Gender equality means that people's rights, responsibilities and opportunities do not depend on their sex/gender. In other words, gender equality means the absence of gender-based discrimination. Despite legal equality, barriers may still exist in everyday life that prevent real gender equality. Gender equality is a universal human right and is enshrined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Source:

• Hammarström A, Johansson K, Annandale E, Ahlgren C, Alex L, Christianson M, et al. Central gender theoretical concepts in health research: the state of the art. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2014;68(2):185-90. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2013-202572