SDG5 Gender Balance Progress Implementation; A Comparative Study of Romania and The Netherlands
Keywords:
SDG5; sustainable development; goalsAbstract
Gender balance is an important vector for the wellbeing of all societies. The objective of this paper is to determine how SDG5 is applied in Romania and The Netherlands from a legislation perspective and, at the same time to understand the evolution of the implementation of SDG5 gender balance . To achieve the objective, data provided by the United Nations annual reports Sustainable development Goals for a time span of 23 years (2000 to 2023) were analyzed for the selected countries and compared to the EU average. Moreover the evolutiuon of legislation was analised in a comparative manner.Our results show that Romania is still underperforming compared to The Netherlands in many aspects but at the same time the progress can’t be denied, historically speaking. One of the values added to this paper is the cross-country comparison of the indicators based on which SDG5 is measured at EU level.
References
*** (2015). The Policy on Gender Equality in the Netherlands. Retrieved from
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/519227/IPOL_IDA(2015)519227_EN.pdf, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2015b). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations, New York.
*** (2016). Combating Violence against women, Romania. European Institute for Gender Equality. Retrieved from
08.2024.
*** (2017). Report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/16109Netherlands.pdf, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2018). Law no. 178 from 17 July 2018, published in Romanian Official Monitor no. 627 from 19 July 2018. Retrieved
from https://legislatie.just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocument/202771, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2018). Romania’s sustainable development Strategy 2030. Retrieved from
08.2024.
*** (2020). National action plan for greater diversity and inclusion in higher education and research. Retrieved from
and-research, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2020). Romania country profile - SDGs and the environment. European Environment Agency. Retrieved from
romania-country-profile-sdgs-and.
*** (2022). Gender Mainstreaming Approach, Romania. European Institute for Gender Equality. Retrieved from
https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/countries/romania, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2022). Gender Mainstreaming Approach, The Netherlands. European Institute for Gender Equality. Retrieved from
https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/countries/netherlands, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2022). Netherlands Spencer Stuart Board Index. Retrieved from https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-andinsight/
netherlands-board-index/diversity, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2022). The ESF+ in Romania. Retrieved from https://european-social-fund-plus.ec.europa.eu/en/support-yourcountry/
esf-romania, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2022). The ESF+ in the Netherlands. Retrieved from https://european-social-fund-plus.ec.europa.eu/en/support-yourcountry/
esf-netherlands, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2023). Shadow Report SDG. Retrieved from https://womensmajorgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Shadow-
Report-SDG-2023-Romanian-civil-society.pdf, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2023). Sustainable Development Report. Retrieved from https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/.
*** (2024). International Women’s Day: what is the Netherlands doing to improve the position of women worldwide?
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands. Retrieved from https://www.government.nl/latest/weblogs/the-work-of-theministry-
of-foreign-affairs/2024/womens-day-what-does-the-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-do, date: 26.08.2024.
*** (2024). Sustainable Development Report. Retrieved from
https://s3.amazonaws.com/sustainabledevelopment.report/2024/sustainable-development-report-2024.pdf.
*** (2024). The Woman Entrepreneur Programme, Interreg Europe. Retrieved from https://www.interregeurope.eu/goodpractices/
the-woman-entrepreneur-programme, date: 26.08.2024.
*** Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. United Nations. Retrieved from
https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal5#targets_and_indicators.
*** Gender Equality in Academia and Research - GEAR tool. European Institute for Gender Equality. Retrieved from
https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/toolkits/gear/legislative-policybackgrounds/
netherlands?language_content_entity=en, date: 26.08.2024.
*** Legea nr. 02/2002 privind egalitatea de şanse şi de tratament între femei și bărbați, cu modificările și completările
ulterioare/ Law no. 02/2002 on equal opportunities and treatment between women and men, with subsequent amendments
and additions. Retrieved from https://anes.gov.ro/legislatie-nationala-egalitatea-de-sanse/.
*** Planul de egalitate de gen elaborat de Secretariatul General al Guvernului 2023-2027/ The gender equality plan
developed by the General Secretariat of the Government 2023-2027. Retrieved from https://sgg.gov.ro/1/wpcontent/
uploads/2024/02/Plan-egalitate-de-gen-23.02.2024.pdf.
*** Raportul de monitorizare independentă al Rețelei pentru prevenirea și combaterea violenței împotriva femeilor/
Independent Monitoring Report of the Network to Prevent and Combat Violence Against Women. Retrieved from
*** SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. UN Women. Retrieved from
https://www.unwomen.org/en/node/36060.
*** Strategia națională pentru dezvoltare durabilă/ National strategy for sustainable development. Government of Romania.
Retrieved from https://dezvoltaredurabila.gov.ro/.
*** Women’s labour force participation. Government of the Netherlands. Retrieved from
https://www.government.nl/topics/gender-equality/womens-labour-force-participation.
Aizenberg, E. & Hanegraaff, M. (2020). Time is of the essence: A longitudinal study on business presence in political news
in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 25(2), 281-300.
Ala-Mantila, M. & Fleischmann, F. (2018). Gender differences in labour market integration trajectories of recently arrived
migrants in the Netherlands. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(11), 1818-1840.
Anderson, B. & Braunstein, E. (2013). Economic growth and employment from 1990-2010: explaining elasticities by gender.
Review of Radical Political Economics, 45(3), 269-277.
Andrén, D. & Andrén, T. (2015). Gender and occupational wage gaps in Romania: from planned equality to market
inequality? IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, 4, 1-27.
Asadisarvestani, K. & Hulsbergen, M. (2024). Experiences with family planning and abortion services during the Covid-19
pandemic: a qualitative study in Bangladesh, Iran and Netherlands. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 31.
Badel, A. & Goyal, R. (2024). When will global gender gaps close? Economics Letters, 237, 111544.
Bărbieru, M. (2023). Women in Romanian Politics between Desideratum and Historical Reality. Епохи, 31(2), 393-405.
Beloskar, V. D., Haldar, A., & Gupta, A. (2024). Gender equality and women’s empowerment: A bibliometric review of the
literature on SDG 5 through the management lens. Journal of Business Research, 172, 114442.
Bendels, M. H., Müller, R., Brueggmann, D., & Groneberg, D. A. (2018). Gender disparities in high-quality research
revealed by Nature Index journals. PloS one, 13(1), 189136.
Bertocchi, G. & Bozzano, M. (2015). Family structure and the education gender gap: evidence from Italian provinces. CESifo
Economic Studies, 61(1), 263-300.
Binazzi, A. (2019). Migrations and girl child rights in Europe. An anthropological perspective for agenda 2030 SDG5
implementation. Collectivus, Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 6(2), 13-32.
Black, B., Trainor, M., & Spencer, J. E. (1999). Wage protection systems, segregation and gender pay inequalities: West
Germany, the Netherlands and Great Britain. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 23(4), 449-464.
Bonini, S. & Swartz, S. (2014). Profits with purpose: How organizing for sustainability can benefit the bottom line.
McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from
urpose/Profits%20with%20Purpose.pdf, date: 21.07.2024.
Chu, A. & Westerheijden, D. F. (2018). Between quality and control: what can we learn from higher education quality
assurance policy in the Netherlands. Quality in higher education, 24(3), 260-270.
Chung, H. & Van der Lippe, T. (2020). Flexible working, work–life balance, and gender equality: Introduction. Social
indicators research, 151(2), 365-381.
Cornwall, A. & Rivas, A. M. (2015). From “gender equality” and “women’s empowerment” to global justice: reclaiming a
transformative agenda for gender and development. Third World Quarterly, 36(2), 396-415.
Cromer, B. A. & McCarthy, M. (1999). Family planning services in adolescent pregnancy prevention: the views of key
informants in four countries. Family Planning Perspectives, 287-293.
De Coning, C. (2018). Sustaining Peace: Can a new approach change the UN? Global Governance Spotlight. Retrieved from
https://theglobalobservatory.org/2018/04/sustaining-peace-can-new-approach-change-un/, date: 26.08.2024.
de Ruijter, J. M. & Huffman, M. L. (2003). Gender composition effects in the Netherlands: a multilevel analysis of
occupational wage inequality. Social Science Research, 32(2), 312-334.
Del Baldo, M., Tiron-Tudor, A., & Faragalla, W. A. (2018). Women’s role in the accounting profession: A comparative study
between Italy and Romania. Administrative Sciences, 9(1), 2.
Dilli, S. & Boter, C. (2024). AU‐shaped curve of female entrepreneurs? The development of women’s entrepreneurship in the
Netherlands, 1899-2020. The Economic History Review, 7(3).
Doherty, B. (2018). Gender equality and women’s empowerment through fair trade social enterprise: case of divine chocolate
and Kuapa Kokoo. Entrepreneurship and the sustainable development goals, vol. 8, 151-163. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Drumea, C., Băcanu, B., Anton, C. E., Litra, A. V., Busuioceanu, S., & Doroș, A. (2020). Gender parity within the gender—
sustainability paradigm: A case study on management structures of the Romanian academia. Sustainability, 12(3), 1032.
Dutta, N. & Mallick, S. (2018). Enabling women entrepreneurs: Exploring factors that mitigate the negative impact of
fertility rates on female entrepreneurship. Kyklos: The International Review for Social Sciences, 71(3), 402-432.
England, P., Levine, A., & Mishel, E. (2020). Progress toward gender equality in the United States has slowed or stalled.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(13), 6990-6997.
Escamilla-Solano, S., Paule-Vianez, J., & Blanco-González, A. (2022). Disclosure of gender policies: do they affect business
performance? Heliyon, 8(1).
Fernandes, A. P. & Ferreira, P. (2021). Executives’ gender pay gap and financing constraints. Journal of Economic Behavior
and Organization, 192, 381-404.
Fransen, E., Plantenga, J., & Vlasblom, J. D. (2012). Why do women still earn less than men? Decomposing the Dutch
gender pay gap, 1996–2006. Applied Economics, 44(33), 4343-4354.
Fuchs, M., Rossen, A., Weyh, A., & Wydra‐Somaggio, G. (2021). Where do women earn more than men? Explaining
regional differences in the gender pay gap. Journal of Regional Science, 61(5), 1065-1086.
Gariba, M. I. & Prokop, V. (2024). Does Women in Politics and Income Inequality Affect Social and Economic Well-Being?
Insights from OECD Countries. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 1-22.
Gaweł, A. & Mroczek-Dąbrowska, K. (2022). Gender pay gap in explaining female entrepreneurship–industry perspective of
selected European countries. International Journal of Manpower, 43(9), 42-59.
Gërxhani, K. (2020). Status ranking and gender inequality: A cross-country experimental comparison. Research in Social
Stratification and Mobility, 65, p.100474.
Griffin, D., Li, K., & Xu, T. (2021). Board gender diversity and corporate innovation: International evidence. Journal of
Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 56(1), 123-154.
Hellwig, F., Moreira, L. R., Silveira, M. F., Vieira, C. S., Rios-Quituizaca, P. B., Masabanda, M., Serucaca, J., Rudasingwa,
S., Nyandwi, A., Mulu, S., & Rashad, H. (2024). Policies for expanding family planning coverage: lessons from five
successful countries. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1339725.
Henry, C., Orser, B., Coleman, S., Foss, L., & Welter, F. (2017). Women’s entrepreneurship policy: a 13-nation crosscountry
comparison. Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Growth of Women’s Entrepreneurship, pp. 244-278. Edward Elgar
Publishing.
Huang, J., Gates, A. J., Sinatra, R., & Barabási, A. L. (2020). Historical comparison of gender inequality in scientific careers
across countries and disciplines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(9), 4609-4616.
Hutson, A. C., Shufeldt, G., & Vinci, C. (2023). State-Level Policies, Descriptive Representation, and the Gender Pay Gap,
-2019. Gender Issues, 40(2), 185-205.
Ian, M. (1991). The Brundtland Report and Sustainable Development in New Zealand. Canterbury, New Zealand: Lincoln
University, Centre for Resource Management.
Iancu, A. (2021). Increasing women’s political representation in post-communism: party nudges and financial corrections in
Romania. East European Politics, 37(4), 598-616.
Ionescu, G. H., Firoiu, D., Tănasie, A., Sorin, T., Pîrvu, R., & Manta, A. (2020). Assessing the Achievement of the SDG
Targets for Health and Well-Being at EU Level by 2030. Sustainability, 12(14), 5829.
Istrate, M., Horea-Șerban, R. I., & Stoleriu, O. M. (2016). Labour Force, Gender and Regional Disparities in Romanian
Agriculture. 3rd International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference on Social Science and Arts SGEM 2016, pp. 387-394.
Jakešević, R. & Luša, Đ. (2021). Breaking the Glass Ceiling: the Role of the UN and the EU in Promoting Women in
Politics. Politička misao: časopis za politologiju, 58(2), 33-63.
Jančovič, P. (2022). Cluster Analysis of European Union Member States Performance in Terms of SDG Indicators.
Proceedings of the 23rd International Scientific Conference, Medzinárodné vzťahy 2022: Aktuálne otázky svetovej
ekonomiky a politiky/ /International Relations 2022: Current Issues in World Economy and Politics. Bratislava, Slovakia.
Je, J. S. & Yang, E. C. L. (2023). Gender equality reporting in tourism. A Research Agenda for Gender and Tourism, pp. 63-
Edward Elgar Publishing.
Jordan, A. & Wilson, A. D. (2023). A comprehensive overview by region of condoms, natural family planning, and
spermicide as a contraceptive method among men aged 13-54 years attending contraceptive services in England. Public
Health, 219, 110-116.
Jung, J., Lippényi, Z., & Mun, E. (2022). Workplace volatility and gender inequality: a comparison of the Netherlands and
South Korea. Socio-Economic Review, 20(4), 1679-1740.
Kern, A., Reinsberg, B., & Lee, C. (2024). The unintended consequences of IMF programs: Women left behind in the labor
market. The Review of International Organizations, 1-27.
Khoudja, Y. & Platt, L. (2018). Labour market entries and exits of women from different origin countries in the UK. Social
Science Research, 69, 1-18.
Kuc-Czarnecka, M., Markowicz, I., & Sompolska-Rzechuła, A. (2023). SDGs implementation, their synergies, and trade-offs
in EU countries-Sensitivity analysis-based approach, Ecological Indicators, 146, 109888.
Kumar, S., Kumar, N., & Vivekadhish, S. (2016). Millennium development goals (MDGS) to sustainable development goals
(SDGS): Addressing unfinished agenda and strengthening sustainable development and partnership, Indian Journal of
Community Medicine, 41(1).
Langnel, Z., Amegavi, G. B., & Agomor, K. S. (2021). Environmental degradation and female economic inclusion in sub-
Saharan Africa: Effort towards Sustainable Development Goal 5. Development Southern Africa, 38(5), 717-730.
Lucchese, M., Di Carlo, F., Aversano, N., Sannino, G., &Tartaglia Polcini, P. (2022). Gender Reporting Guidelines in Italian
Public Universities for Assessing SDG 5 in the International Context. Administrative Sciences, 12(2), 45.
Milner, S. (2019). Gender pay gap reporting regulations: advancing gender equality policy in tough economic times. British
Politics, 14(2), 121-140.
Monteiro, A. P., García-Sánchez, I. M., & Aibar-Guzmán, B. (2022). Labour practice, decent work and human rights
performance and reporting: The impact of women managers. Journal of Business Ethics, 180(2), 523-542.
Mügge, L. M. & Erzeel, S. (2016). Double jeopardy or multiple advantage? Intersectionality and political representation.
Parliamentary Affairs, 69(3), 499-511.
Murphy, S. A., Fisher, P. A., & Robie, C. (2021). International comparison of gender differences in the five-factor model of
personality: An investigation across 105 countries. Journal of Research in Personality, 90, 104047.
Muteesasira, E., Akampumuza, D., Abaho, D., Nuwasasira, L., & Kumakech, E. (2024). Predictors for the utilization of
community support systems against intimate partner violence among married women living with HIV in southwestern
Uganda—A cross sectional study. PLoS one, 19(2).
Neagu, A. M., Pavaloiu, B. I., & Dragoi, G. (2016), Female Entrepreneurship in Romania, a Higher Education Perspective.
Innovation management, development sustainability, and competitive economic growth, I-VII, 2408-2418.
Nichita, E. M., Nechita, E., Manea, C. L., Manea, D., & Irimescu, A. M. (2020). Reporting on Sustainable Development
Goals. A score-based approach with company-level evidence from Central-Eastern Europe economies. Accounting and
Management Information Systems, 19(3), 502-542.
Niestroy, I. (2016). How are we getting ready? The 2030 agenda for sustainable development in the EU and its member
states: analysis and action so far, discussion paper No. 9/2016. Retrieved from https://www.idos-research.de/discussionpaper/
article/how-are-we-getting-ready-the-2030-agenda-for-sustainable-development-in-the-eu-and-its-member-statesanalysis-
and-action-so-far/, date: 28.08.2024.
Olga-Odetta, D. U. M. A., Petrariu, F. D., Gavrilescu, M. C., & Manole, M. (2018). Achievements within the millennium
development goal number 5-maternal health-in Romania. The Medical-Surgical Journal, 122(4), 813-818.
Pantelopoulos, G. (2022). Higher education, gender, and foreign direct investment: evidence from OECD countries. Industry
and Higher Education, 36(1), 86-93.
Papenfuß, U., Van Genugten, M., De Kruijf, J., & Van Thiel, S. (2018). Implementation of EU initiatives on gender diversity
and executive directors’ pay in municipally owned enterprises in Germany and The Netherlands. Public Money and
Management, 38(2), 87-96.
Pas, D. J. V. D., Aaldering, L., & Steenvoorden, E. (2022). Gender bias in political candidate evaluation among voters: The
role of party support and political gender attitudes. Frontiers in Political Science, 4, 921252.
Pereira, E. (2019). Gender Inequalities in the Workplace: The Effects on Wages in European Member States. International
Conference on Gender Research, pp. 480-XXI. Academic Conferences International Limited.
Persson, M., Schakel, W., & Sundell, A. (2024). A Man’s World? The Policy Representation of Women and Men in a
Comparative Perspective. Perspectives on Politics, 22(1), 11-27.
Pinxten, R., Vandervieren, E., & Janssenswillen, P. (2020). Does integrating natural selection throughout upper secondary
biology education result in a better understanding? A cross-national comparison between Flanders, Belgium and the
Netherlands. International Journal of Science Education, 42(10), 1609-1634.
Pizzi, S., Rosati, F., & Venturelli, A. (2021). The determinants of business contribution to the 2030 Agenda: Introducing the
SDG Reporting Score. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(1), 404-421
Poortman, A. R. & Kalmijn, M. (2002). Women’s labour market position and divorce in the Netherlands: Evaluating
economic interpretations of the work effect. European Journal of Population/Revue europeenne de demographie, 18, 175-
Rada, C. (2014). Family planning in Romania: A cross-sectional study of knowledge, practice and attitudes. International
Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine and Public Health, 6(9), 260.
Roibu, I. & Roibu, P. A. (2016). Barriers to women entrepreneurship: a comparative analysis between South Korea and
Romania. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Philologica, 8(1), 183-203.
Roy, C. K. & Xiaoling, H. (2022). Achieving SDG 5, gender equality and empower all women and girls, in developing
countries: how aid for trade can help? International Journal of Social Economics, 49(6), 930-959.
Sachs, J. D., Lafortune, G., & Full, G. (2024). The SDGs and the UN Summit of the Future. Sustainable Development Report
Dublin, Ireland: Dublin University Press.
Saha, T. & Singh, P. (2024). Role of labor market dynamics in influencing global female labor force participation. Journal of
Economic Studies.
Saha, T. (2024). Gender and Energy Transition: How do Political Risk and Regulation Matter? Politická ekonomie, 72(2),
-330.
Salinas-Rodríguez, A., Fernández-Niño, J. A., Rivera-Almaraz, A., & Manrique-Espinoza, B. (2024). Intrinsic capacity
trajectories and socioeconomic inequalities in health: the contributions of wealth, education, gender, and ethnicity.
International Journal for Equity in Health, 23(1), 48.
Salvagni, J., Colomby, R. K., & Menezes, D. B. (2023). As mulheres na política: sub-representação, relações de poder e
dominação masculina. Temas y Debates, 46, 73-93.
Scarborough, W. J., Sin, R., & Risman, B. (2019). Attitudes and the stalled gender revolution: Egalitarianism, traditionalism,
and ambivalence from 1977 through 2016. Gender and Society, 33(2), 173-200.
Schoonheim, M. & Hülsken, M. (2011). Religion and fertility at the extremes: The Netherlands and Taiwan, 1950–1985. The
History of the Family, 16(3), 267-277.
Senderowicz, L. & Maloney, N. (2022). Supply‐Side versus Demand‐Side unmet need: implications for family planning
programs. Population and Development Review, 48(3), 689-722.
Sharma, D. & Behera, D. K. (2023). Can Female Political Representation Impact Female Labour Force Participation Rate? A
Study across Indian States using Fixed Effect Panel Data Model. The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 1-13.
Showkat, M., Nagina, R., Nori, U., Baba, M. A., & Shah, M. A. (2024). Empowering women in the digital age: can digital
financial services fulfil the promise of financial autonomy and gender equality in the attainment of Sustainable Development
Goal 5? Cogent Economics and Finance, 12(1), 2342459.
Stabile, B., Grant, A., Purohit, H., & Harris, K. (2019). Sex, lies, and stereotypes: Gendered implications of fake news for
women in politics. Public Integrity, 21(5), 491-502.
Todos, I. (2022). Devoltarea sustenabilă a afacerii din perspectiva integrării criteriilor de mediu, social și de guvernanță/
Sustainable business development from the perspective of integrating environmental, social and governance criteria. Revista
Economica, 4, 7-15.
van Mensvoort, C., Kraaykamp, G., Meuleman, R., & van den Brink, M. (2021). A cross-country comparison of gender
traditionalism in business leadership: how supportive are female supervisors? Work, Employment and Society, 35(4), 793-
Vila, S. F., Miotto, G., & Rodríguez, J. R. (2021). Cultural Sustainability and the SDGs: Strategies and Priorities in the
European Union Countries. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 10(2), 73-90.
Wes & Chilera (2023) Hidden in plain sight: The case of gender-based violence in Romania.World Bank Blogs. Retrieved
from https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/investinpeople/hidden-plain-sight-case-gender-based-violence-romania, date:
08.2024.
Widuto, A. (2020). Sustainable Development Goals in EU Region. European Parliamentary Research Service, policy paper.
Retrieved from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2020/659415/EPRS_BRI(2020)659415_EN.pdf.
Zhan, Z., Li, Y., Mei, H., & Lyu, S. (2023). Key competencies acquired from STEM education: gender-differentiated
parental expectations. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 1-10.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Widad Atena Faragalla, Bianca Cuibus
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The author fully assumes the content originality and the holograph signature makes him responsible in case of trial.