The goal that interests me the most is number three, promote gender equality and empower women. The specific target for this goal is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005, and in all levels of education by 2015. We have achieved worldwide equality between girls and boys in primary education, but very few countries have yet to achieve that type of equality in higher levels of education. Beyond education, women in many countries still face discrimination in work, as well as participation in any type of government decision making.
Poverty is the main barrier between girls and secondary education. Girls in rural ares are dealing with cultural and financial restrictions when it comes to education. In Somalia a program supported by UNICEF is providing girls with scholarships in order to encourage them to pursue education.
To encourage female participation in politics, Uruguay has begun to require that women make up at least 30% of parliament. (That's almost twice the percentage of US women who held seats in congress in 2014.) In 2012 UN Women held a training program for young female politicians in Uruguay. The women spent time with politicians, who acted as tutors for the women to prepare them for candidacy.
I find the issue of gender equality interesting because as a female, I am directly affected.While equal education is not really an issue in the United States, American women are still facing barriers in the workplace and in government. Women working full-time only earn about 77% of what their male counterparts earn, and only 18.5% of congress is made up women.
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