The world is rapidly changing. Families, and the role of women and girls within them, are also changing. Today, there is no ‘standard’ family form, nor has there ever been. In order for laws and policies to support families and meet the needs of all their members, they must evolve and adapt. Progress of the World’s Women assesses the scale and scope of transformations in family life, and their implications for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

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Gender differences arise from the socially determined relationships between men and women, and the roles that men and women play in society show similarities and differences across classes and societies. Ending hunger, reducing poverty, boosting intra-African trade, and increasing resilience to climate and other risks will require examining how gender differences affect our ability to achieve these outcomes. This means paying attention to both women and men, and not just to women alone.

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Social protection has received increased attention as a measure to reduce poverty and vulnerability and achieve social transformation, including the reduction of gender inequality. Although South Asia has made remarkable progress in terms of human development in recent years, the region still faces significant gender disparities. Discriminatory social norms and structural factors lead to the neglect of girls’ and women’s rights in all areas of life. As a result, girls and women continue to face serious challenges in terms of health, nutrition, education and employment.

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Social protection has received increased attention as a measure to reduce poverty and vulnerability and achieve social transformation, including the reduction of gender inequality.

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The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets a clear vision for action to expand coverage of social protection systems and measures for all, with a view to eradicating poverty and reducing inequality, including gender inequality. Providing access to reliable and adequate social protection over the course of people’s lives has a transformative impact on women’s and girls’ roles and opportunities in economic, social and political life, leading to positive spill over effects for their families and communities.

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Over the past decade, the World Food Programme (WFP) has increased its use of cash-based transfers (CBTs) to assist persons who are food insecure. In 2017, WFP provided 1.3 billion USD in cash transfers, up from 880 million USD in the previous year and being 30 percent of the total food assistance provided. 19.2 million people (51% females / 49% males), across 61 countries with 98 operations, were assisted through cash transfers in 2017.

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