SDG-10 aims to reduce inequality within and among countries, which means, for example, to progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 % of the population at a rate higher than the national average. And, of course, to ensure equal opportunities for all by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices.
Well, while we are on the subject of inequalities: In January 2020, Oxfam revealed that the world’s 2,153 billionaires owned more wealth than the the 4.6 billion people who make up 60 % of the total population. Now think back for a second about what you read earlier about SDG-1, and you will surely remember that phenomenon called „feminization of poverty“. According to the global wage report 2019, women on average earn 20 % less than men for the same work, with varied gaps between countries. Women are also more likely than men to be in vulnerable employment, with up to 75 % of women’s jobs being informal or unprotected in developing countries. Not to mention the 12.5 billion hours of unpaid care work women and girls are putting in each and every day. Oxfam brings it all down to one shocking sentence: „The 22 richest men in the world have more wealth than all the women in Africa.“
Only ensuring empowered women’s constant participation and leadership in decision making can help address these global inequalities, break down barriers and achieve SDG-10. They must be heard at all levels of decision-making, from households to political arenas.