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Gender Inequality In Toowoomba Catholic Education

Decent Essays

According to Toowoomba Catholic Education, social injustice is defined as “prejudice on the basis of gender, sexuality, religion, political aliations, age, race, belief, disability, location, social class, socioeconomic circumstances, or other characteristic of background or group membership" (Robinson). Although society does not entirely fulfill the values of social justice, the extent of social injustice is decreasing. Unfortunately, social injustice is an adversity that many still struggle with. One example of social injustice is gender inequality in areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). As STEM is a field that tends to be male dominated, women, as a result, are often discriminated on the basis of gender. This underlies …show more content…

According to a survey, 34.1 percent of female scientists felt obligated to act more feminine and 53 percent of female scientists received criticism for being too straightforward, which is apparently classified as “masculine” behavior (Williams). One Latina bioengineer said, “I’m pretty aggressive...I find that both men and women…are going to immediately call [you a] witch...” (Williams). Moreover, a biologist was told, “don’t talk to me like that” (Williams) when she spoke her mind. She, like many women, eventually recognized the necessity of acting as a damsel in distress in order to talk to her male colleagues (Williams). Also, the stereotype that women are meant to raise children applies in STEM as well. Research shows that “nearly two-thirds of scientists with children” (Williams) were asked if they were committed to their work. One microbiologist said, “There is an assumption...that your career is more of a hobby than a career, and you’re only going to do it until you find a husband and/or have a family” (Williams). Even when women start a family or get married, they are still capable of working simultaneously. If this is incorrect, then married men with family are unable to work diligently due to the restraint of …show more content…

The question is: are women truly undeserving of the same rights as men? There is speculation that women are less intelligent than men, that a woman’s life purpose is motherhood, and that women must always follow the rules men dictate. According to innumerable studies, there is only a slight difference of IQs and test taking scores between the two genders. The keyword here is slight. There is no proof that men are significantly more intelligent than women. Regarding those who believe that women are meant to raise children, consider the influential women who have refined the course of history. Red Burns, founder of the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU and professor, influenced her students to establish technology-oriented startups (“25 STEM Women You”); Missy Cummings, “one of the very first female fighter pilots”, educates students “about human-computer interaction and autonomous systems” at MIT (“25 STEM Women You”). These are merely two out of a seemingly infinite number of women in society whose courage and essence have galvanized countless women to not only persevere against gender bias, but also to discover monumental innovations that benefit

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