Background Information
Even in the rapidly developing world now, women are still paid with only 70-90% of men’s wage for equivalent work (Ending Violence Against). The wage gap is not the only problem when it comes to women rights, there are far more severe societal problem relating to gender inequality. Gender, which is what someone has no control of and is born with, should not be a factor that impedes women with potential and strength from reaching success; however, the truth is that around the world, millions of women are suffering from biases and discrimination. Gender equality is an individual goal in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, also known as SDGs. Its goal is to “achieve gender equality and empower all women.” This goal is not yet reached, organizations around the world are making process, but there is still a lot left to do. Gender inequality causes all types of discrimination in society, including unequal treatments in workspace, gender-based stereotypes, lack of equal education, and the problematic deprivation of women’s safety and health rights.
Unequally Treated in Workspaces
One of the biggest problem women faces are discriminations in their workplace, which is present in almost all workplaces worldwide. “Women in the Workplace” is a survey taken by 7000 employees, both men and women, from 82 different companies, the results showed that workplaces often favor to men. Women have a 18% less promotion rate when compared to men (Parks). As a result, superior roles in workspaces are less likely given to women, then resulting false beliefs where women are not as efficient as men. With less female leadership roles in the company, promotion rate for women might decrease even more, creating a cycle. Some women’s self-esteem also gets effected, when others are treating them as people who are not as competent as men, they may start to believe this themselves. Consequently, some remain reticent when asked about their ideas, which then deterred them into not showing their real potential.
Lack of female leadership roles and promotion rate are only partial problems in workspaces around the world. Take China as an example, many companies in China query about female employees’ maternal plans during an interview, some employees got rejected if they were at the age where it is probable for them to have a child. In some cases, female employees were sacked because of their pregnancy (Zhang). Many doubts about women’s ability to work are related to pregnancy and child raising. This is prevalent in many places because women might often need respite from work for their children; it has less likelihood with men. As a result, some companies prefer hiring more men than women, this can also be caused if a job has more women applying for it. If jobs are not segregated by gender, the rate of women getting employed might have more minor gap when compared to men.
Apart from the unequal treatments related to finances, safety in workspaces is also a vital problem. There frequently cases where sexual harassment occurs in workspace, and oftentimes are because of superior men abusing their power (Parks). Since men have a higher chance of promoting to leadership roles in workspaces, female employee might work under a boss who abuses their power and harass the employee. Not all women who experienced these tormenting behaviors would seek help, many are apprehensive about what seeking help might cause, especially when it is relevant to their job. Sextual harassment is not always obvious, sometimes actions like language or intimate behaviors, any causing females to feel uncomfortable, can be defined as sextual harassment. However, it is difficult to find evidence for sextual harassment, therefore many people got away from it with impunity.
It is considerable that society stop perpetuating the idea where it is common, and ordinary that women receive a lighter role in workplace. Gender inequality in workspaces will only be unchangeable if actions invading women rights remain happening. At the same time, when all women employees are showing their full ability, companies can improve their achievements too.
What Harm Does Gender Stereotypes Cause?
Gender stereotypes are in almost every country in the world, causing many inconveniences and difficulties for women, unbalancing the chances for them to participate in society.
People have expectations set for women differently from man. Women are often assumed as soft and gentle. Therefore, when women do anything that do not fit into these assumptions, they often get defined as aggressive (Parks). Similar assumptions on women had been present throughout history, in fact, women are often synonymous with “needing protection” and “weaker than men”. These types of stereotypes surely do offer women protection, but the image of a typical women is already instilled in minds of people, no matter their race or age. Consequently, whenever a woman falls out of these expectations, judging voices overrun them.
Stereotypes in society impacts lives of women dramatically, it relates to their childhood, their education, and their work. To eliminate these stereotypes, informing the next generation about what is correct would be a way. Even if the process would take time, it is a reachable goal to obtain an equal perspective on gender.
Importance of Equal Education
Inequivalent education has always been problematic. In developing countries, parents often have bias where boys deserve to be educated and girls do not. These types of beliefs have already become so common that they are close to a culture or tradition.
40% of girls in poor families dropped out of primary school or had no education at all (Patrone). Worldwide, 1 out of 4 women in the age 15-24 did not finish elementary school, and 58% did not complete their education (10 Causes of). In many countries’ history, women did not need to be educated, it had been an assumption or common sense at the time. As time passes, countries slowly abandon these old thoughts or stereotypes. However, countries without as many resources kept these old thoughts. When money is limited, many choose to educate boys prior to girls. Poverty is one root of gender inequality, and it forms an interminable cycle. Uneducated women cannot teach their children what is right and why girls need education, then there would be a new generation of uneducated girls.
Family Violence and Lack of Safety Rights
One out of three women around the world receive violent treating, and often by intimate family members. Women get physically and mentally ill, while in more severe cases, they died. Even though there are laws against family violence, many people received no punishment. Only 40% of women seek help when they experienced violence, resulting to cases of family violence going unknown (Ending Violence Against). Women receiving and tolerating with violence should never become a common scenario. Why some women chose to bear with these treatments could be because of social or family pressure, they did not realize the severeness of this problem, or because they are lost and have nowhere to go when they need help. Cases of violence treatments are also more prevalent in developing worlds, where women have a lower status in society.
Violence executed on women is closely related to marriage. Unwilled marriages are far too common. In developing worlds, girls marrying under 18 are normal, so are forced marriages. Quantitively, 41,000 girls under 18 are married every day (Kooser). Normally, when girls do not receive education, they get married early. As a result, many women got pregnant in their teens, having to take care of housework and children in the precious times of their youth. Forced marriages often cause more family violence, performed by their husbands. Moreover, in places with gender inequality, some view women as tools to produce the next generation. Young marriage also leads to maternal risk, many young women are not ready to get pregnant, but they have no choice. One example is in slums of Bengaluru, India, one in two married women from ages 16-25 have received family violence from their husbands; they get hit or beaten (Krishnan). Family violence result into higher risk of maternal death. Besides this, it has a horrible effect on children. Boys may be misguided in believing that violence is correct, and girls may believe that violence is just part of life.
Maternal problems are one of the most crucial problems speaking of women’s health. 40% of pregnancies worldwide are unplanned, while 50% of these 40% end up in abortions (10 Causes of). Many unplanned pregnancies are caused because of lacking knowledge about sexual relationships or facility. Hence, it is exactly why awareness needs to be spread and education about these problems must be made mandatory. In the worst case, unplanned pregnancy could ruin the life of a mother, or even take it away. Lowering unplanned pregnancy leads back to educating and empowering women, when women have awareness and knowledge on these topics, they have the ability to protect themselves, thus alleviating the problem of abortions. In addition, it can also decline population, because more unplanned pregnancies will only accelerate the rapidly growing population. Protecting the physical and mental health of women is protecting this society; the importance of women’s safety should be noticed.
Importance of Gender Equality
The need of obtaining equality for women is undebatable, when gender inequality is eliminated, there would be no more segregation at work and society, nor would there be safety and educational rights taken away from women. Women represent 50% of population on Earth, and these unequal treatments should have never become a part of their lives. Gender equality is unquestionably one of the most important SDGs. Obtaining this goal will not only contribute to women, also men and society as a whole. When all women are contributing to society, progress will increase dramatically. Apart from this, obtaining equality for all humans, no matter their gender, is the correct action to take, this fact should never be doubted. If more people become aware of the essentialness of this goal, then in the future, less women would receive violence, more women would be empowered, and more women’s voices would be heard.
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