Gender inequality is an issue that has been publicly echoing through the society for centuries. The inequality in employment still remains one of the most pressing problems. For decades women were considered to have only one mission: stay home and take care of their children. The major reason of such injustice lies on the conviction that men are superior to women. In addition, a common belief was that men tend to be more confident because of their innate mental powers or biological advantages. Only one hundred years ago women didn't even have a right to vote nor did they have a right to property. Today we live in a society where men and women are considered to be more equal than they have ever been throughout the history. However the issue of inequality hasn't completely disappeared and is now widely discussed by everyone. Thus, considering the fact that women have achieved some equality for them, should they continue fighting for completely annihilating the gender discrimination?
Going back in history, we can see that women were not allowed to be involved in the politics; they didn't even have a right to vote. However there are exceptions to every rule and Fawzia Koofi was such an exception. In her book "The Favored Daughter" Koofi presents us the story of how she managed to become one of the most influential people in the country that was dominated by men. The fact that Fawzia Koofi began her political career in the very beginning of 21st century emphasizes this example, considering also that by the end of 20th century women have already gained some equality in most countries. Therefore, as it can be seen from the above mentioned example, there still is a belief that women cannot do the same job as men do. However, women are p...
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...that if women were given the opportunity to get education, they will undoubtedly surpass men. Edward Clarke concluded that women that are college educated had fewer children than those, who didn't get college education.
To sum up, judging from the society in which we live today, it can be concluded that women who struggled for their right for many years didn't do it for nothing. Today we live in a society where despite some minor inequalities; women have rights and are considered equal to men. Therefore, seeing the progress that has been made in past several decades, it is worth for women to continue fighting for their rights.
Works Cited
Clarke, E. H. (1873). Sex in education; or, a fair chance for the girls. Boston: James R Osgood and Company.
De Beauvoir, S. (1949). The second sex . France.
Koofi, F. (2012). The favored daughter. USA: Palgrave Macmillan.
“In the United States and several other countries, women now actually surpass men in educational achievements” (Josh, “Harvard Summer School”). Some women are more educated and qualified for most
In the past there were many biases against women and their lack of abilities compared to men. Although the male perspective has changed over the past few centuries, there are many feminists who still fight for ...
Many ancient laws and beliefs show that women from all around the world have always been considered inferior to men. However, as time went on, ideas of equality circulated around and women started to demand equality. Many women fought for equality and succeeded in bringing some rights. However, full equality for women has yet to be fulfilled. This issue is important because many women believe that the rights of a person should not be infringed no matter what their gender is, and by not giving them equality, their rights are being limited. During the periods 1840 to 1968, total equality for women did not become a reality due to inadequate political representation, economic discrepancy, and commercial objectification.
A common belief at the time was that women did not have the same intellectual aptitude as men (Murray 176). Murray sets out to disprove the belief through the image of children; “Will it be said that the judgment of a male of two years old, is more sage than that of a female’s of the same age? I believe the reverse is generally observed to be true” (Murray 178). Murray makes her point. In general young children have the same intellectual level, regardless of gender. Therefore, why later in life are adult men smarter than adult women? Does age and time change aptitude and gifted ability? Continuing with her line of reasoning, Murray proposes that women are not as smart as men because they are not receiving an education; “Are we deficient in reason? We can only reason from what know, and if the opportunity of acquiring knowledge has been denied us, the inferiority of our sex cannot fairly be deduced from thence” (Murray 177-178). Murray suggests that an accurate scaling of mental prowess cannot be deduced because men and women do not have the same educational level; the very reason that women are being denied and education in the first place. Women’s education has become a paradox. Women cannot receive an education because they are not smart enough, but they are not smart enough because they are denied an education. Murray, having now established that women should have an education, then sets out to explain its
Since the beginning of time, women have been treated as inferiors by men. Due the supposedly weak anatomy their body, they have always been seen as weak and fragile, a description that can’t be farther from the true. Women have been proven to withstand a large amount of pain and have a stronger emotional stability. Just like racism, gender deferment has been less with the progression of time but it’s still a factor that is present in the everyday life of modern society. We can see this in the fields of work like science where it is rare to find a women scientist and how the technological world is mostly ruled by powerful male figures. Women have been oppressed since the beginning of time and have fought for their rights bravely and consistently, women went from not even being able to speak their own thoughts unless their husbands said so and being an incubator for male heirs to being inspirations to many people and fighting for what it’s right. We, as a society, have progressed in that way through the ages, even though, some women are still being oppressed daily on various parts of the world, it is something that we must overcome and we will, because this world is a better place with more smart, educated and outgoing
In the workplace environment it is a known fact that women are passed over for higher positions that would allow them to earn higher wages. Author of “Workplace Gender Discrimination and the Implicit Association Test" Jo- Ann Kadola stated, “Women earn 18 % less per hour than men working the same job, with the same title, with the same credentials even when a woman has a higher education.” (Kadola23) This is known as the gender gap, it happens in all occupations whether in management, directors or any high level position. Overall men and women never earn the same pay for the same job. This is known to be a worldwide fact. On every job women are always asked to prove or provide credentials for a job that men are able to obtain without proof. Kadola also stated, “Women have to show skills more often, they are required to take or be more responsible than men.” (Kadola24) Men are generally respected more. Their opinions hold more value. Men tend to have more freedom in making decisions. When it comes to merit raises they will receive a higher percentage based on the fact that they are men. When women enter the workplace it is a perceived notion that she will get married and start a family. Therefore a working mother is looked down upon based on the fact she is no staying home caring
She later states that, “sisters and brothers are exposed to the same parental backgrounds and attend schools of the same quality” (O’Neill, 2003, p.309). She has no evidential statistics to make that claim. Parental backgrounds vary from cultures, often boys are given more privileges than girls. It can be argued that families encourage boys and girls differently, which can be a factor to what school and career choice the individual wants to pursue. Without realizing, parents can pressure boys into aspiring for more prestigious careers to be able to support a family because of gender roles. Throughout history, women have proved that they are able to do the same work that males do. When it comes to work productivity, it can be argued that one sex does not have work done better than the other. In the statistics given, there is none that relate to a certain career. She continues to add on that the types of skills in a particular field of work are important but, does not give wage differences between men and women in particular jobs. There have been testimonies within workplaces that men are being paid more than women with no reasonableness. There could have been more statistics added to specify the fields of work that show significant differences in
“The history of the past is but one long struggle upward to equality,” this was stated by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a very crucial women’s suffragist. Over time, women’s history has evolved due to the fact that women were pushing for equal rights. Women were treated as less than men. They had little to no rights. The Women’s Rights Movement in the 1800’s lead up to the change in women’s rights today. This movement began in 1848 with the Seneca Falls Convention. For the next 72 years, women continually fought for equal rights. In 1920, they gained the right to vote which ended the movement and opened the opportunity for more change in women’s lives. Because of the Women’s Rights Movement, women today are able to vote, receive
The early history of gender roles, concepts of all genders earning leadership roles with trust, and physical shape of all genders are all components that lead to gender inequality in society. Actions that can be done to improve the lives of individuals affected by gender discrimination could include filing a lawsuit with the government for immediate attention, encourage an increase in funding for women to take appropriate time off work, educate individuals in the workplace about stereotypes, and update laws built off the national government regarding gender equality throughout the nation. Movements regarding men and women need to be recognized nationally in order for everyone in the nation to truly understand gender equality and discrimination. For gender inequality to reduce in the future it is essential for all individuals of all genders to work together and conquer
...ything men can do. Although, women are treated somewhat like there is still room for improvement. Women have the opportunity to take on masculine occupations however; society doesn’t fully accept the change of women in the work field. Women in the work field are supposed to be as equal as men yet, there are some aspects that have not changed such as, respect, power and pay. Women could maintain the same job as a man but, still make less than men. According to United States Census Bureau, women make seventy-seven cents that a man’s dollars. Overall, in a year women are losing money that they have worked for. However, society as a whole is composed of consumers, and if consumers are not willing to changer there ways of thought and allow women and men to become equal then women will always be less than a men. No matter if it’s the same job title, position or education.
From the beginning of history and to this day women still get paid less than the average man, but why? Whoever said that women are incapable of good work performance? Whoever said that women do not have the same responsibilities to maintain? What really makes a women’s work inferior to men? The answer is nothing. Today, women are depended on just as much as men, and are capable of performing at their level. However, a full-time working woman earns only seventy-seven cents for every dollar a man makes. These days women make up half the workplace in our society; they work just as hard and for the same reasons. Women deserve to be paid at an equal rate as men because they are relied on to uphold the same responsibilities and are just as qualified to perform at a man’s level.
From the beginning of time, females have played a powerful role in the shaping of this world. They have stood by idly and watched as this country moved on without them, and yet they have demanded equal rights as the nation rolls along. Through the years the common belief has been that women could not perform as well as men in anything, but over the years that belief has been proven wrong time and time again. So as time marches on, women have clawed and fought their way up the ladder to gain much needed equal respect from the opposite sex. However, after many years of pain and suffering, the battle for equal rights has not yet been won. Since women have fought for a long time and proven their importance in society, they deserve the same rights as men.
...rom the confines of gender and social inequality, there must be an equal freeing of men. The limits that we place on the lives of both women and men must dissolve together in order to achieve equality. The social construct of 'woman' was built in the context of the construct of 'man'. To change one without the other would be impossible. The politics, laws, economics and sociocultural systems that prop up inequality must also be renovated and/or dissolved somehow in order for anyone, man or woman, to be free of deeply ingrained systems of inequality. There can be no shift toward equality without recognition and recalibration of the power structures that enable and perpetuate imbalance. If we can solve all that, then equality is feasible. If not, or if only in a far and distant future, it is absolutely necessary to believe that it will always be worth striving toward.
"Is there any difference between the education acquired by men and women in college?" My answer to that question would be that although the "brick wall" ( Forum 1) in education has been broken, we still have another, invisible barrier called the "glass ceiling." ( Forum 1) Most people would say that education has changed a great deal since women began to attend institutions of higher learning. Is this completely true?
Throughout history, there have been constant power struggles between men and women, placing the male population at a higher position than the female. Therefore, in this patriarchal system women have always been discriminated against simply due to the fact that they are women. Their rights to vote, to be educated and essentially being treated equally with men was taken away from them and they were viewed as weak members of society whose successes depend on men. However, this has not prevented them from fighting for what they believe in and the rights they are entitled to. On the contrary, it has motivated them to try even harder and gain these basic societal rights through determination and unity.