A/HRC/38/46 educational achievements worldwide have not always translated into corresponding leadership positions or even equality in the economic field. While more women have entered the workforce, they still represent only 49 per cent of working age women, 23 against 75 per cent of working age men.24 Globally, the gender pay gap still stands at 23 per cent.25 Women often have access only to vulnerable forms of employment; the majority of women in developing countries are employed in the informal sector or in family businesses, and do not always receive wages directly. In countries where women’s income mainly comes from agricultural activities, they generally have very limited ownership of land. 26 40. While women’s economic empowerment has proven to be among the least controversial issues relating to gender equality, the underlying cultural, social and political causes of economic inequality have not been successfully and fundamentally tackled. Women’s economic and social rights will never be fulfilled if the necessary infrastructure for care services, enforcement of equal pay for work of equal value, and regulation of women’s labour rights in the informal sector, in which many women are employed globally, are not put in place. Political and public participation 41. Throughout its work, the Working Group has showed that globally, women remain underrepresented in all branches and at all levels of government. The percentage of women parliamentarians around the world still stands at only 23 per cent and only 17 per cent of Heads of State or Government are women. 27 Women are also underrepresented in international and regional entities,28 and their voices and concerns are often omitted from peace agreements and rebuilding strategies. The Working Group has recognized that democratic deficits, poverty and social exclusion, inequality in the family, violence and stereotyping are all persistent barriers to women’s full enjoyment of their rights to political participation (see A/HRC/23/50). 42. The Working Group has also expressed growing concern regarding the unique challenges faced by women human rights defenders around the world, driven by deep-rooted discrimination against women and stereotypes about which roles are “appropriate” for women in society. Today’s rising fundamentalisms of all kinds, coupled with political populism, unchecked authoritarian rule and disproportionate focus on corporate profits over human rights, have altogether intensified the obstacles defenders face. For instance, those working on rights contested by fundamentalist groups (women’s sexual and reproductive rights) and those denouncing the actions of extractive industries and businesses face a heightened risk of violence, including murder.29 Taking stock 43. During the first six years of the mandate, the experts have identified the fact that, of the many obstacles to gender equality that women face throughout their life cycle, the areas of family, culture and sexual and reproductive rights remain the most significant challenges and are those in which there has been a backlash against gains in women’s equality. The Working Group regrets that women’s economic empowerment and political participation are too often tackled as isolated issues. The interdependence of human rights cannot be overlooked: persistent discrimination in family, cultural and sexual and reproductive rights have a debilitating impact on women’s capacity to claim equal standing in all aspects of life. This selective approach towards discrimination against women is an unfortunate practice by States and within the United Nations system, and is a core problem affecting the way gender equality is addressed and a major obstacle to sustainable progress. Without eliminating 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 See https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.NE.ZS?view=chart. See https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.MA.NE.ZS?view=chart. See http://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/infographic/changingworldofwork/en/index.html. See www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Women/WG/Womenslandright.pdf. See www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2017/4/women-in-politics-2017-map. See www.gqualcampaign.org/home/. See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WGWomen/Pages/WomenHumanRightsDefenders Gender.aspx.