Gender equality (also known as gender equity, gender egalitarianism, or sexual equality) is the goal of the equality of the genders or the sexes,^[1] stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.

World bodies have defined gender equality as related to human rights, especially women's rights, and economic development.^[2][3] UNICEF defines gender equality as "leveling the playing field for girls and women by ensuring that all children have equal opportunity to develop their talents."^[4] The United Nations Population Fund declared gender equality "first and foremost, a human right."^[5] "Gender equity" is one of the goals of the United Nations Millennium Project, to end world poverty by 2015; the project claims, "Every single Goal is directly related to women's rights, and societies where women are not afforded equal rights as men can never achieve development in a sustainable manner."^[3]

Thus, promoting gender equality is seen as an encouragement to greater economic prosperity.^[2] For example, nations of the Arab world that deny equality of opportunity to women were warned in a 2008 United Nations-sponsored report that this disempowerment is a critical factor crippling these nations' return to the first rank of global leaders in commerce, learning and culture.^[6]

^{--- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_equality}