12 cartoons that show men, women aren't as equal as we think

What do you get when you ask art students from all around the world to depict what they think about gender equality in a cartoon? Greatness, that's what. You also get cartoons, not two, five or eight, 12 comic sketches and cartoons that aptly describe different faces of 'everyday' gender inequality.

What do you get when you ask art students from all around the world to depict what they think about gender equality in a cartoon? Greatness, that's what. You also get cartoons, not two, five or eight, 12 comic sketches and cartoons that aptly describe different faces of 'everyday' gender inequality.

What do you get when you ask art students from all around the world to depict what they think about gender equality in a cartoon? Greatness, that's what. (UN)

The UN (United Nations) Women along with European Commission, the Belgian Development Cooperation and UNRIC did just that. The groups organised a competition to find the best comics around the world with a simple rule: Depict what gender equality means to them. In the process, they also managed to show that gender inequality effects everyone – men and women alike.

That said, there's still a long way to go for equality, when it comes to everyday life — be it education, fair pay or violence — and these illustrations (some serious, some humorous) show those struggles perfectly. Someof these will actually make you think (a lot!).

The competition invited young European comic and cartoon artists and art students, aged 18 to 28 years, to picture their understanding of women's rights and gender equality through cartoons and comics. The comics and cartoons had to be without words. Finalists were then selected by a jury, composed of professional comic artists, gender equality experts and communication experts.

While the winner, Emilio Morales Ruiz from Spain, saw "gender equality as an undeniable right, a reality that we need to end immediately," third place winner, Agata Hop, from Poland, feels "gender equality means that men and women are able to achieve the same degree of success through an equal effort."

What do you think?

But before you checkout the winners and semi-finalists, here's something to think about: How come we didn't think of something like this before?

First place: Emilio Morales Ruiz, Spain

(All photos: UN Women)

Second place: David Ibáñez Bordallo, Spain

Third place winners

And finally, the semi-finalists...