A staggering two billion women and girls worldwide are without access to any form of social protection, according to a report released by UN Women.

The report, ‘World survey on the role of women in development 2024’, reveals a widening gender gap in social protection and the raft of policies.

It also includes cash benefits, unemployment protection, pensions and healthcare, eaving women and girls more vulnerable to poverty.

While levels of social protection have increased since 2015, gender gaps in such coverage have widened in most developing regions.

The recent gains have benefited men more than women, said the report published ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17.

In spite advancements, more than 63 per cent of women worldwide still give birth without access to maternity benefits, with the figure soaring to 94 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, the report said.

The lack of financial support during maternity leave not only places women at an economic disadvantage, it also compromises their health and well-being and that of their children, perpetuating poverty across generations, it added.

The report paints a stark picture of the gendered nature of poverty.

Women and girls are overrepresented among the poor at every stage of life, with the largest gaps during their childbearing years.

Women aged 25 to 34 are 25 per cent more likely to live in extremely poor households than men in the same age group.

Conflict and climate change exacerbate this inequality.

Women in fragile contexts are 7.7 times more likely to live in extreme poverty compared to those in non-fragile environments.

Gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities are often neglected in the aftermath of shocks, the report says.

“The potential of social protection for gender equality, resilience and transformation is enormous, said Sarah Hendriks, director of the Policy, Program and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women.

“To harness this, we need to center the dignity, agency and empowerment of women and girls at every stage of the process, from policy and program design to delivery and financing,” said the report.

The survey on the role of women in development is presented every five years to the Economic and Financial Committee of the UN General Assembly.

This is done to provide a unique opportunity to put gender equality issues on the economic policy agenda and bring together perspectives on human rights and sustainable development. 

(Xinhua/NAN)