Facts about women’s position in the world

Icebreakers for classroom discussions on equality and the status of women around the world.

About the project

Equality - Activism

Connection to Education Policy:Social skills

Type of material: Supplementary content

Target audience: Students and staff aged 9-16

Topics: gender equality, mental and social well-being,

Several reasons we observe International Women's Day on March 8 each year and the global situation for women in 2019

  • 62 million girls worldwide do not have access to education
  • Each year, about 15 million girls under the age of 18 are married without having a say in the matter
  • 4 out of every 5 victims of human trafficking in the world are girls and women
  • It is estimated that up to 70% of people in low-wage jobs worldwide are women
  • In the United Kingdom, working mothers on average spend 15 hours a week on household chores while fathers spend about 5 hours
  • Worldwide, women earn lower wages than men for the same or comparable jobs
  • In Pakistan, about 500 women a year are victims of honor killings
  • In Egypt, nearly half of rape victims are murdered because of the immense shame the rape brings to the victim's family
  • 150-300 women are subjected to acid attacks each year in Bangladesh
  • In Nigeria, nearly 15% of those who need medical assistance for sexually transmitted diseases are girls under the age of 5
  • 1 in 4 men in South Africa has had intercourse with a girl under the age of 18 against her will (raped her)
  • Between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) with no medical justification behind the practice
  • A sexual assault occurs in the United States on average every 2.5 minutes
  • 1 in 6 women worldwide has been a victim of sexual violence
  • Worldwide, female prime ministers or presidents make up nearly 7%
  • In Iceland, women make up just under 12% of CEOs in larger companies.
  • No woman is the CEO of a company on the Icelandic stock market.