5 – GENDER EQUALITY
While the world has worked hard towards gender equality in areas such as equal access to primary education for girls and boys, women and girls continue to suffer from disadvantages. What do these disadvantages look like? They come in many forms, for example in some countries, girls are not sent to school but must help at home with housework, some girls are being married before they are 18 years old, women earn less money than men for the same job and are not equally represented in governments.
Providing women and girls with equal access to schools, medical services, well-paid work, and a role in politics will benefit society and humanity at large. We need laws to ensure equality in all these areas and end harmful practices targeting women to stop all gender-based discrimination which still exists in many countries.
Our new reading lists cover many of these topics and show brave girls and boys standing up for gender equality rights, so that everyone can enjoy the same opportunities.
The SDG Book Club makes content available in the six official languages of the United Nations – please see our other pages for more recommendations in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.
On the importance of reading
Malala
Malala’s autobiography is immediately accessible to all ages, as it is written in an engaging style. Malala connects the reader to her life and her loving family before the shooting. She captures the wide reach of trauma that the incident caused, as well as her desire to live beyond her attack. The book is a good choice to address SDG 5, as it illustrates powerfully that the fight remains relevant and necessary for realising basic human rights for women and girls to have equal access to education, and the consequent access to opportunities for economic, social and political development. Malala’s story illustrates why the fight to ensure the eradication of harmful practices targeted at women is crucial to ending gender-based discrimination prevalent in many countries around the world.
Author: Malala Yousafzai | ISBN: 9781526361592 | Publisher: Hachette Childrens Group
Bright sparks – amazing discoveries, inventions and designs by women
A beautifully designed compendium of women achievers, across time and in diverse fields. The reader is shown the impact these women have had on the world. While I think it a pity that photographs of the women weren’t included where possible, I think the graphic design and drawings will make this very appealing to tweens, and even younger readers (although the vocabulary would require some explanation to the very younger readers). The glossary of terms that accompanies each biography and section is very user-friendly for the older reader. This book addresses SDG 5 as it highlights in a unique style, the contribution women have made, which provides factual support in arguing for an end to gender discrimination that denies women equal access to education, and all that follows. The book illustrates why allowing women opportunities enriches all humanity.
Author and illustrator: Owen O’Doherty | ISBN: 9781788490542 | Publisher: O’Brien Press
Reading is a great way to better understand what people from across the globe struggle with in their everyday lives, and it helps us reflect on our own situation. But reading is just the first step: now it’s time to share your book club experiences and how you plan to take action. Each month, we will feature a couple of book clubs on our blog, so get ready to share your story through social media, by using #SDGBookClub and tagging @UNPublications.
We encourage you to host book club meetings around the world and share your photos via hashtag #SDGBookClub. If you would like to organize a public book club meeting, we recommend contacting your local book store, library or school and set it up with them. Please share the planned event on social media using #SDGBookClub and we will add it to the list of events. Click the button below to download our tips to organize a successful event!
Help us spread the word by downloading our promotional materials. You will find a horizontal banner, bookmark, placard and easy-to-print sign-up sheet for your friends, family and community to join the SDG Book Club!
The International Publishers Association (IPA) is a federation of publishing associations from around the world. The main mandate of the IPA is to promote and defend copyright, support the freedom to publish, promote literacy and reading. IPA is an accredited NGO in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN. IPA supports the SDGs and works particularly closely with WIPO and UNESCO.
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. Founded in 1927 in Edinburgh, Scotland at an international conference, we celebrated our 90th birthday in 2017. We now have more than 1,300 Members in nearly 150 countries around the world. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in 1971.
The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is a non-profit organization that represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together. Today IBBY comprises 79 National Sections worldwide.
The European & International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) represents national booksellers associations in the European Union and beyond. EIBF Members in turn have in membership booksellers of all kinds: brick and mortar bookshops, online bookshops, independents, chains.
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) is the most important international trade fair of the children’s publishing industry. With over 50 years of experience, BCBF has succeeded in bringing together a unique and diverse global audience: the result is the world’s premium copyright business hub when it comes to publishing with an extra core that extends to all multi-media content for children.