"You can tell the condition of a Nation by looking at the status of its Women." - Jawaharlal Nehru, Leader of India's Independence movement, and India's first Prime Minister.
"The Inequality between Men and Women"
Gender inequality still exists today and the institutional discrimination resides within the fabric of society. Thinking that most women don't have the freedom and equal opportunity and access to healthcare, job, etc. It is so hard to imagine that there are women across the world living in a society in which they are not seen as an equal but instead as a reserved to the household and all associated activities.
As a woman, I have learned that I cannot take my freedom for granted; to have access to my physical, and mental capabilities, and spiritual liberties is a privilege, to be able to decide for my own - one that is not shared by women everywhere.
Gender plays a very hefty role in each and every aspect of people’s lives all over the world. Even today, women are still not treated as equal to men even though women are contributing to the economy more or less at par with men. Women all over the world cry for “equal pay for equal work” but is still mostly unheard and ignored.
Although there have been evident signs of progress, there are still many alarming issues that prevail regarding gender discrimination. Therefore, the fight for total gender equality must be made a global priority as a fundamental step in both human development and economic progress.
This article explores the discrimination of women in terms of occupational distribution, organization of work, and the character of relationships within the family where, according to many, the essence of gender inequality resides.
What is Gender and Gender Stratification?
Gender is the personal traits and social positions that member of a society to being female and male.
Gender Stratification is the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women. It refers to the social ranking, where men typically inhabit higher statuses than women.
Male-Female Differences
Males are 10% taller, 20% heavier, and 30% stronger
Women can expect to live for 80.6 years while men are for 75.5 years only
Males do better in Mathematics while Females do better in writing
Gender Inequality
Patriarchy and Sexism
Patriarchy (“rule of fathers”) is a form of social organization in which males dominate than females.
Matriarchy (“rule of mothers”) is a form of social organization in which females dominate than males.
Countries like India and Yemen are perceived to be patriarchal, where men are given more importance than women. Today's India offers a lot of opportunities to women, with women having a voice in everyday life, the business world as well as in political life. Still, India is a male-dominated society, where women are often seen as subordinate and inferior to men.
Much of the discrimination against women arises from India's dowry tradition, where the bride's family gives the groom's family money and/or gifts.
Sexism is the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other.
Gender and Socialization
Gender Roles are attitudes and activities that a society links to each sex.
A culture that defines males as ambitious and competitive encourages them to seek out positions of leadership and play team sports. To the extent that females are defined as deferential and emotional, they are expected to be supportive helpers and quick to show their feelings
Gender Stratification shapes the workplace:
In any field, the greater the income and prestige associated with a job, the more likely is to be held by a man.
Income and Wealth
In 2009, median earnings for women working full time were $36,278, and men working were $47,127. Therefore, for every dollar earned by men, women earned about 77 cents only.
Gender Stratification shapes politics:
Women were legally barred from voting in national elections until the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1920.
In recent decades, the number of women in politics increased significantly.
Violence Against Women
The United Nations defines violence against women as,
"any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."
Based on the reports by the US Department of Justice in 2010, there were:
•294,000 aggravated assaults
•106,000 rapes or sexual assaults
• About 1.5 million simple assaults
Violence against women is built into different cultures in different ways.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment refers to comments, gestures, or physical contacts of a sexual nature that are deliberate, repeated, and unwelcome, where most victims are women.
The reason is that:
- Our culture encourages men to be sexually assertive and to see women in sexual terms.
- Most people in positions of power are men who oversee the work of women.
Feminism
Feminism is support of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy, matriarchy, and sexism.
Basic Feminist Ideas:
- Working to increase equality
- Expanding human choice
- Eliminating gender stratification 4. Ending sexual violence
- Promoting sexual freedom
It is very clear that everyone (Men and Women) needs to know and be educated about the prevailing inequality across the globe. Gender awareness and initiatives should be implemented to bring the gender gap to its end. There is certainly more work to be done.
LEARN TO RESPECT. FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS.
Image sources: [1], [2], [3], [4]
References:
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756384/obo-9780199756384-0138.xml
http://www.respectwomen.co.in/this-womens-day-lets-fight-for-equal-wages/
http://dmc122011.delmar.edu/socsci/rlong/intro/gender.htm
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/nake-m-kamrany/gender-inequality_b_1417535.html
https://sites.dartmouth.edu/lacs20gruffi/blog/gender-stratification-in-nicaragua/
http://saarthakindia.org/womens_situation_India.html
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/