Roma women in Europe).

·         Limited access to contraception and safe abortion services in conservative or patriarchal societies.

Example: In India, Dalit women face significant discrimination in public health facilities, often being denied treatment or forced to wait longer than upper-caste patients.

7. Digital Gender Divide

In an increasingly digital world, women are being left behind in digital access, literacy, and leadership. According to UN Women:

·         Globally, 259 million fewer women than men have access to the internet.

·         Women are less likely to be employed in the tech sector, and when they are, they face higher rates of online harassment, especially women journalists and activists from marginalized groups.

Intersectional Discrimination: A Double Burden

The data above clearly shows that discrimination is not monolithic. A woman may be poor, Black, a refugee, disabled, or a combination of these identities—each adding a layer of disadvantage. For example:

·         A Black woman migrant may face racism from society, gender discrimination in the workplace, and xenophobia in government policies.

·         A Roma woman refugee may be denied housing and access to education because of her ethnicity and gender.

These intersecting identities must be acknowledged in policies and programming if real change is to be made.

Conclusion

Discrimination against women today is multi-dimensional and deeply rooted in systems of power and patriarchy. It becomes even more complex and destructive when gender bias intersects with race, class, ethnicity, or migration status. True gender equality cannot be achieved without dismantling the intersecting structures of oppression that women around the world continue to endure.

Call to Action:

· Governments must adopt intersectional policies that recognize and address multiple forms of discrimination.

· Legal frameworks must be strengthened to protect minority women in healthcare, employment, and justice systems.

· Education, political participation, and digital inclusion should be prioritized for marginalized women.

References:

1.       UN Women. (2024). Facts and Figures: Ending Violence against Women.

2.       World Economic Forum. (2024). Global Gender Gap Report.

3.       International Labour Organization. (2023). Women and Men in the Informal Economy.

4.       World Bank. (2023). Global Findex Database.

5.       WHO. (2024). Global Health Observatory Maternal Health Statistics.

6.       Inter-Parliamentary Union. (2024). Women in Politics Report.

7.       UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2023). Out-of-School Children Report.

8.       UNHCR. (2023). Women Refugees and Gender-Based Violence.