The Urgent Need to Empower Women for 2030

Kathy Elisca Clermont is a student at Fordham University getting her master’s degree in Social Work. Her focus has been on being a Mental Health advocate. You can find her on twitter and Instagram @clermonInsipires. You can also check out her blog page http://clermoninspires.org/


At the Social Good Summit 2018, the two main Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that stood out to me were SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 5: Gender Equality. The SDGs are a total of 17 goals created by the United Nations that member states work toward achieving by 2030. All 17 SDGs tie directly to human rights. In a previous post, I wrote on Sustainable Development Goal: 3. In this blog post, I address Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality because of the highlighted importance of women empowerment and gender egalitarianism in the efforts to achieve many of the SDG’s by 2030.

According to Zuriel Oduwole, President of Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up, “boys are one and a half times more likely to own a phone than girls. But this doesn’t mean girls aren’t using phones. Instead, they’re having to borrow, or beg to use a phone in secret.” Ms. Oduwole pointed out that girls go through lengths and difficulties to use mobile devices. Girls having access to phones is a way of showing that they can benefit from technology the same way as boys. Mobile access can help girls increase achievements and provide safety for them.

Imagine not being able to use your phone because of your gender. Sustainable Development Goal 5 focuses on providing girls with the same education and technology as boys. Oduwole is helping to break the barrier of gender inequality in regards to the use of mobile technology. Oduwole is an inspiration for all women around the world, with her drive of becoming the youngest woman to help achieve gender equality, starting in Africa. Many of the other speakers presented many other issues that women are faced with on a daily basis regardless of where they come from. In many places, women are still being regarded as less than men. Because of the dominance of man in decision-making positions, women are deeply impacted by the decisions that are made. As mentioned by Leymah Gbowee, “The women shared their stories. After hearing many stories of pain, I stop and listen, and heard stories of strength.”

Attending the Social Good Summit empowered me as a woman by hearing from these leaders that are truly dedicated to achieving gender equality.

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