United Nations Development Programme

Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

In the last 12 years, there have been very positive trends in reducing gender disparity in the Palestinian education system and forecast figures suggest that the positive trend is likely to continue. However, women’s political gains are fragile; insufficient attention has been placed on improving the culture of gender relations in society and in institutions. For example, women represent 17% of elected members at the local level and 12.9% of elected representatives at the national level. However, women only hold two out of the 24 government portfolios. Civil society organizations report that women are facing difficulties in government and same have  resigned. Women also face systematic discrimination in the labor market is amongst the lowest in the world at 15.2% (17.7% in the West Bank and 8% IN Gaza). Sixty seven percent unemployed are young people: in the male population aged 15 and above, half are employed hereas for females, just one in seven.  The oPt is witnessing unknown levels of violence on the street and violence against women in particular is high and rising. Almost 34% experienced physical violence and just over 15% sexual violence. Studies point to a direct correlation between rising poverty and unemployment and violence directed at women and girls.

Eliminating gender disparity in education is an essential component in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment and as such, positive advances are expected in the achievement of MDG 3. However, data can also be viewed as misleading in terms of masking the spectrum of factors that would more realistically reflect concrete advances in the achievement of this ambitious and essentially cross-sectoral goal, particularly in terms of the related indicators on women’s economic and political participation.