According to a recent report by The United Nations, ‘the world is retreating from gender equality’.  

The report also explains that four years away from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline in 2030, ‘none of the gender equality targets are on track’.  

Women make up half of the world’s population and therefore hold half of its potential, which is why gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessity to achieve a sustainable world.  

They face the barriers of gender inequality across all aspects of life, particularly the gender pay gap.   

According to the Office for National Statistics, median hourly pay for full-time employees was 6.8% less for women (who now represent one in three UK entrepreneurs) than for men in April 2025.  

The Government’s 2024 Small Business Survey of the UK’s small and medium sized businesses with employees states that only 14% of these enterprises are led by women.  

Furthermore, a 2025 report by Beauhurst and Invest in Women Taskforce highlights that female entrepreneurs are extremely under-resourced.  

The report states that less than 2% of equity investment currently goes into fully female founded businesses.  

Given the UN’s delay to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals and these statistics, it begs the question, will there ever be gender equality?