Introduction
Historically, gender disparities have always been at the root of social and economic inequity, with women facing significant disadvantages. Even with recent advancements in legal equality, such as the provision of protection for women in the Constitution Act of 1982 and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the informal impediments to women’s equality remain a big challenge (Black-Branch, 2018). The impacts of discrimination against women have not been immune to the Canadian educational system; in fact, some claim that schools have served as a conduit for inequality. Therefore, this paper seeks to discuss the approaches to gender inequality, the causes, impacts, and solutions to gender inequality among women in Canada.
Approaches to Gender Inequality
The educational system is portrayed from a psychological perspective as a scheme that aims to sort individuals into distinct categories that send messages to potential employers about the individual’s abilities; this approach is known as signaling theory. Many academics believe that this will result in economic and social inequity depending on where a person receives post-secondary education. For example, black students’ admissions to Canadian colleges, especially medical schools, are regularly turned down due to their color and gender (Godley, 2018). Just a few examples include the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, Queen’s University, and McGill University (Godley, 2018). Under these universities, black students were subjected to admission limitations that white students were not subjected to. On the other hand, only a few hospitals would accept African-American medical interns. Moreover, black women who applied to study nursing correspondingly encountered racial restraints.
Under the sociological approach, conflict theory highlights that the educational system functions as a vessel for inequality based on class, race, and gender. The topic of gender disparity in the post-secondary educational setting is one area where this idea can be applied emphatically. Females have been marginalized in the educational system throughout Canadian history, with a large proportion of the effect falling on blacks. Before the Confederacy, for example, young women went to school with men but were frequently pulled out of class to attend to family responsibilities (Trent et al., 2019). When these young women did go to school and expressed an interest in continuing their education, they were directed to fields like nursing and education. They were once absolutely barred from attending medical school, which was traditionally male-dominated. Furthermore, many of the most skilled and well-paid professions, such as doctor and lawyer, are still dominated by men.
Causes of Gender Inequality and Discrimination
Discrimination against women in post-secondary education is seen to arise for a variety of reasons. Uneven educational access is one of these causes. In Canada and around the world, women still have less access to education than men. Research reveals that a quarter of young women aged 15 to 24 do not complete primary school (Blau & Kahn, 2020). This category accounts for 58 percent of those who do not complete high school. The findings disclose that women account for 67 percent of the world’s illiterates (Blau & Kahn, 2020). In this regard, many women in Canada experience hardships in the quest to develop good future prospects and chances in their educational career.
Similarly, the second source of gender inequality in various nations, including Canada, is a lack of employment equality. Only six countries in the world grant women the same legal rights as men in the workplace. In truth, most economies only provide women with 3/4 of men’s rights (Fortin et al., 2017). According to studies conducted by Casad et al. (2021) on gender inequality, they argue that, leveling the playing field in the workplace has a favorable domino impact on other areas prone to gender disparity. Finally, occupational segregation in Canada contributes to gender disparity in the workplace. From an anthropological standpoint, there is an underlying assumption that men are simply better fitted to perform particular tasks (Casad et al., 2021). Those are, for the most part, the highest-paying positions. As a result, women’s income is lowered based on this prejudice (Blau & Kahn, 2020). Conversely, women are mostly responsible for unpaid labor such as domestic responsibility; thus, even when they work in a paid job, they do extra work that is never compensated financially.
Impacts of Gender Inequality and Discrimination
Discrimination of women in post-secondary education has directly influenced socioeconomic inequality between men and women. Heise et al. (2019) suggest that although the general sexual discrimination against women in law schools is reducing, an even more damaging form of overt sexism and gender bias is still witnessed. In the 1970s, law schools were designed specifically for male students. Perks provided to female students were taken as secondary and less important. The consequences of these inequalities have had certain impacts and are the foundations of many problems associated with today’s black women. Psychological abuse of women caused by low and higher levels of institutions has led women to feel socially excluded (Trent et al., 2019). As a result, some have tried to escape this reality by abusing drugs and alcohol. Regrettably, a stereotype exists nowadays which portrays some women and black in Canada as alcoholics and degenerates. Aside from its detestably racist nature, the worst insult in this stereotype may lie in the fact that the people who coined it also put their victims in that situation.
Furthermore, various elements like law school environment, structure, and vocabulary tend to exclude women, making them feel inferior. Women tend to keep quiet about discrimination in law school. Heise et al. (2019) highlight that covert sexism does not simply affect law school students only but filters into the entire justice system. Sexism is a kind of discrimination; thus, sexism within law school setups may have a protracted traumatic effect on the individuals entering the law field.
Therefore, women who enter the law profession encounter discrimination from all areas in the justice system, which is dominated by males. As a result, they are subjected to less pay, difficulty in securing promotion, and an unfriendly work environment. Godley (2018) suggests that informal discrimination still exists within various schools. This study found that women tend to think about discrimination and sexism before settling on which medical specialization to enroll in, thus causing stress and irrational decisions whenever they find themselves in such situations.
Solutions to Gender Inequality and Discrimination Among Women in Canada
To improve the trend of positive reinforcement for women’s equality in the educational system and workforce, future generations must be sensitized and educated to send the message that inequality and discrimination are not condoned. Even though various societies consist of discriminative images, the practice of equality in all aspects must be developed early in the developmental process (Casad et al., 2021). For instance, early elementary school on racism and gender equality should be provided to children to build a future with a strong foundation for equality (Tiessen & Swan, 2018). Consequently, the government should advance policy regarding equal treatment for women in post-secondary institutions and hiring practices.
Conclusion
It is critical to recognize that while there have been numerous changes in the way society regards legal equality since the Constitution Act of 1982, women continue to face informal impediments. Even though the Charter of Rights and Freedoms purports to protect women, gender discrimination persists in our culture, making it difficult for women to achieve full equality. Women will continue to face social and economic inequality unless informal hurdles such as discrimination, social injustice, and stereotypes are removed.
References
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