Over 340M women, girls will still be living in extreme poverty by 2030 if trends continue: UN

By Betul Yuruk

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - The United Nations warned on Thursday that more than 340 million women and girls -- an estimated 8% of the world’s female population -- will still be living in extreme poverty by 2030 if current trends continue.

A new report by UN Women paints a grim picture of gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Sustainable Development Goals, a universal agenda to end poverty in all its forms by 2030.

The world is falling short of achieving gender equality despite global efforts, failing women and girls, according to the report.

For each dollar men earn in labor income globally, women earn only 51 cents, said the report.

If current trends continue, close to one in four women will experience moderate or severe food insecurity, the report warned.

It said that at the current rate of progress, the next generation of women will still spend on average 2.3 more hours per day on unpaid care and domestic work than men.

The report also included data on climate change for the first time.

By mid-century, climate change may push up to 158.3 million more women and girls into poverty, 16 million more than the total number of men and boys, according to the report.

''Food insecurity is projected to affect as many as 236 million more women and girls, compared to 131 million more men and boys, due to climate change,'' it said.

According to the report, the number of women and girls in conflict-affected contexts reached 614 million in 2022, 50% higher than the number in 2017.

''Globally, at current rates of progress, an estimated 110 million girls and young women will be out of school in 2030,'' it said.

The report said that an additional $360 billion per year is needed to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment across key global goals.

It warned that failure to prioritize gender equality now could jeopardize the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.