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Reducing Inequalities Between Boys and Girls

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5)—Gender Equality—is about achieving gender equality and bringing more power to women and girls all over the world. This means that no matter what someone’s gender is, he/she should have the same chances to grow and succeed, whether it is going to school, getting a good job, or making important decisions. Right now, many girls and women still face unfair rules that stop them from reaching their full potential. This situation can make it harder for girls to go to school, prevent women from owning land, and result in women being paid less than men for doing the same work. These unfair practices limit the growth and wellbeing of entire families, communities, and societies. This is why SDG 5 directly connects to other goals, such as SDG 1 (No Poverty), because when women have equal rights, they can work and support their families, helping to lift their families out of poverty. SDG 5 also connects to SDG 4 (Quality Education), because if girls do not go to school, they cannot learn about how to be safe and healthy, and if they do not get the right education, their chances of getting good jobs are relatively less than their male counterparts. If we can make sure that women and girls have the same opportunities, we can build a world that is fairer, stronger, and better for everyone.

How Science Helps Women Rise

One major challenge that girls and women are still facing today is access to education and career opportunities in science and technology. Jobs in areas like engineering, physics, and computer science have not attracted many women. In fact, women make up only 35% of students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies [1]. This is partly because, in the past, many schools, universities, and workplaces that focused on science were built in ways that mostly supported men’s needs and roles [2]. As a result, women often face more barriers in joining or succeeding in these places. For example, women may receive less encouragement to pursue STEM careers from an early age, especially when they do not see female role models in these areas. To address this, programs at leading universities are actively encouraging more women to enter STEM jobs. One example is King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST), which became the first mixed-gender university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when it opened in 2009. By giving women the chance to study subjects they were not traditionally encouraged to study, and by providing support like scholarships, mentors, and fair rules, these universities help close the gender gap in science and technology.

Traditions and social norms in societies can often limit opportunities and resources, especially for women. Social norms are unwritten rules about how people are expected to behave, shaped by culture and history. In some places, for example, women are expected to stay home and care for the family, while men work outside the home. These expectations can make it harder for women to get an education or build a career. Sometimes people have hidden beliefs that they do not even realize they have. This is called unconscious bias, and these beliefs can affect how they treat others [3]. For example, people might wrongly assume that women are less suited for science or leadership just because of their gender [4]. As illustrated in Figure 1, the presence of women in science, education and even leadership roles provides representation that helps normalize their participation in these fields and, over time, inspires future generations to follow similar paths. Experts in social sciences such as psychology and sociology study how bias works. Their research can help create better lessons in schools, training programs, and workplace rules that support gender equality.

The Hidden Gender Inequality of Water Access

Water is one of the most important natural resources. We need it to drink, grow our food, and stay clean. But in many parts of the world, getting clean water is not easy. Without enough clean water, communities face serious problems like hunger, illness, and poverty. These problems do not affect everyone equally. In some rural areas of Ethiopia, India, or Burkina Faso, people must walk for hours just to fill a bucket of water because they live far away from cities or towns. Even in big cities, like in parts of Jakarta or Nairobi, clean water may not always reach everyone’s home. Women and girls are mostly responsible for household work, which includes collecting water for drinking and other purposes. The water they find is not always clean, making them or their families sick. Women and girls often spend a lot of time collecting water instead of playing, learning, or working toward their dreams. Figure 2 follows the daily journey of a girl who needs to collect water before she can go to class.

Scientists across the world are helping to fight gender inequalities in different ways. At the Systems Science Lab in KAUST, researchers are finding solutions to the problem of clean water access [5]. How can we use science to help identify these inequalities?

To understand how big this problem is, the team used special tools, including maps that show where people live (called geospatial mapping) and numerical information that helps find patterns (called statistical data analysis). These tools help scientists see patterns across large areas of the world, even from space (with satellite observations).

First, the study mapped out regions where clean and piped water was available. Piped water is clean water that flows through pipes directly into homes, schools, or villages, like when you turn on a tap. Then, it measured how hard it is for people in different places to find enough water to meet their daily needs. This is called water stress. Finally, the team added population information (like where women, men, and children lived) to their maps [5]. By combining all this data and studying it for 15 years (from 2000 to 2014), we saw patterns telling us where water was in short supply and how water stress and gender roles are connected.

Figure 3 compares two important pieces of this puzzle: who lives in areas with low water access, and who is responsible for collecting water. Countries like Somalia, Ghana, and Yemen are found in the top right corner of the graph. This means that in these places, not only are more girls and women living in areas with high water stress, but they are also the ones mainly collecting water [5]. Even when boys and girls live in the same water-stressed communities, girls carry the heavier responsibility of walking long distances every day to bring water home. This task takes their time away from school and limits their education. Missing out on school can shape a girl’s entire future and her children’s future. She may find it harder to get a good job, stay healthy, and support her own children’s education and health as they grow up. That is how water problems grow into bigger problems that hurt families for generations. The study indicates that even access to basic needs such as water may negatively affect girls and women for a larger portion of their life, preventing them from achieving their full potential and contributing further to society.

Thanks to scientific mapping and global data, we can now find exactly where gender water gaps are most serious. This helps leaders and international organizations know where to focus their efforts. With this information, leaders can make informed choices to fix the problem. For example, they can build small, local water systems closer to rural communities or use groundwater in a careful way that keeps water levels safe, so girls do not have to walk long distances every day. In places with dry weather or heavy rain, they can use solar-powered pumps with energy and water storage that work even when the weather is not suitable. On the governance side, policy makers can introduce community water-sharing programs that encourage men to participate in water collection or provide school-based water supply and collection points. These changes can help girls have more time to learn, play, and grow.

Conclusion

This article explored how gender inequality continues to affect girls and women in different parts of the world, especially when it comes to something as basic and essential as clean water. You learned that, in some communities, girls are the ones who must walk long distances every day just to collect water, making it harder for them to stay healthy, go to school and follow their dreams. But you also saw how science can be a powerful tool for change. By using clear data, maps, and technology, researchers could uncover hidden patterns and show how water scarcity impacts people differently. This information helps governments and international organizations see the problem clearly and make smarter decisions, like investing in roads, electricity, and piped water to support communities most at risk. It also allows for the creation of policies that protect girls’ rights, health, and education.

With science and teamwork, we can create a world where everyone has the same chances to thrive. But achieving this goal needs all of us to be part of the change. No matter who you are, you can help us get closer to reaching SDG 5. Speak up for fairness, include everyone in your activities, and treat people of both genders with respect. Learn about inspiring individuals who are using science, leadership, and creativity to make the world better, and share what you discover with others. Every small action matters, and together your choices and voice can help build a more equal future for everyone.

Glossary

Gender Equality: ↑ The idea that all people, no matter if they are boys or girls, should have the same chances in life.

Gender Gap: ↑ A difference in how boys and girls are treated in society, or in what they do, such as education, work, or daily responsibilities.

Social Norms: ↑ Unwritten rules in a community about how people should act, based on beliefs about what is acceptable and appropriate behavior.

Bias: ↑ When someone has a belief or opinion that unfairly favors one group of people over another, often without even realizing it. Bias can affect how we treat others or make decisions.

Rural Areas: ↑ Areas located far away from cities or towns, often with fewer people and more open land. People living in rural areas may have less access to education, healthcare, and clean water.

Water Stress: ↑ When there is not enough safe water for everyone’s needs in an area, often because too much water is used or there is not enough systems to supply it.

Groundwater: ↑ Water stored underground in soil and rocks that people use for drinking and farming, and which helps communities, and nature.

Conflict of Interest

The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ruben Costa and Nicki Talbot at KAUST for their invaluable support during the initial writing stage and review process, without which this collection would not have been possible. We also extend our gratitude to the KAUST Office of Sustainability and the UNDP Saudi Arabia Country Office for their dedication to raising awareness of the UN SDGs in our journey toward a more sustainable world.

AI Tool Statement

The author(s) declared that generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript. Generative AI was used to assist with refining language, improving clarity of expression, and developing illustrative figures. All AI-assisted contributions were carefully reviewed and validated by the author(s).

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