THE FEMALE AGENDA

Emojot and LMD asked readers to have their say

Achieving gender equality is the need of the hour, according to a vast majority (90%) of those who participated in an exclusive online poll compiled by LMD in collaboration with Emojot in the days leading up to International Women’s Day on 8 March.

Business, and government and politics, are key areas that are in need of gender equality, going by a fifth of survey respondents each. This is followed by the spheres of education (16%), science and technology (16%), sports (15%), and media, TV and cinema (14%).

As for the major issues facing women today, 17 percent of those who were polled state that sexual violence is a cause for concern. Meanwhile, the ability to balance careers and child rearing also warrants attention as cited by 16 percent of respondents.

The survey reveals that the other challenges confronting present-day women include sexual objectification (14%), underrepresentation in politics (14%), unequal pay (14%), underrepresentation in business leadership (14%) and in relation to reproductive rights (11%).

Forty-five percent of those who took part in the survey identify themselves as millennials while baby boomers, and generations X and Z, accounted for 22, 19 and 12 percent respectively.

When it comes to the gender composition of survey respondents, a little over three-quarters (76%) claim to be female and 22 percent male – along with a further two percent who identify themselves as ‘other.’

Providing their comments, one among the 101 poll participants says: “Women represent 50 percent of the population. Without them, there would be no population! They have to be treated equally.”

Others point to inherent regional and cultural prejudices against women, as well as the need for equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, the survey reveals.

And finally, a survey respondent offers the following words of advice: “Stand up for what is right and do not fear to speak the truth – even if you are the only woman to do so.”