New research in support of UN Women's HeForShe movement reveals challenge now faced by gender equality

~ Gender equality has been "demoted by war, climate change and COVID" ~

Majority believe climate change more serious than gender equality

Climate change seen as more important, yet 80% of those displaced are women

Gender equality now only ranked 10th as a most pressing issue

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Mar 08, 2022, 11:32 ET

LONDON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, TEAM LEWIS Foundation released findings from a new global survey conducted with HeForShe, UN Women's entity for engaging men and boys in support of gender equality and empowerment of women. The global study revealed the new challenges gender equality now faces.

The study shows that gender equality has lost ground to other societal issues. When asked, the public ranked gender equality as only the 10^th most pressing issue. It has been demoted by topics such as climate change and healthcare.

Climate change hurts women more.

The misconception: 53% of women think climate change affects everyone equally. For men, it's 45%
Cause for concern: Once respondents learned that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women, they expressed surprise, sadness, and disbelief. Over half (57%) said learning this information made them extremely or very concerned^¹

While three-quarters of people (77%) believe climate change is a serious issue, only 59% of people view gender equality as seriously. These statistics show there is an imbalance between the importance people place on climate change and gender equality. But these two issues have a deep connection and the effects of climate change have a detrimental impact on the progress of gender equality.

"The struggle for gender equality has been demoted by war, climate change, and COVID," said Samuel Dean, CEO of TEAM LEWIS Foundation. "This research shows that people are overlooking gender equality. Sustainability and gender equality are both important but can no longer be viewed in isolation. One way we can tackle the climate crisis is by elevating more voices. Men have a role to play by raising awareness of the link between sustainability and gender equality. The battle for gender equality cannot lose momentum."

The report reveals that while gender equality has lost ground to other societal issues, people want governments to act on gender equality. An overwhelming majority (75%) believe that women must be included in government solutions for fighting climate change.

"Gender equality needs to be a priority for all of us. This research shows that when gender inequality is highlighted, the vast majority want to take action," said Edward Wageni, global head of HeForShe. "Together we can work towards a more gender-equal and sustainable world. Men can play their part as allies by amplifying women's voices and lifting the stories of others."

To read the full report, please visit: https://www.teamlewis.com/heforshe/

Note to editors

TEAM LEWIS TEAM LEWIS is a global marketing agency built to help and inspire brands to grow. It provides a full spectrum of marketing, communications and digital services to deliver tangible business impact for clients. The company has over 650 staff across 24 offices throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

HeForShe
Created by UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, HeForShe is a solidarity movement for gender equality that invites men and boys as allies for a more equal world. HeForShe provides a systematic approach and targeted platform where a global audience can engage and become change agents for the achievement of gender equality in our lifetime. The movement invites people around the world to stand together as equal partners to craft a shared vision of a gender-equal world and implement specific, locally relevant solutions for the good of all of humanity. For more information, visit: www.HeForShe.org/en.

Research Methodology
The survey was conducted by TEAM LEWIS Foundation to understand people's perceptions on the disproportionate impact climate change has on women. TEAM LEWIS Foundation surveyed the general population aged 18 and above across a balanced and diverse group of ages, races, and gender. A total number 8,002 respondents were surveyed across numerous countries including, the US, UK, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Brazil, UAE, Israel, and Singapore. The survey was fielded from February 11^th until March 2^nd, 2022. Respondents were independently sourced from two vendors, OpinionRoute and Dynata.