when households cannot access sufficient food women are often the first to go hungry while girls are increasingly doing better in school and university than boys this has not translated into gender equality in the labour market the gender pay gap stands at per cent globally and without decisive action it will take another years to achieve equal pay while women have made important inroads into political office across the world their representation in national parliaments at per cent is still far from parity and women politicians and voters face threats and attacks persistent sexual harassment and online abuse one in five women and girls have experienced physical andor sexual violence by an intimate partner within the last months