reflection essay about gender equality

5 Powerful Essays Advocating for Gender Equality

Gender equality – which becomes reality when all genders are treated fairly and allowed equal opportunities –  is a complicated human rights issue for every country in the world. Recent statistics are sobering. According to the World Economic Forum, it will take 108 years to achieve gender parity . The biggest gaps are found in political empowerment and economics. Also, there are currently just six countries that give women and men equal legal work rights. Generally, women are only given ¾ of the rights given to men. To learn more about how gender equality is measured, how it affects both women and men, and what can be done, here are five essays making a fair point.

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“Countries With Less Gender Equity Have More Women In STEM — Huh?” – Adam Mastroianni and Dakota McCoy

This essay from two Harvard PhD candidates (Mastroianni in psychology and McCoy in biology) takes a closer look at a recent study that showed that in countries with lower gender equity, more women are in STEM. The study’s researchers suggested that this is because women are actually especially interested in STEM fields, and because they are given more choice in Western countries, they go with different careers. Mastroianni and McCoy disagree.

They argue the research actually shows that cultural attitudes and discrimination are impacting women’s interests, and that bias and discrimination is present even in countries with better gender equality. The problem may lie in the Gender Gap Index (GGI), which tracks factors like wage disparity and government representation. To learn why there’s more women in STEM from countries with less gender equality, a more nuanced and complex approach is needed.

“Men’s health is better, too, in countries with more gender equality” – Liz Plank

When it comes to discussions about gender equality, it isn’t uncommon for someone in the room to say, “What about the men?” Achieving gender equality has been difficult because of the underlying belief that giving women more rights and freedom somehow takes rights away from men. The reality, however, is that gender equality is good for everyone. In Liz Plank’s essay, which is an adaption from her book For the Love of Men: A Vision for Mindful Masculinity, she explores how in Iceland, the #1 ranked country for gender equality, men live longer. Plank lays out the research for why this is, revealing that men who hold “traditional” ideas about masculinity are more likely to die by suicide and suffer worse health. Anxiety about being the only financial provider plays a big role in this, so in countries where women are allowed education and equal earning power, men don’t shoulder the burden alone.

Liz Plank is an author and award-winning journalist with Vox, where she works as a senior producer and political correspondent. In 2015, Forbes named her one of their “30 Under 30” in the Media category. She’s focused on feminist issues throughout her career.

“China’s #MeToo Moment” –  Jiayang Fan

Some of the most visible examples of gender inequality and discrimination comes from “Me Too” stories. Women are coming forward in huge numbers relating how they’ve been harassed and abused by men who have power over them. Most of the time, established systems protect these men from accountability. In this article from Jiayang Fan, a New Yorker staff writer, we get a look at what’s happening in China.

The essay opens with a story from a PhD student inspired by the United States’ Me Too movement to open up about her experience with an academic adviser. Her story led to more accusations against the adviser, and he was eventually dismissed. This is a rare victory, because as Fan says, China employs a more rigid system of patriarchy and hierarchy. There aren’t clear definitions or laws surrounding sexual harassment. Activists are charting unfamiliar territory, which this essay explores.

“Men built this system. No wonder gender equality remains as far off as ever.” – Ellie Mae O’Hagan

Freelance journalist Ellie Mae O’Hagan (whose book The New Normal is scheduled for a May 2020 release) is discouraged that gender equality is so many years away. She argues that it’s because the global system of power at its core is broken.  Even when women are in power, which is proportionally rare on a global scale, they deal with a system built by the patriarchy. O’Hagan’s essay lays out ideas for how to fix what’s fundamentally flawed, so gender equality can become a reality.

Ideas include investing in welfare; reducing gender-based violence (which is mostly men committing violence against women); and strengthening trade unions and improving work conditions. With a system that’s not designed to put women down, the world can finally achieve gender equality.

“Invisibility of Race in Gender Pay Gap Discussions” – Bonnie Chu

The gender pay gap has been a pressing issue for many years in the United States, but most discussions miss the factor of race. In this concise essay, Senior Contributor Bonnie Chu examines the reality, writing that within the gender pay gap, there’s other gaps when it comes to black, Native American, and Latina women. Asian-American women, on the other hand, are paid 85 cents for every dollar. This data is extremely important and should be present in discussions about the gender pay gap. It reminds us that when it comes to gender equality, there’s other factors at play, like racism.

Bonnie Chu is a gender equality advocate and a Forbes 30 Under 30 social entrepreneur. She’s the founder and CEO of Lensational, which empowers women through photography, and the Managing Director of The Social Investment Consultancy.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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• Gender Equality Essay

Introduction to Gender Equality

In a society, everyone has the right to lead his/her life accordingly without any discrimination. When this state is achieved where all individuals are considered to be equal irrespective of their caste, gender, colour, profession, and status, we call it equality. Equality can also be defined as the situation where every individual has the same rights and equal opportunity to grow and prosper. 

Every individual of society dreams for equal rights and access to resources available at their disposal, but there is a lot of discrimination. This discrimination can be due to cultural differences, geographical differences, the colour of the individual, social status and even gender. The most prevalent discrimination is gender inequality. It is not a localised issue and is limited to only certain spheres of life but is prevalent across the globe. Even in progressive societies and top organisations, we can see many examples of gender bias. 

Gender equality can only be achieved when both male and female individuals are treated similarly. But discrimination is a social menace that creates division. We stop being together and stand together to tackle our problems. This social stigma has been creeping into the underbelly of all of society for many centuries. This has also been witnessed in gender-based cases. Gender inequality is the thing of the past as both men and women are creating history in all segments together.

Gender Equality builds a Nation

In this century, women and men enjoy the same privileges. The perception is changing slowly but steadily. People are now becoming more aware of their rights and what they can do in a free society. It has been found that when women and men hold the same position and participate equally, society progresses exclusively and creates a landmark. When a community reaches gender equality, everyone enjoys the same privileges and gets similar scopes in education, health, occupation, and political aspect. Even in the family, when both male and female members are treated in the same way, it is the best place to grow, learn, and add great value.

A nation needs to value every gender equally to progress at the right place. A society attains better development in all aspects when both genders are entitled to similar opportunities. Equal rights in decision making, health, politics, infrastructure, profession, etc will surely advance our society to a new level. The social stigma of women staying inside the house has changed. Nowadays, girls are equally competing with boys in school. They are also creating landmark development in their respective profession. Women are now seeking economic independence before they get married. It gives them the confidence to stand against oppression and make better decisions for themselves.

The age-old social structure dictated that women need to stay inside the home taking care of all when men go out to earn bread and butter. This has been practised for ages when the world outside was not safe. Now that the time has changed and we have successfully made our environment quite safer, women can step forward, get educated, pursue their passion, bring economic balance in their families, and share the weight of a family with men. This, in a cumulative way, will also make a country’s economy progress faster and better.

Methods to measure Gender Equality

Gender equality can be measured and a country’s growth can be traced by using the following methods.

Gender Development Index (GDI) is a gender-based calculation done similar to the Human Development Index. 

Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) is a detailed calculation method of the percentage of female members in decision-making roles. 

Gender Equity Index (GEI) considers economic participation, education, and empowerment.

Global Gender Gap Index assesses the level of gender inequality present on the basis of four criteria: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, health and survival .

According to the Gender Gap Index (GGI), India ranks 140 among 156 participating countries. This denotes that the performance of India has fallen from the previous years, denoting negative growth in terms of closing the gender gap. In the current environment where equality and equal opportunities are considered supreme, this makes India be at a significant disadvantage.

Roadblocks to Gender Equality  

Indian society is still wrecked by such stigmas that dictate that women are meant to manage the home and stay indoors. This is being done for ages, leading to neglect of women in areas like education, health, wealth, and socio-economic fields. 

In addition to that, the dowry system is further crippling society. This ill practice had led to numerous female feticides. It has created a notion that girls are a burden on a family, which is one of the primary reasons a girl child cannot continue her education. Even if they excel in education and become independent, most of them are forced to quit their job as their income is considered a backup source, which is not fair. New-age women are not only independent, but they are confident too. The only thing they demand from society is support, which we should provide them.  

Along with dowry, there is one more burning issue that has a profound impact on women's growth. It is prevalent in all kinds of society and is known as violence. Violence against women is present in one or another form in public and private spaces. Sometimes, violence is accompanied by other burning issues such as exploitation, harassment, and trafficking, making the world unsafe for women. We must take steps to stop this and ensure a safe and healthy place for women.  

Poverty is also one of the major roadblocks towards gender equality. It has led to other malpractices such as child marriage, sale of children, trafficking and child labour, to name a few. Providing equal job opportunities and upliftment of people below the poverty line can help bring some checks onto this.

Initiative Towards Gender Equality

Any kind of discrimination acts as a roadblock in any nation’s growth, and a nation can only prosper when all its citizens have equal rights. Most of the developed countries has comparatively less gender discrimination and provide equal opportunity to both genders. Even the Indian government is taking multiple initiatives to cut down gender discrimination. 

They have initiated a social campaign called “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana” to encourage the education of girl children. Besides this, the government runs multiple other schemes, such as the Women Helpline Scheme, UJJAWALA, National Mission for Empowerment of Women, etc., to generate awareness among the people. Moreover, as responsible citizens, it is our responsibility to spread knowledge on gender discrimination to create a beautiful world for wome n [1] [2] .

FAQs on Gender Equality Essay

1. What Makes Women Unequal to Men?

The social stigmas and beliefs that have been running deeply in the veins of all families make women unequal to men. Women are considered to be a burden by many families and are not provided with the same rights men enjoy in society. We are ill-informed regarding women’s rights and tend to continue age-old practices. This is made worse with social menaces such as the dowry system, child labor, child marriage, etc. Women can gather knowledge, get educated, and compete with men. This is sometimes quite threatening to the false patriarchal society.

2. How can We Promote Gender Equality?

Education is the prime measure to be taken to make society free from such menaces. When we teach our new generation regarding the best social practices and gender equal rights, we can eradicate such menaces aptly. Our society is ill-informed regarding gender equality and rights. Many policies have been designed and implemented by the government. As our country holds the second position in terms of population, it is hard to tackle these gender-based problems. It can only be erased from the deepest point by using education as the prime weapon.

3. Why should Women be Equal to Men?

Women might not be similar to men in terms of physical strength and physiological traits. Both are differently built biologically but they have the same brain and organs to function. Women these days are creating milestones that are changing society. They have traveled to space, running companies, creating history, and making everyone proud. Women are showing their capabilities in every phase and hence, they should be equal to men in all aspects.

4. Mention a few initiatives started by the Indian Government to enable gender equality.

The Indian government has initiated a social campaign called “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana” to encourage girls’ education. Besides this, the government runs multiple other schemes, such as the  Women Helpline Scheme, UJJAWALA, National Mission for Empowerment of Women, etc., to generate awareness among the people.

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Reflecting on gender equality and an inclusive society

By Ma. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza

Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8 th of March every year. This designated day of commemoration has a long history connected to the context of European and American women workers’ movements in the early 1900s. The United Nations (UN) started celebrating International Women’s Day in 1975. Two years later, the UN adopted a resolution, A/Res/32/142, titled Women’s Participation in the Strengthening of International Peace and Security and in the Struggle against Colonialism, Racism, Racial discrimination, Foreign Aggression and Occupation and all forms of Foreign Domination declaring the yearly commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD).

In the Philippines, we started celebrating women’s rights and International Peace Day in 1988 by virtue of Proclamation No. 224s, 1988 or Declaring the First Week of March of Every Year as Women’s Week and March 8, 1988, and Every Year Thereafter as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day. Republic Act (RA) 6949 or An Act to Declare March Eight of Every Year as a Working Special Holiday to be Known as National Women’s Day was signed by President Corazon C. Aquino in April 1990.

According to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), 2023 will be the launch of the new recurring theme on WE for Gender Equality and Inclusive Society until 2028. WE, in this framing, stands for “women and everyone” and “women and empowerment.” For this year, PCW identified the four goals of the Women’s Month celebration. Two of the goals specific to gender equality and inclusive society, are:

• “To inspire women and girls to empower themselves and take on leadership roles, opportunities, and benefits toward maximizing their full potential and enabling them to reap the fruits of gender equality”; and,

• “To promote a society that ensures inclusion, protection of fundamental freedoms, diversity, and social justice and in which every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, is capacitated and encouraged to take an active role to play.”

So where are we at right now in terms of these aspirations?

ON GENDER EQUALITY According to UN Women, gender equality means “the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys.” In connection with Sustainable Development Goal or SDG Goal 5, gender equality aims to end gender disparities, eliminate violence against women and girls as well as early and forced marriages, secure equal leadership participation and opportunities, and provide universal access to sexual and reproductive rights.

One of the sources of gender equality information is the Global Gender Gap Report, an annual study on illustrating how near (or far) the gap is between women and men in various aspects of their lives. Launched in 2006 by World Economic Forum (WEF), the global gender gap is an index that specifically measures: 1.) economic participation and opportunity or the wage equality between women and men for the same work they do and ratios for female-male labor force participation, estimated income, as well as female-male ratios of legislators, senior officials and managers, and professional and technical workers; 2.) educational attainments or that which measures gaps between females and males in literacy rate as well as primary, secondary, and tertiary-levels enrolment; 3.) health and survival or the ratio between women and men’s healthy life expectancy and sex ratio at birth; and, 4.) political empowerment or gaps in the areas of seats in parliament, ministerial level, and number of years as head of state for women and men.

For years, the Philippines has been in the top 10 countries that had narrower gaps between women and men based on the global gender gap index: 6 th (2006, 2007, 2008), 9 th (2009, 2010), 8 th (2011), 8 th (2012), 5 th (2013), 9 th (2014), 7 th (2015, 2016), 10 th (2017), and 8 th (2018). However, in 2019, the country dropped eight notches in the index. As explained in the Report:

“This downgrade is almost entirely attributable to lower female representation in the cabinet, which declined from 25% to 10% between 2017 and 2019. Female representation in the parliament was also slightly down and stood at 28% at the beginning of 2019.”

The Philippines ranked 16 th in 2020, 17 th in 2021, and 19 th in 2022.

Last year, the Philippines released its updated Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Plan 2019-2025 which stated “proactively prevent backsliding on the gains so far achieved towards inclusion, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls” as one of its aims. Indeed, there might have been backsliding in the country’s gender equality in the recent years. Therefore, we must work to bring us back where were or forward to where we should be.

ON INCLUSIVE SOCIETY In 1995, the World Summit on Social Development defined inclusive society as a “society for all in which every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, has an active role to play.” It further noted that such a society “must be based on respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, cultural and religious diversity, social justice and the special needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, democratic participation and the rule of law.” For PCW, an inclusive society is one “that overrides differences in SOGIE, class, ability, generation, status, and culture.”

To a large extent, social policies play a critical role in societal transformation towards this goal. The legislative struggle of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) bills is a case in point on how inclusive (or not) our society currently is. To date, numerous bills have been filed and re-filed in the Philippine House of Representatives and Senate since the year 2000.

The following bills were filed in the Lower House: House Bill (HB) 634 (2004); HB 51, HB 267, and a consolidated HB 4982 (2016). HB 4982 was first read in 2017, passed the second and third reading, was approved by the House (with a vote of 197-0), and transmitted and received by the Senate. In the 18 th Congress, the House had 16 SOGIE filed while in the current 19 th Congress, there are nine bills pending at the committee level.

At the Philippine Senate, Senate Bill (SB) 165 was filed in 2004 followed by SB 11 (2007), SB 1559 (2010), SB 1022 (2013). During the 18 th Congress, several SOGIE bills were filed by various senators. There are currently five SOGIE-related bills filed in the Senate in the 19 th Congress: SBs 139, 245, 442, 708, and 1600. In December 2022, the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality passed the SOGIE anti-discrimination Bill and 19 out of the 24 Senators signed the Committee Report. However, it has been reverted to the committee level after a senator presented letters from religious groups critical of the bill.

Currently, SOGIE has been the longest-running bill in the Philippines, spanning more than two decades and several Congresses. Can we actually concretize an inclusive society without a law that seeks to protect against discrimination on the basis of SOGIE?

QUICK THOUGHTS So how should we reflect on gender equality and an inclusive society in the country? Well, for one thing, women must always be vigilant in claiming, advocating, and advancing human rights.

In the case of gender equality, the gains that women have achieved in the past should be thoroughly guarded and defended.

On the issue of passing a SOGIE law, women must push for the recognition of the discriminated and marginalized, defend their dignity and rights, and fight alongside them.

Without these advances, our women’s month celebration may not be as meaningful for those who are affected by these issues, for gender equality and an inclusive society would remain as mere rhetoric rather than reality.

Ma. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza, Ph.D. is an associate professor at the Department of Political Science, Ateneo de Manila University. She is also the vice-president of the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA).

[email protected]

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What does gender equality look like today?

Date: Wednesday, 6 October 2021

Progress towards gender equality is looking bleak. But it doesn’t need to.

A new global analysis of progress on gender equality and women’s rights shows women and girls remain disproportionately affected by the socioeconomic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, struggling with disproportionately high job and livelihood losses, education disruptions and increased burdens of unpaid care work. Women’s health services, poorly funded even before the pandemic, faced major disruptions, undermining women’s sexual and reproductive health. And despite women’s central role in responding to COVID-19, including as front-line health workers, they are still largely bypassed for leadership positions they deserve.

UN Women’s latest report, together with UN DESA, Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2021 presents the latest data on gender equality across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The report highlights the progress made since 2015 but also the continued alarm over the COVID-19 pandemic, its immediate effect on women’s well-being and the threat it poses to future generations.

We’re breaking down some of the findings from the report, and calling for the action needed to accelerate progress.

The pandemic is making matters worse

One and a half years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, the toll on the poorest and most vulnerable people remains devastating and disproportionate. The combined impact of conflict, extreme weather events and COVID-19 has deprived women and girls of even basic needs such as food security. Without urgent action to stem rising poverty, hunger and inequality, especially in countries affected by conflict and other acute forms of crisis, millions will continue to suffer.

A global goal by global goal reality check:

Goal 1. Poverty

In 2021, extreme poverty is on the rise and progress towards its elimination has reversed. An estimated 435 million women and girls globally are living in extreme poverty.

And yet we can change this .

Over 150 million women and girls could emerge from poverty by 2030 if governments implement a comprehensive strategy to improve access to education and family planning, achieve equal wages and extend social transfers.

Goal 2. Zero hunger

The global gender gap in food security has risen dramatically during the pandemic, with more women and girls going hungry. Women’s food insecurity levels were 10 per cent higher than men’s in 2020, compared with 6 per cent higher in 2019.

This trend can be reversed , including by supporting women small-scale producers, who typically earn far less than men, through increased funding, training and land rights reforms.

Goal 3. Good health and well-being

Disruptions in essential health services due to COVID-19 are taking a tragic toll on women and girls. In the first year of the pandemic, there were an estimated 1.4 million additional unintended pregnancies in lower and middle-income countries.

We need to do better .

Response to the pandemic must include prioritizing sexual and reproductive health services, ensuring they continue to operate safely now and after the pandemic is long over. In addition, more support is needed to ensure life-saving personal protection equipment, tests, oxygen and especially vaccines are available in rich and poor countries alike as well as to vulnerable population within countries.

Goal 4. Quality education

A year and a half into the pandemic, schools remain partially or fully closed in 42 per cent of the world’s countries and territories. School closures spell lost opportunities for girls and an increased risk of violence, exploitation and early marriage .

Governments can do more to protect girls education .

Measures focused specifically on supporting girls returning to school are urgently needed, including measures focused on girls from marginalized communities who are most at risk.

Goal 5. Gender equality

The pandemic has tested and even reversed progress in expanding women’s rights and opportunities. Reports of violence against women and girls, a “shadow” pandemic to COVID-19, are increasing in many parts of the world. COVID-19 is also intensifying women’s workload at home, forcing many to leave the labour force altogether.

Building forward differently and better will hinge on placing women and girls at the centre of all aspects of response and recovery, including through gender-responsive laws, policies and budgeting.

Goal 6. Clean water and sanitation

In 2018, nearly 2.3 billion people lived in water-stressed countries. Without safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and menstrual hygiene facilities, women and girls find it harder to lead safe, productive and healthy lives.

Change is possible .

Involve those most impacted in water management processes, including women. Women’s voices are often missing in water management processes. 

Goal 7. Affordable and clean energy

Increased demand for clean energy and low-carbon solutions is driving an unprecedented transformation of the energy sector. But women are being left out. Women hold only 32 per cent of renewable energy jobs.

We can do better .

Expose girls early on to STEM education, provide training and support to women entering the energy field, close the pay gap and increase women’s leadership in the energy sector.

Goal 8. Decent work and economic growth

The number of employed women declined by 54 million in 2020 and 45 million women left the labour market altogether. Women have suffered steeper job losses than men, along with increased unpaid care burdens at home.

We must do more to support women in the workforce .

Guarantee decent work for all, introduce labour laws/reforms, removing legal barriers for married women entering the workforce, support access to affordable/quality childcare.

Goal 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure

The COVID-19 crisis has spurred striking achievements in medical research and innovation. Women’s contribution has been profound. But still only a little over a third of graduates in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field are female.

We can take action today.

 Quotas mandating that a proportion of research grants are awarded to women-led teams or teams that include women is one concrete way to support women researchers. 

Goal 10. Reduced inequalities

Limited progress for women is being eroded by the pandemic. Women facing multiple forms of discrimination, including women and girls with disabilities, migrant women, women discriminated against because of their race/ethnicity are especially affected.

Commit to end racism and discrimination in all its forms, invest in inclusive, universal, gender responsive social protection systems that support all women. 

Goal 11. Sustainable cities and communities

Globally, more than 1 billion people live in informal settlements and slums. Women and girls, often overrepresented in these densely populated areas, suffer from lack of access to basic water and sanitation, health care and transportation.

The needs of urban poor women must be prioritized .

Increase the provision of durable and adequate housing and equitable access to land; included women in urban planning and development processes.

Goal 12. Sustainable consumption and production; Goal 13. Climate action; Goal 14. Life below water; and Goal 15. Life on land

Women activists, scientists and researchers are working hard to solve the climate crisis but often without the same platforms as men to share their knowledge and skills. Only 29 per cent of featured speakers at international ocean science conferences are women.

 And yet we can change this .

Ensure women activists, scientists and researchers have equal voice, representation and access to forums where these issues are being discussed and debated. 

Goal 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

The lack of women in decision-making limits the reach and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergency recovery efforts. In conflict-affected countries, 18.9 per cent of parliamentary seats are held by women, much lower than the global average of 25.6 per cent.

This is unacceptable .

It's time for women to have an equal share of power and decision-making at all levels.

Goal 17. Global partnerships for the goals

There are just 9 years left to achieve the Global Goals by 2030, and gender equality cuts across all 17 of them. With COVID-19 slowing progress on women's rights, the time to act is now.

Looking ahead

As it stands today, only one indicator under the global goal for gender equality (SDG5) is ‘close to target’: proportion of seats held by women in local government. In other areas critical to women’s empowerment, equality in time spent on unpaid care and domestic work and decision making regarding sexual and reproductive health the world is far from target. Without a bold commitment to accelerate progress, the global community will fail to achieve gender equality. Building forward differently and better will require placing women and girls at the centre of all aspects of response and recovery, including through gender-responsive laws, policies and budgeting.

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Gender Equality: Why it Matters, Especially in a Time of Crisis

Bossoutrot Sylvie, Country Manager, World Bank Armenia

We have achieved much in recent history on the path to gender equality, but we have a long way to go to ensure equal endowments, participation, and voice for women.

The stakes are even higher now that the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is ravaging the world, as times of great crisis often put women on the front lines. Women predominate in key roles as nurses, social workers, and caregivers.  They are also working as doctors and volunteers, and as political and community leaders making critical decisions about how to address the public health, social, and economic effects of the crisis.  Women’s participation will be vital to our success against this shared global threat.

Let us first acknowledge the progress made so far…

Today, we tend to take it for granted that women can vote. But - with the exception of a few frontrunners like New Zealand, Australia, and Finland - universal suffrage became a reality only after World War I. Eventually, voting rights for women were introduced into international law in 1948 by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Women have also taken advantage of increased opportunities to serve as leaders. In 2019, women held nearly 1 in 4 legislative seats worldwide  - more than double their share in 1995. Management positions are also more likely to be held by women now than twenty years ago, though parity is still a long way off.

With greater representation comes improved outcomes. Looking at education, the world has seen enormous progress in reducing gaps between girls and boys across a variety of important areas such as enrollment rates and literacy outcomes.

In health, fewer mothers are dying in childbirth and significant increases in female life expectancy have followed. With few exceptions, women now outlive men in virtually every country.

In terms of labor participation, more women in countries at every level of income have been engaging in economic activities beyond non-market work in the home.

Around the world, many national reforms have been enacted in recent years to improve the status of women in the workplace, in marriage, and especially to protect women from violence.

Yet, there is still a long way to go…

Despite this meaningful progress, important gender gaps remain. These vary in scale from country to country and take different forms - from physical violence and deprivations to unequal opportunities in work or political life.

The World Health Organization estimates that over 1 in 3 women worldwide will experience violence in their lifetime.

Sadly, the risk of being subjected to violence increases in times of distress, such as the outbreak of COVID-19. The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Dubravka Simonovic, warned that it was “very likely that rates of widespread domestic violence will increase, as already suggested by initial police and hotline reports.”

Gender disparities also take shape in unequal opportunities to participate fully in economic life. UN Women found that women are less likely than men to participate in the labor market and more likely to be unemployed.

Women are paid less, earning 77 cents to every dollar earned by a man, and bear disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care and domestic work (performing 76 percent of total hours of unpaid care work worldwide). In fact, if women’s unpaid work were assigned a monetary value, one study of six countries has suggested that it would constitute between 10 and 39 percent of GDP . 

These opportunity gaps suggest that women could be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Women make up a larger share of health and social care workers around the world: 70 percent in 104 countries . Also, early analysis from the World Bank indicates that those in caregiving roles may face an increased burden in the wake of school closures, with working mothers finding themselves even more stretched than usual in trying to juggle home-based work, home-schooling, childcare, and housework.

Inequality of access is also a key concern. Globally, nearly 40 percent of women in wage employment are estimated to lack access to social protection .

Women are less likely than men to have access to financial institutions or to have a bank account. Although women-owned enterprises represent more than 30 percent of registered businesses worldwide, only 10 percent of women entrepreneurs have the capital they need to grow their businesses.

These gender gaps impose real costs on society…

As the World Bank Group’s Women, Business, and the Law 2020 points out, “equality of opportunity is good economics.” Indeed, it is estimated that women’s lagging participation in employment and entrepreneurship cost the world about 15 percent of its GDP .

In considering a “full potential” scenario in which women participated in the economy identically to men, McKinsey concluded that this would add $28 trillion (26 percent) to annual global GDP by 2025 as compared to business as usual.

Yet when girls are allowed to dream and realize their potential, we are all better off…

To quote the famous early 20 th century Armenian novelist and activist, Zabel Yesayan, “a woman is not born into this world to be pleasing. A woman is born to develop her mental, moral and physical abilities.”

Over the course of history, many women have embarked on a path of self-realization to the benefit of our society. Some are famous, some less so, but each contributed to advancing the world, whether by promoting human rights and peace, forging ahead in science, or serving on the front lines to save human lives and protect public health.

Let us pay tribute to just a few.

Marie Curie was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize (twice!) - in physics in 1903 for her work on radioactivity, and again in chemistry in 1911 for her study of the elements polonium and radium.

The first Chinese female Nobel laureate, Tu Youyou, received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for her discoveries in advancing treatment for malaria, which have since saved millions of lives.

Katherine Hannan, responding to the Red Cross’s call for nurses, volunteered just as the United States entered WWI and the Spanish flu began to ravage the army and eventually the world. She quickly rose through the ranks to head nurse and superintendent, overseeing 100 nurses.

Mother Teresa was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her tireless humanitarian work on behalf of the poor and ailing in Calcutta.

And, today, women are helping lead the battle against COVID-19: on March 7, the Chinese authorities recognized 20 female medical workers for their outstanding and heroic role in the country's fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

Carolina Elliott, a local woman from Charlotte, North Carolina, in the United States, is organizing food deliveries to help doctors and nurses get “through grueling 12-hour shifts.” “Because when you’re busy in the hospital like that,” she says, “you don’t have time to think about food.”

Shobha Luxmi is one of the doctors leading the fight against COVID-19 in Pakistan. She heads an isolation ward for coronavirus patients at a Karachi hospital, which receives 500 patients a day. “I have almost been working round the clock. I just get a few hours of sleep, and even then I am thinking about the hospital,” she recounts .

And we also look up to the many anonymous and silent female heroes around the world who are caring for the growing number of sick people and helping the vulnerable who have been affected by the current pandemic.

Despite the added burdens, crises present an opportunity to improve gender equality…

Unfortunately, we are likely to see some setbacks in gender equality during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. The European Institute of Gender Equality has stated that the closure or near-closure of businesses could have a severe effect on women-dominated professions (such as flight attendants, hairdressers, and tour operators), and unpaid care work will continue to increase.

In highlighting the gendered impact of COVID-19, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that, “Targeted measures to address the disproportionate impact of the crisis on women and girls are needed.”

The COVID-19 crisis has put unprecedented pressure on governments, development organizations, and communities. While we strive urgently to respond, we should not lose sight of our goal to achieve gender equality. Instead, we should make it part of our overall effort to tackle these unprecedented challenges and come out stronger afterward.

With contributions from Armine Grigoryan (Consultant, World Bank, Armenia) and Amanda Green (Consultant, World Bank).

Gender Inequality Essay

500+ words essay on gender inequality.

For many years, the dominant gender has been men while women were the minority. It was mostly because men earned the money and women looked after the house and children. Similarly, they didn’t have any rights as well. However, as time passed by, things started changing slowly. Nonetheless, they are far from perfect. Gender inequality remains a serious issue in today’s time. Thus, this gender inequality essay will highlight its impact and how we can fight against it.

  About Gender Inequality Essay

Gender inequality refers to the unequal and biased treatment of individuals on the basis of their gender. This inequality happens because of socially constructed gender roles. It happens when an individual of a specific gender is given different or disadvantageous treatment in comparison to a person of the other gender in the same circumstance.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Impact of Gender Inequality

The biggest problem we’re facing is that a lot of people still see gender inequality as a women’s issue. However, by gender, we refer to all genders including male, female, transgender and others.

When we empower all genders especially the marginalized ones, they can lead their lives freely. Moreover, gender inequality results in not letting people speak their minds. Ultimately, it hampers their future and compromises it.

History is proof that fighting gender inequality has resulted in stable and safe societies. Due to gender inequality, we have a gender pay gap. Similarly, it also exposes certain genders to violence and discrimination.

In addition, they also get objectified and receive socioeconomic inequality. All of this ultimately results in severe anxiety, depression and even low self-esteem. Therefore, we must all recognize that gender inequality harms genders of all kinds. We must work collectively to stop these long-lasting consequences and this gender inequality essay will tell you how.

How to Fight Gender Inequality

Gender inequality is an old-age issue that won’t resolve within a few days. Similarly, achieving the goal of equality is also not going to be an easy one. We must start by breaking it down and allow it time to go away.

Firstly, we must focus on eradicating this problem through education. In other words, we must teach our young ones to counter gender stereotypes from their childhood.

Similarly, it is essential to ensure that they hold on to the very same beliefs till they turn old. We must show them how sports are not gender-biased.

Further, we must promote equality in the fields of labour. For instance, some people believe that women cannot do certain jobs like men. However, that is not the case. We can also get celebrities on board to promote and implant the idea of equality in people’s brains.

All in all, humanity needs men and women to continue. Thus, inequality will get us nowhere. To conclude the gender inequality essay, we need to get rid of the old-age traditions and mentality. We must teach everyone, especially the boys all about equality and respect. It requires quite a lot of work but it is possible. We can work together and achieve equal respect and opportunities for all genders alike.

FAQ of Gender Inequality Essay

Question 1: What is gender inequality?

Answer 1: Gender inequality refers to the unequal and biased treatment of individuals on the basis of their gender. This inequality happens because of socially constructed gender roles. It happens when an individual of a specific gender is given different or disadvantageous treatment in comparison to a person of the other gender in the same circumstance.

Question 2: How does gender inequality impact us?

Answer 2:  The gender inequality essay tells us that gender inequality impacts us badly. It takes away opportunities from deserving people. Moreover, it results in discriminatory behaviour towards people of a certain gender. Finally, it also puts people of a certain gender in dangerous situations.

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Gender Equality and Development Essay

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Global Dimension

National dimension, self-reflection.

Despite the progress of the last century on ensuring the equal rights for both genders, there are still issues that have to be addressed by the global society. These matters are important since it has been proven that gender equality in education, for instance, positively affects the economic growth of countries (Amin, Kuntchev, & Schmidt, 2015, p. 18). While education does not present a problem in the West, some parts of the world still need to address the literacy level issue to improve their prosperity level.

Different parts of the world are challenged by the gender inequality issues in ways, which vary depending on the economic state. Western countries, for example, discuss the problems of different wages of men and women who have the same positions. Arguments also surround such matters as whether women are allowed to be priests, should they comply with the standard image of an attractive person, or should they pay more for products targeted at women if these products are the same as the ones targeted at males. In the developing countries, the issues are much more fundamental. They cover such topics as education, human and political rights, household rules, and work regulations. Women are commonly known to stay at home and to follow the family’s opinion in a case of choosing a career path. Home and family are usually perceived to be the primary values. Thus, the economy does not receive enough qualified workers, which has an adverse effect on it. Various studies prove that educating females results in social and private benefits (Grosh & Baker, 1995, p. 67). Although some researchers do not link the female education to the economic growth (Bandiera & Natraj, 2013, p. 17), providing education to girls along with stressing the importance of it in public is the first step in creating the country’s welfare.

The UAE has changed some of its gender policies over the past decades. Nowadays, women can get a good education and further occupy various positions in governmental, banking, and business sectors. However, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. For example, women still cannot travel without a male relative, or they are frequently punished for crimes such as rape committed towards them. All of these problems take their roots from the religious beliefs. One of them calls for wearing clothes that cover most of the woman’s body. However, there are exceptions, as it is widely known that women in closed territories of expensive universities usually dress in a European manner. Returning to the topic of education, it must be said that it is still not inclusive. There is a possible solution to this issue, which lies in using technology. Chen (2004) states that the reducing inequality in work and education is a direct result of the ICT’s availability growth (p. 23). Computer knowledge bases are easily accessed from home and give girls and women an opportunity to learn despite the life models chosen by their families.

I find the matters of gender inequality to be very important to me and my country. Depending on the success of tackling these problems, our nation will experience growth or stagnation in the future. The UAE nowadays is a rapidly developing state that requires a lot of skilled workers. Educating women will help to ensure that we have enough skilled workers. Moreover, ensuring that females make free choices on their lives will result in the overall wellbeing of the nation.

The gender inequality issues are different around the world. While the access to education does not become a problem in the West, it still needs improvement in the developing countries, as well as in some places where conservative opinions prevail. Ensuring women get the same education as men will benefit the UAE’s economics and the social wellbeing.

Amin, M., Kuntchev, V., & Schmidt, M. (2015). Gender inequality and growth: the case of rich vs. poor countries. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper (No. WPS 7172). Web.

Bandiera, O, & Natraj, A. (2013). Does Gender Inequality Hinder Development and Economic Growth? Evidence and Policy Implications. The World Bank Research Observer, 28 (1), 2-21. Web.

Chen, D. H. (2004). Gender equality and economic development: the role for information and communication technologies. World Bank policy research working paper (No. WPS 3285). Web.

Grosh, M. E., & Baker, J. L. (1995). Toward gender equality: the role of public policy . Washington, DC: The World Bank.

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Promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment

Gender Equality Begins At Home : A Personal Reflection

• Swagata Sen
• June 21, 2020

As a mother of a boy and a girl, I was very conscious about never imposing social gender norms and stereotypes on my children. It was primarily because of my own childhood experience – I was expected to act, behave, and express myself in a certain way since I was nine or ten years old. Since that tender age, I used to be told every day that a girl’s value and worth lie in her cooking and domestic work skills. Regardless of the education of a woman, if she is not good at cooking or cleaning, her husband’s family would never love her. That’s not all. A girl should never reply back, should never say ‘no’ to any order, never challenge her traditional and cultural values, or talk or laugh loudly – the list was endless. Because of my apathy in cooking as a pre-teen, every day I used to be reminded how worthless I was. I felt limited, restricted, inferior, and less cared for throughout my entire childhood, because of my gender. Gender equality indeed begins at home.

Stereotyping affects both boys and girls

Guess what? I had a brother who was one year older than me. And the rules, expectations, behavioral standards, life goals, everything was different for him. He never had to do any household chores, help with cooking, or cleaning. He was also allowed to remind me every day that getting good grades would not give me a pass to a great life if my cooking skills are not great! 

We both were equally smart and ambitious. But by the time he was 14, I could see the expectation started mounting on him about his professional success. However insulting and disgusting it might sound, as an elder brother he was responsible for paying the expenses of my marriage (read dowry)! 

It was not only me, but we both were victims of cultural gender norms and gender roles, which affected our adult lives in different ways. It’s a common misconception that gender stereotypes affect only girls. 

Keep gender-norms out of the conversation 

As a mother, I was extremely cautious and conscious of not repeating these with my children. I refrained from setting any expectations or behavioral standards based on their gender. I taught both of them to help me with household work when needed. 

I’ve never told my daughter ‘you are a girl’ in any context. Even today, I associate this sentence with an attempt to limit my ability, my freedom, and my dreams.

Even with my utmost concern and awareness about keeping gender out of the conversation, I remember, it was impossible to control what family members or neighbors would comment on. For instance, my son used to be often teased by some relatives as ‘girlish’ for being tearful and sensitive.

Leading by example is the best way to teach

“To be in your children’s lives tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.”

By the time my son was 12, he started refusing to do dishes, and chores or help me in cooking. The more I tried explaining to him the importance of sharing domestic work, the more he started resisting it. At that point I realized, he never saw his father doing any domestic work, which is a very common social norm in India. Most of our close friends and families also have very divisive gender roles when it comes to domestic work. More than what you explicitly tell them, how you as a parent lead your life, influences them the most. It all boils down to leading by example. Our family certainly needed more gender-equal roles. 

As boys grow up, they start identifying themselves more with their fathers. I realized my son had probably started considering these works as womanly or feminine. 

On the other hand, my daughter would often come and ask me whether I would need any help in the kitchen. If a girl always sees her mother cooking and taking care of family members, no matter how independent or empowered you raise her, she will always have a greater amount of implicit biases about her role as a caregiver of the family. 

It all starts with sharing the chores 

No matter how insignificant it sounds, gender equality begins with sharing domestic and care work. Though women today are more economically independent, all over the world they spend significantly more time doing domestic and care work than their male family members. This impacts women’s economic and professional performance, and growth and makes them more vulnerable to emotional stress and anxiety. Women often seek less demanding careers not because they are less capable, but because they don’t have a strong support system at home. The gender gap in care work is a huge contributing factor to the professional and social gender gap. Equality in domestic and care work helps families and communities flourish. 

Power dynamics between parents affect children

The power dynamics between the parents shape children’s perception of gender roles to a large extent. In many cultures, men are the head of the family and the decision-makers. Women, on the other hand, are not allowed to take any important decisions independently. Men consider reversing the gender rhetoric equivalent to giving up on their power and privileges. If we want to break these patterns for future generations, parents should try to be conscious of reversing gender roles.

In short, parents play a very significant role in introducing gender equality at home and in being role models for their children. In other words, if parents' behaviors promote gender stereotypes, it reinforces the problem. Children growing up in families with huge gender gaps often repeat the same patterns in their adult lives. Tweet

We’ve started realizing that we did not want to repeat the same mistakes that our parents made. We’ve made a lot of positive changes in our household in the last year in breaking the division of work. My husband didn’t grow up to have to contribute any chores at home, but he has started doing it now to teach our son the importance of countering traditional gender norms. We do believe that gender equality begins at home. As adults, it’s harder for parents to overcome their own cultural biases. But, once you acknowledge and own your unconscious biases, you can work your way through it! 

Related posts:  A Step by Step Guide For Men To Fight Against Gender Discrimination  and  You Too 

Related resources:  Gender equality starts at home: Seven tips for raising feminist kids

#GenderEqualityBeginsAtHome #MenCanCook #ShareDomesticWork

A clinical researcher by profession, I am an advocate of gender equality and women’s rights. I have created Rights of Equality to dismantle institutionalized gender discrimination and harmful social practices through systemic changes. Over the last few years, our contributors from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds were able to voice their concerns about a range of issues that are oppressive to women across the world. We are hopeful that our efforts will help promote awareness and contribute to changing mindsets and shifting cultures about gender roles and norms.

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11 Comments

Amber Myers

Yes, I love this. I make sure my son knows he needs to help in the kitchen. And I want my daughter to know how to change her own tire and such. I think that’s important!

Tara Pittman (@momknowsbest15)

Having 4 boys and 1 girl, I made sure to teach them all to cook and clean. My sons are awesome in the kitchen.

That is true that some household roles should not be assigned to a child according to their gender.

Jessi Joachim

I have 1 boy and 1 girl, and I totally think it is a conscious decision to break down gender norms with my kids. I even have to remind my own parents that some things won’t be made to be a “big deal”… like my dad hates that my son likes his long hair…. my kids both play with whatever toys they want and do the same chores.

So true….nature versus nurture. We must begin with the teaching at a young age from home.

this is so true. i’ve been reading new books for myself and to my kids to try and unlearn / learn.

kileen cute & little

successunscrambled

Like you I have a boy and a girl and they both help around the house. My son is such a ‘foody’ as well so he is always making something in the kitchen.

World In Eyes

Great post, I strongly believe that Gender inequality begins from Kitchen, so we must finish it at kitchen.

Enriqueta Lemoine

Treating and teaching children as equally as possible it huge.

Melissa Cushing

I loved this post and enjoyed reading. I have to say you have a beautiful family and loved the pictures too…. the pictures are what grab me 🙂

This is fantastic and 100% correct. When ever we have kids we’ll be doing our best to ensure they are tolerant and treat everyone as they themselves would want to be treated.

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Browse Course Material

Course info, instructors.

• Dr. Andrea Walsh
• Dr. Elizabeth M. Fox

Departments

• Women's and Gender Studies

As Taught In

• Gender Studies
• Women's Studies

Learning Resource Types

Introduction to women's and gender studies, essay 3: final reflection, essay 3 information.

• Due: at the end of the semester
• Length: essay/brochure section: approx. 4 pp. (1000 words) 
• List of items for display: approx. 3 pp. 
• Final reflection: ½–1 p. (125–250 words) 

Assignment: A WGS Museum Exhibit 

This assignment provides a rich opportunity to visually present your knowledge about women’s and gender issues as museum artifacts, and create an informational essay/brochure, drawing from course materials, to orient viewers. Assume, for this assignment, that you are designing a gender studies museum exhibit for an audience of teens and adults around one of these two topic areas: 

• From 1848 Onward: The Struggle for Gender Equality in the U.S. (historical and contemporary focus)
• Gender, Work, and Families (more contemporary focus) 

Write a short informative essay/guide (4 pp. / 1000 words) to orient viewers to the gender issues and critical questions in the exhibit, drawing explicitly upon at least six course readings. (The essay addresses a popular readership; include a thesis or “mapping” statement previewing central issues/questions of the exhibit.) Envision yourself as a museum educator or curator; the essay should motivate engagement with the exhibit. In your essay/guide, pose critical questions to open up new ways of thinking about gender, sexuality, work, and families, rather than explicitly advocating specific position(s). Imagine this essay as a brochure accompanying a visual exhibit, which may be online or in a museum building. 

Following the essay, list at least ten different items to display (in order) with a brief interpretive caption (1–2 lines) for each (approx. 3 pp.). (Display items can include timelines, charts/graphs, ads, clips from films or TV shows, short quotes from course readings or newspaper articles, photos, etc. Include images from the Internet, if you can.) Your focus may be global as well as U.S.-based. The essay/guide should refer explicitly to some, but not necessarily all, items on display; aim for at least five. Depending on which option you choose, there are many different gender issues that you might cover in your museum exhibit. Feel free to focus your museum exhibit on a particular topic, e.g., gender issues for African-American women in the first wave and second and later waves of women’s rights activism; same-sex couples and gender/work/family issues; or work/family and other gender issues for women in STEM fields. 

Note: Draw examples from readings (and films) to support your points; use parenthetical citations to document sources (see citation handout). Feel free to use material from your first and second essays, as well as oral presentations. Be sure to introduce quotes adequately, creating smooth transitions between your writing and that of sources.

Tips for Essay 3 (PDF) ( DOC )

Final Reflection

Due with Essay 3

In what ways has WGS. 101: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies —readings, films, lectures, discussions, your own essays/presentations—influenced your thinking about gender and women’s roles in society and in your own   life? Name two or three questions this course has generated for you (½–1 p.).

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A reflection on gender roles perception and inequality

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Introduction from Professor Sarah Sharples, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

I am delighted that this week’s EDI guest blog is written by Francesca Vinci School of Economics, who reflects on three powerful lectures on gender inequality delivered at the School by Professor Johanna Rickne of the Swedish Institute for Social Research at Stockholm University.

The debate on gender inequality has gained ever-growing attention in recent years, and this is true in academia, as well as industry and politics. Questions about what can be done to improve the representation of women in education as well as the work force are topical. As part of its efforts to contribute to this movement, the School of Economics had the pleasure to host three lectures on gender inequality, held by Professor Johanna Rickne  (Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University and University of Nottingham).  She shared insights from her own research and her expertise in the field, focusing on gender quotas, couple formation and harassment.

In the first lecture, she talked about the findings from research she conducted to assess the impact of the introduction of gender quotas in the local election process in Sweden. Prior to the change in policy, candidate lists on ballot papers were strongly influenced by party leaders and consistently had men ranking higher than women by a large margin, despite having access to information on individual’s competence, developed through years of participation in party activities.

The policy forced parties to modify the way they were forming candidate lists, by introducing a zipper quota, i.e. forcing them to alternate by gender throughout the list.  Johanna and her co-authors found that the introduction of the quotas increased the overall competence of politicians elected, by increasing the quality of men selected, without affecting women’s. The authors interpret the results as evidence that mediocre men were pushed out because of the intervention and highlight that the previous status quo was the result of mediocre leaders choosing other mediocre individuals to increase the chances of their own survival.

In the first lecture, she talked about the findings from research she conducted to assess the impact of the introduction of gender quotas in the local election process in Sweden. Prior to the change in policy, candidate lists on ballot papers were strongly influenced by party leaders and consistently had men ranking higher than women by a large margin, despite having access to information on individual’s competence, developed through years of participation in party activities. The policy forced parties to modify the way they were forming candidate lists, by introducing a zipper quota, i.e. forcing them to alternate by gender throughout the list.  Johanna and her co-authors found that the introduction of the quotas increased the overall competence of politicians elected, by increasing the quality of men selected, without affecting women’s. The authors interpret the results as evidence that mediocre men were pushed out because of the intervention and highlight that the previous status quo was the result of mediocre leaders choosing other mediocre individuals to increase the chances of their own survival.

In the second lecture, she discussed couple formation and women’s careers, focusing on the link between promotion to top jobs for women and the probability of divorce. She analysed Swedish data for local elections and found that women getting top jobs became more likely to divorce, whilst the result did not hold for men. Further analysis uncovered that the findings were driven by couple formation in which men were older, earned more to start with and had taken less parental leave, controlling for the couple’s ex-ante differences in background and earning potential. Johanna and her team interpreted these results as the result of a divergence in the expectations formed before the promotion within the couple. Although it is hard to draw definitive conclusions on something as intangible as expectations from quantitative analysis, this research seems to suggest that, at least for some couples, the expectations about traditional gender roles are still important for the equilibrium of a marriage. The professor also noted how a different study found that single MBA female students were less likely to report their true ambition in a context where their male peers would learn about them, as if their career-driven attitude would make them less desirable.

In the third lecture, Johanna tackled the role of harassment in perpetuating gender inequality and explained how this tends to increase with the share of the opposite sex in an occupation or workplace. A woman/man entering a male/female dominated environment breaks social norms, leading to retaliation through antagonistic behaviour. Interestingly, this suggests that men and women remain attached to some sort of identity categories, to some feeling of belonging they want to defend, and that leads them to hold on to the status quo. Moreover, as men tend to concentrate on highly paid specializations and women in lower wage sectors, this phenomenon has the effect of reinforcing segregation and income inequality.

These lectures were very insightful, they certainly had the effect of spurring debate across the department, and I hope beyond. I found myself talking in the common room with fellow PhD students as well as faculty members, as we all reflected on what we had learned and how we could use such knowledge. In my opinion, everything that was discussed in the lectures shared one common thread: the strong impact of gender role perceptions, affecting both men and women. Gender quotas were needed in Sweden because women were not selected for top ranking positions in local elections due to something other than their ability. They are also being introduced in many workplaces, as there is evidence that female candidates get overlooked due to being of childbearing age, for example. Beliefs about gender roles are also likely to affect behaviour: a woman might indeed leave her job when she becomes a mum if she feels compelled to do so by her family or her peers, and not just because of economic conditions and poor policy provisions. At the same time, a man who would like to stay at home to care for his child might feel the pressure to maintain his bread-winner role instead. Many couples conform with the traditional expectation that the man will be the provider whilst the woman will be the carer and they might crumble when gender roles get reversed, maybe because dynamics within the couple are challenged. In the lectures we also learned that men and women embrace their roles and professions and reject the outsiders as if they were threatening their identity. If gender norms and stereotypes become dogmas in people’s perception, men and women will feel lost and insecure outside them. In this case, the impact of policy efforts to level the playing field and combat bias would face the counteracting effect of gender rigid expectations and beliefs, even leading to more distortions maybe.

Achieving gender equality is a common goal, and policy makers as well as institutions such as universities can steer the ship in the right direction, but I believe we all have to put some hard work into this, by challenging our own beliefs of what gender roles are, and asking ourselves whether what we think we are supposed to do is what will make us happy.

All the Single Ladies: Job Promotions and the Durability of Marriage, (Olle Folke and Johanna Rickne) forthcoming, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.

Gender Quotas and the Crisis of the Mediocre Man: Theory and Evidence from Sweden, (Johanna Rickne, Tim Besley, OllemFolke and Torsten Persson) American Economic Review 107(8): 2204-2242 (2017) 

'Acting Wife:' Marriage Market Incentives and Labor Market Investments,  (Leonardo Bursztyn, Thomas Fujiwara and Amanda Pallais) American Economic Review, 107(11): 3288-3319 (2017)

https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/businesses-rejecting-maternity-age-candidates Francesca Vinci School of Economics

Monday 28 October 2019

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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GENDER EQUALITY REFLECTIONS: Five years of blogging through a journey of reflection and inspiration

We are very happy to celebrate the fifth anniversary of CIDSE’s Gender Blog. When we launched this initiative, we wanted to create a new space to share many unheard stories and reflections on how our work for social justice intersects with the individual struggles of women and men from around the world fighting for gender equality and the rights of women. As you will see through this collection of articles, we were able to read and hear a rich diversity of voices and perspectives on what gender equality and justice mean to them, each one coloured and woven in their particular context. We are grateful to all who courageously shared their stories and experiences with us, who trusted us to honour their struggles and celebrate their achievements. We are very proud to be a part of such a powerful process and we hope you experience something new as you re-read some of these testimonies or discover what brings us together as we continue to stand for the rights of women, and equality and justice for all, but most especially the courageous individuals who must challenge systemic gender injustice in their day-to-day lives. You have our respect and gratitude.

Josianne Gauthier, CIDSE Secretary General

GENDER AND AGROECOLOGY

Anabel Torres, founder of Cantera and member of the Congregation of Saint Agnes of the USA.  

“We have evidenced changes at the community level in several areas such as the participation of men in domestic work and in dialogue and participation with their life partners, in their own and community productive activities; formation and support of the “Agroecological Network of Promoters” who provides technical accompaniment to producers in their communities by promoting ecological agriculture”. Read the full story.

Photo: Cantera Project.

THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL FROM A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE 

Eva van de Rakt, Heinrich Böll Foundation and Lisa Tostado, International Climate, Energy & Agriculture Policy Programme at the EU office.

“The narrative framing of the “just transition” is an example of how European Green Deal initiatives could step-up gender mainstreaming. The first thing that pops into most people’s minds when confronted with “just transition” are male coal workers. It is not enough, though, to understand the “just transition” as a concept looking at male employed workers only, in particular in high-emitting industries”. Read the full story.

Photo: CC-BY-4.0 © European Union 2019 – Source EP.

WOMEN AT THE HEART OF THE FOOD SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT IN MALI 

Anne Berson is the Program Coordinator in West Africa and an Agro-environmentalist at BEDE.

“The Convergence of Rural Women for Food Sovereignty in Mali and one of BEDE’s partners in West Africa, is exemplary in how it engages women in the food sovereignty movement. The convergence, which was created six years ago, is made up of 36 rural women’s cooperatives that comprise 3,900 members throughout Mali and works to promote food sovereignty by supporting women farmers in advocacy and agro-ecological production”.  Read the full story.

P hoto: Flickr.com/Project Photos.

WOMEN ARE HOPE  

Dr. Vaishali Patil, anti-nuclear activist and member of the National Alliance of Anti-Nuclear Movements.

“As an activist who has been supporting the organisation and mobilisation of communities against this disastrous project, what has been amazing for me to witness is how in the last 10 years the women have come to understand what nuclear power is, how radiation impacts the human body and the potential negative impacts to their livelihoods”. R e ad the full story.

Photo: Flick.com/Luca Tomac. 

STRUGGLE TO REPORT SEXUAL ABUSE 

Anonymous 

“One particular form of sexual abuse occurred regularly and was never publicly reported. The army were deployed at various entry points and would search anyone arriving. Passengers would be asked to disembark from their vehicles when they got to the check points for searching. Female military officers were assigned to search for diamonds even inside women’s private parts.  Women were asked to remove their underwear, lie down and the female military officers searched inside the women’s vaginas using bare fingers to look for diamonds.”  Read the full story.

PALESTINIAN WOMEN IN THE GAZA STRIP 

Amal Syam, activist and advocate of women’s human rights and gender equality.

“During this 14-year siege, Israeli forces also launched three military offensives on the Gaza Strip in 2008, 2012, and 2014. Nearly 4000 Palestinians were killed, including nearly 500 women, and thousands were injured. Furthermore, thousands of homes were demolished, and families were forcibly displaced. A lot of these homes still have not been rebuilt”.  Read the full story.

ADVOCATING FOR WOMEN RIGHTS IN PALESTINE 

Ms. Amal Syam, Director of Women’s Affair Center (WAC).

“Palestinian women’s movements face numerous challenges, even as they became an organic component of national struggle and activism. They are misrepresented in decision-making processes, and achieve only limited access to equal opportunities in the public sphere. At the same time, the Palestinian women’s movement has transformed from a grassroots struggle to an elite and professional issue which is led by dedicated NGOs”.  Read the full story.

Photo: Flickr.com/Palomaleca.

FIGHTING FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION 

Thérèse Coulibaly, animator and activist.

“An information campaign was being conducted on television and radio about the consequences of circumcision. This is when I saw a television program on the consequences of circumcision that described at the end my own reproductive health issues: the sharp pain, the heavy bleeding during and after the procedure, the difficulties of giving birth, the loss of a baby; to say that all this was caused by circumcision. Then I knew I would not subject my daughters to circumcision.”  Read the full story.

Photo: Flickr.com/UNICEF Ethiopia

WOMEN NATURE DEFENDERS VS BIG COMPANIES 

Mirtha Vásquez, lawyer with GRUFIDES in Cajamarca, Perú. 

“Women defenders, explained Mirtha, are one of the most vulnerable categories in the eco-territorial fight. Firstly, in a patriarchal society, women face repression, social stigma and discrimination. But there is more: women are particularly vulnerable to aggression. As home-makers and careers, they are the ones who do and are responsible for many domestic chores; their home and families depend on them. When they are attacked, the whole structure they hold up is threatened”.  Read the full story.

Photo: Flickr.com/EARTHWORKS.

EXTRACTIVISM THREATENING WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD 

Kelly Di Domenico, Communication Officer for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada.

“At the end, these courageous Protectors of Mother Earth made a plea to let her be still. To stop exploiting her, and to let her breathe and continue to give life. This message was reiterated over the weekend, as the women present expressed the inseparable bond they have with Mother Earth and that abuse to her is abuse to all women and vice-versa”.  Read the full story.

Photo: Flickr.com/CIFOR.

THE STRUGGLE FOR CONSENT 

Nonhle Mbutuma, founding member of the Amadiba Crisis Committee and resident of Xolobeni.

Women sit at the frontlines of the harm extractives projects cause, facing the double-burden of a gendered division of labour and unequal power to make decisions in the community. When land is taken it is women, the primary subsistence producers who are ignored and not compensated for their unrecognised informal land rights. When water is polluted women walk further and longer, in often dangerous areas, in search of clean drinking water for their families.  Read the full story.

Photo: Flickr.com/UN Women.

A POWERFUL CONNECTION 

Tchenna Maso, lawyer with Movimiento de Afectados y Afectadas por Represa in Brazil.

“Many women provided food sovereignty through the varied crops from their gardens. They never had to buy produce in the market. So far, most of these women have received no compensation or emergency aid to compensate for this activity. The dam bursting also buried livelihood projects, many of which related to women’s financial independence, like that from the growers in Gesteira who had started a cooperative have been destroyed by the disaster.”  Read the full story.

WHAT IF THE ECONOMY WAS FEMALE? 

Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, Professor of Political Economics.

“If the economy was a woman, it would talk about care. For example: it would treat care-taking as an essential dimension of human activity, apart from work. And with the thoughts of Jennifer Nedelsky we would discover how we should rethink the timing of work and care, and that care could and should enter the public sphere. Sharing her ideas, we would imagine a world in which when we meet a person for the first time, we would ask them “who do you care for?” and not just “what do you do?””.  Read the full story.

Photo: Flickr.com/nakashi.

THE PLACE OF WOMEN IS… IN THE STRUGGLE 

Sr. Mary John Mananzan, Benedectin nun and an activist. 

“The poorest of the poor are women and this is what is known as feminization of poverty. Although men are also poor, there is a greater severity of poverty among women than among men. This poverty leads to a lack of longevity, health education or knowledge, decent standards of living, and social and political participation”. Read the full story.

Photo: Flickr.com/Collin Key.

WOMEN: BE BRAVE 

Daniela Ordowski, board member of MIJARC Europe.

“Being a feminist and being active inside the catholic church seems to be a big contradiction. This is how I feel much of the time. When I was invited to meet 300 international youth in Rome to work on a document for the Synod on Youth I was thrilled. And on the other hand, I was uncertain of what to expect. The catholic church is diverse global community, and I was strongly hoping that I would see that reality reflected at this meeting”.  Read the full story. 

Flickr.com/Georgie Pauwels.

ROLE OF MEN IN FEMINISM 

Sandy Ruxton, Honorary Research Fellow in Durham University.

“Men’s participation in gender justice movements could strengthen feminist efforts. Some forms of participation could include taking action online to defend women’s rights; supporting national and local campaigns opposing violence against women; raising awareness about sexism, for example in local sports teams or music venues; educating young people in schools and universities; and joining organisations working for gender justice”.  Read the full story.

Photo: Flickr.com/Ted Goldring.

This is a collection of blog posts from our series, many more can be read here . 

GENDER EQUALITY REFLECTIONS: Five years of blogging through a journey of reflection and inspiration

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