Page 98 - Vimarsha Volume 2

Denying people, the freedom to choose their path in life because of their gender
prevents them from fulfilling their full potential. Gender discrimination describes the

situation in which people are treated differently simple because they are male or
female, rather than on the basis of their individual skills or capability. Anyway,
gender equality is at the very heart of human rights and United Nations values. A

fundamental principle of the United Nations Charter adopted by world leaders in
1945 is "equal rights of men and women", and protecting and promoting women's

human rights is the responsibility of all States. The High Commissioner for Human
Rights recently pledged to be a Geneva Gender Champion committing to advance
gender equality in OHCHR and in international fora. (United Nations Human Rights,

n.d.) According to the statistics of The World Economic Forum, Iceland is the
country with the narrowest gender gap in the world the global gender gap is measured

across four key areas: health, education, work and politics.

Picture number 01: The Global Gender Gap Index Ranking, 2020

Source: The World Economic Forum.:2020

3. What are the Cultural Norms?

Cultural norms play a significant role as a source of gender discrimination. Before
understanding about cultural norms, first it is needed to know what culture is. Culture

distinguishes man from beast and one human group from another. It’s a set of
principles which administrate the way people behave. It’s a broad concept. “Culture

83