Gender Inequality: What really needs to change?

Introduction:

Gender inequality is the social process by which men and women are not treated equally. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in society. Despite progress being made toward achieving equal rights; women and girls all over the world continue to experience inequality, discrimination, and harassment and face significant barriers to achieving their full potential. The daily experience of gender inequality ranges from undermining portrayals of women in the media and underrepresentation of women in positions of power, to direct discrimination and breaches of their human rights. Social expectations and assumptions about the abilities, roles, and opportunities that should be afforded on the basis of gender continue to define the life chances of women today.

History:

When people try to understand why women and men are unequal today, they usually find they must contend with the question of gender inequality's origins in the dim corridors of prehistory. The reason is not hard to find. Eventually, every explanation offered for gender inequality prompts the rejoinder, "But hasn't it always been like this?" Like it or not, this is a serious question that we cannot avoid.
Gender inequality arose in the primitive societies that are the ancestors of all modern societies as a result of social processes dependent on biological differences. Gender was central to India's experience of colonialism. The heightened significance of gender was nowhere more striking than over the years of Partition when violence against women on either side underscored their roles as symbols of community, class, and state.

 

Causes:

The root cause of gender inequality is the role and place which society assigns to women. Throughout countries in the Middle East and North Africa, labor market participation rates for women are among the lowest in the world, whereas access to primary and secondary education is almost the same for boys and girls. The most important causes of gender disparity such as poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, social customs, belief, and anti-female attitude 

 

 

Current issues for women :

1.         Sexual assault.
2.          Sex discrimination in employment.
3.          Occupational segregation by gender.
4.          Pay gap.
5.          Gender inequality in elementary and middle schools.
6.         Gender differences in degree choices.
7.         Gender inequality in graduate school expectations.
8.         Gender inequality in representation at elite institutions.

 

Effect:

 

Across India, gender inequality results in unequal opportunities, and while it impacts the lives of both genders, statistically it is girls that are the most disadvantaged. Girls are also more likely to drop out of school. In India girls and boys experience adolescence differently.

   Gender inequity has serious and long-lasting consequences for women and other marginalized genders. Exposure to violence, objectification, discrimination and socioeconomic inequality can lead to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and PTSD.

Gender discrimination is a source of stress, and like any other stressor, it can directly affect mental health. Gender discrimination has direct and indirect effects on physical health, it includes Illness, Less healthy living conditions, Injury, and death

 

Examples of gender discrimination

Gender discrimination can take place in person-to-person interactions, as well as at an institutional or state level. It can occur:

• In the workplace: Deciding not to hire or promote someone, treating employees differently, or paying them less based on their gender are all examples of workplace discrimination. Peers can participate by excluding women colleagues from important meetings, for example.
• In schools: Preventing or discouraging girls and young women from participating in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as science, math, and sports, is an example of gender discrimination. Schools may also enforce gendered dress codes, punish those who do not conform to gender norms, or fail to punish bad behavior on the basis that “Boys will be boys.”
• In relationships: People who prevent their partners from doing things on the basis of their gender are also acting in a discriminatory way. This might include stopping women from working, managing their money, and driving, for example.
• In public: Sexual harassment and catcalling are unwanted, and they are forms of discrimination. These behaviors can make people feel unsafe, and they can restrict how people use public spaces. This limits a person’s freedom.
• In institutions: Organizations, governments, and legal and healthcare systems can enact policies that discriminate against certain genders, either intentionally or unintentionally. Examples include laws that allow gender-based violence to thrive, that punish people for expressing their gender, or that disadvantage certain groups financially.

 

 

Solutions

1.    Give women platforms to be in power and achieve economic success.
2.    End violence and sexual assault against women.
3.     End child marriage.
4.    The government should support training and employment programs for women (step) to ensure sustainable employment and income generation for marginalized and asset-  less rural and urban poor women across the country.
5.  Recognize the important role played by women as custodians of biodiversity and communities’ well-being
6. Support equal access to land, agricultural inputs, financial services, and education for women to build a more sustainable future for themselves, their family and the community

      7.  Put in place gender-friendly laws and instill a culture of empowering women to become powerful agents of change.

    Nowadays a lot of gender inequality has been overcome. There are many groups of people in society both men and women who believe in inequality.

 

 

Credits and References: 

 Amruta Gawali TY ELETRICAL

https://theswaddle.com/a-brief-history-of-indian-women-protesting-gender-inequality/#:~:text=The%20Indian%20women's%20movement%20began,revolution%20taking%20India%20by%20storm.

https://www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/8-23-21/gender-inequality-what-really-needs-change

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