Genital mutilation, sexual assault, gender pay gap: the reality of women’s lives globally

The story of women is often told through numbers. Reports and studies tell us how much less money women make than men, how much more unusual it is for girls to go to school than for boys, or how much less likely women are to hold elected office or run companies than men.

Those analyses are important, but they can sometimes obscure the deeper truths of women’s experience.

We know 62 million girls are not in school. Why is that the case, and how can we do better? We are told one in five women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. How accurate are those numbers, and what can they really tell us about safety? We have heard women outlive men, often by a decade or more. What does life look like after a partner dies?

Here are some of the stories behind those numbers.

Bans – and growing disapproval – are not stopping female genital mutilation

For millions of girls, one of the first serious threats they will encounter in their lives is female genital mutilation (FGM). Typically carried out by community leaders or midwives, the practice is often seen as a rite of passage for young girls and is most prevalent in parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. But it can be deadly, or lead to serious health complications, including chronic kidney infections, painful sex and difficulties in childbirth.

The World Health Organization defines FGM as any procedure that involves the “partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”. Despite having no medical benefits, the practice has been inflicted upon at least 200 million women and girls.