The 3 Gs of Progress: Growth, Gender Gap, and GDP

The challenges before humanity are, and always have been, to uphold the sanctity of life in equal form without any discrimination, whether based on race, religion, nationality, color, or gender. This paper investigates one such practice affecting half of the world's population: the presence of a gender gap in employment. Social and religious practices are barriers that women need to overcome to reduce the gender gap. Liberal societies have fewer barriers and a lower gender gap but still face problems of sexual harassment in varying magnitudes, depending on the prevailing social and psychological stigmas in those societies. The current research discusses how Islamic and developing countries can benefit from women's employment and how their contribution can boost GDP, especially by exploring opportunities in developing countries. It also elaborates on how the fear of sexual harassment affects socio-religious cohesion and contributes to the gender gap.