“Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys. It is everyone's responsibility.” — Ban Ki-moon.

 Guaranteeing the rights of women and giving them opportunities to reach their full potential is critical not only for attaining gender equality but also for meeting a wide range of international development goals. Empowered women and girls contribute to the health and productivity of their families, communities, and countries, creating a ripple effect that benefits everyone.  The word gender describes the socially constructed roles and responsibilities that societies consider appropriate for men and women.   Gender equality means that men and women have equal power and equal opportunities for financial independence, education  Women's empowerment is a critical aspect of achieving gender equality. It includes increasing a woman's sense of self-worth, her decision-making power.   Yet gender issues are not focused on women alone, but on the relationship between men and women in society .The actions and attitudes of men and boys play an essential role in achieving gender equality. 

 Education is a key area of focus. Although the world is making progress in achieving gender parity in education, girls still make up a higher percentage of out-of-school children than boys.  Prioritizing girls' education provides perhaps the single highest return on investment in the developing world. An educated girl is more likely to postpone marriage, raise a smaller family, have healthier children, and send her own children to school.  Women's health and safety is another important area. HIV/AIDS is becoming an increasingly impactful issue for women.  This can be related to women having fewer opportunities for health education, unequal power in sexual partnership, or as a result of gender-based violence.  

  A final area of focus in attaining gender equality is women's economic and political empowerment. Though women comprise more than 50% of the world's population, they only own 1% of the world's wealth.  Throughout the world, women and girls perform long hours of unpaid domestic work. In some places, women still lack the right to own land or to inherit property, obtain access to credit, earn income, or move up in their workplace, free from job discrimination.