The Importance Of Gender Inequality

Gender refers to the socially constructed categories of feminine and masculine. It is one of the major factors in social difference and inequality in today’s society. Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles. Using a paragraph based approach I intend to individually analyse various aspects of gender differences referencing to the theory of socialisation and also making links to the works of Marx, Durkham and Goffman. My essay will cover different aspects of gender inequalities still present in today’s contemporary society.

Over the course of history, gender inequalities have been a prevalent issue amongst countries around the world. The notion, women are inferior to men has shaped their treatment in all aspects of life. Women were subjected to a patriarchal role in society, the men worked and women took care of domestics to some degree greater or lesser depending the country they resided in. In the late 19th and early 20th century women started rising up against male dominated societies in feminist movements. These movements were campaigns and reform plans to combat issues of equal pay, sexual violence, and denial of suffrage, reproductive rights, equal job opportunities and property rights. Thus observing women in Great Britain and Saudi Arabia today one can see how the role women play in society has dramatically changed from 1800s till now.

Through extensive secondary research using the internet to gather information, I have gained a broader level of knowledge on a number of struggles that women around the world continue to face today. The extent of oppression that women are subjected to varies depending on the their ethnicity, culture, religion, socioeconomic status and geographical location. Each of these factors will determine the quality of life that women will have in a particular society.

In the world today, there are also many countries that consider women to be in a lower social class than men. In fact, on January 22 last year, the Indian Times released this statement: “A kangaroo court last Sunday decided that the victim be raped by 10 men as she had committed a crime by having an affair outside the community. The tribal heads had found that the sin of the 20-year-old can be only undone if she gets raped by 10 tribal men.” Gender inequality is not just seen in India, but also around the world. They are denied any power or any string that ties them to being a valued human life. In Saudi Arabia, women are denied a driver's license. In China, female babies are being killed because of the “one-child” policy and their preference

History shows many instances of discrimination and unequal rights for women. Women have been looked down upon and been abused by men in many different countries and cultures. There is a history for inequity of women, especially domestic violence and abuse. These dilemmas have been going on for the many years in the past, and are still going on today, especially in Middle Eastern countries.

Social status and structures have definitely shaped the construction and experience of gender inequality. Men and women are constantly analyzed, compared, and grouped together in society. The result of this yields discrepancies in how sexes are viewed by society. Throughout my examination and explanation of gender inequality, I concluded both men and women are victims to gender inequality.

Although the status of women has greatly improved throughout time, in many parts of the world women have yet to gain the same rights as men and are often seen as lesser to their male counterparts. They can face not only the issue of basic rights but have to fear the threat of rape, violence, and the refusal of certain services because of their gender.

Although they have been given more rights and equality, women still lack fairness in areas such as education, domestic abuse, crime, and lower class value. Cassandra Clifford states in her article “Are Girls still marginalized? Discrimination and Gender Inequality in Today’s Society”, “Woman and girls are abused by their husbands and fathers, young girls are exploited by sex tourism and trafficking, girls in many countries are forced into arranged marriages at early ages. Twice as many women are illiterate as men, due to the large gap in education, and girls are still less likely to get jobs and excel in the work place than boys.” She describes some of the issues that women face today around the world. These issues are what keep society from coming together to form a better world.

Ever since the beginning of time, women have been fighting endlessly to be treated equally and fairly, whether it’s in their personal life, their business careers, or their social encounters. From the day in which women are born, they are raised and treated differently compared to men. Girls are expected to be sensitive and sweet, meanwhile boys are usually more tough, and expected to mature a bit faster. Girls are protected more in comparison to boys and as they grow, the way society treats each gender stands out more. Women are limited to certain professions because they are not men, and in situations where they can actually work the same jobs, they are paid much less. Throughout time, women all over the world continue to be sexualized and judged based on their personal opinions. While many nations have slowly begun to embrace women’s equal rights, Islam continues to oppress women by limiting their self-expression, using their religious misconceptions to abuse and control them as a whole, and constantly maintaining old cultural traditions that prevent freedom and equality for women.

A controversial topic that still brings about heated debated is gender equality. Furthermore, the movement historically consisted mostly of women fighting for equal rights. Fifty years after the ratification of the nineteenth amendment, American women began lobbying for the Equal Rights Amendment. Phyllis Schlafly’s What's Wrong with 'Equal Rights' for Women?, was a passionate publication highlighting disadvantages women would suffer if the amendment succeeded. The article spotlights adverse effects that would consequently befall the everyday married women and mother. Although the article roused the typical American family to stop the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, the text is detrimental to the progress of the gender equality movement because it dictates that people should be content with conventional gender roles, which completely disregards the genuine goal of equality. Despite the fact she advocates women's rights, her views on religion, family and sex are unprogressive and traditionalistic.

Throughout history women have had no say in what they want. Society has always been driven with the mindset of men being the rulers of women. This patriarchal society suggests that as time is progressing no change is being implemented for gender equality. Through Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions and Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I a Woman essays, the status quo of women is made prominent by how gender inequality is strengthened due to the masculinity that men use to justify themselves as superior and how women are viewed as property because their humanity is minimalized since they have no voice in the matters that directly determine who they are.

In a previously male-dominated society where man’s political, economic and cultural privileges arise from their ‘masculine advantage’, attempts have been made to better understand the roles and capabilities of each gender, in particular the female gender, and the relationship between the two, so as to decrease disparity and attain a greater sense of social equality. A greater sense of equality between genders, which are non-physiological expectations of being male or female as driven by social and cultural forces, translates to a greater sense of empowerment, increasing the knowledge, decision-making power and overall participation of people in their respective communities and areas of work. Finally, understanding gender issues helps in incorporating mitigating mechanisms in workplace etiquette, policy-making and, eventually, societal norms, reducing inequitable impacts and ensuring sustainability.

All throughout history, women have been subject to inequality. Although equality towards women has progressed throughout the years, in our day and age, there are still deep inequalities between genders in many societies, regardless of economic or political status.

Gender inequality is a prominent issue globally. Gender inequality is defined as unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. Around the world, women are not treated as equally as men. In 2015, only 50% of the world’s working-age women were in the labor force, compared to 77% of working-age men.

Many laws are created to protect the rights of the members of a society; however, there is another side to law that is much less favorable. Although law often benefits society, it can also reflect and reinforce the social inequality found in the larger society (Barkan, 2013, pg. 209). We often see many laws that try to adapt to our ever changing society, but often fall short and cause a greater inequality amongst the groups it was trying to help. Inequality in the laws can be based on race, religion, gender, or even income levels. Law makers try to make laws that will be beneficial to society as whole, and that is where we see discriminations come into play.