The problem of gender inequality is one of the most acute problems today. Gender discrimination exists, just as there are people who are not ready to cope with the current state of affairs. To protect women from violence, improve their position in society, and place in marriage, a large number of different reforms were carried out, and various communities were formed. Undoubtedly, society is developing, and currently, there is much less discrimination based on gender than there was before. Despite this, gender inequality still exists in many spheres of life and requires continued work to eliminate it.
This topic was chosen because the problem of gender inequality has existed for a long time and is being solved with varying success. This topic is one of the leading ones in the big issue of social inequality since women often suffer from discrimination of their rights and violence. Feminism brought the desire of women to occupy leading positions, that is, matriarchy, into the socio-cultural framework. Personally, this question does not concern me, but I actively monitor the actions of feminists and their success since such large-scale problems are essential to me.
There are two approaches to gender inequality namely universalist and historical. The problem of inequality between men and women has always existed, but women began to fight for their rights not so long ago. In Kung San tribe, men were engaged in hunting and women in collecting plant food, and even though women’s work is more energy consuming in the caloric dimension, the hunter is still more revered (Lee, 1978). In the middle of the 19th century, the struggle for women’s rights began in the United States, namely for the right to vote. There were many goals regarding the battle, and thus the feminist movement for women’s rights was formed. Feminism is a sisterhood between women, as well as a part of women’s solidarity. Women sought to secure the right to vote, the right to work and study, as well as freedom from domestic violence.
Empowerment is a process through which women gain power and control over their own lives and can use the resulting freedom of action to change the social structure. Thanks to higher awareness, such women have better access to opportunities, greater control over resources and activities. They can more fully influence their own lives and the structures of their community and society. Nevertheless, gender inequality is one of the most common forms of discrimination.
Sherri Ortner is an American anthropologist who has studied the differences of people in social societies. Ortner (2016) pointed out that the universality of sexual inequality, its existence in all cultures, is evidence that it is profound, fundamental, and highly persistent. Changing individual social roles and restructuring the entire economic structure cannot destroy this. According to Ortner’s theory, a woman has reproductive functions inherent only to her at three levels (2016). The first is the female body, and its parts seem close to nature. The second, due to their bodily functions, women are placed in those social roles considered lower than men’s. The third traditional female role, in turn, generates certain psychology of a woman, which is also considered as less cultured.
Thus, the opposition of the feminine and the masculine becomes the opposite of the natural and the cultural. That is, in societies, women are considered as part of nature and placed outside the historical time and space of culture, and men, as part of the culture, live in history and embody the “human.” What women do, even outside the domestic sphere, is devalued because women do it, but it is not predetermined by nature but culturally constructed.
There is a concept of matriarchy which implies the leadership of a woman in the family or society. In different countries, at other time stages, there were communities in which a woman ruled. In this case, she had the same rights as men and was an unambiguous leader. In modern times, matriarchy remains a less popular form of management in any sphere of society than the patriarchy.
Throughout history, many women have embarked on the path of self-realization for the benefit of society. Some of them are widely known, others are less well known, but each has contributed to world progress, whether it is ensuring human rights and peace, advancing science, or protecting of public health. Even now, women do not strive to be famous feminists, and they are fighting for the rights of all women and equality with men.
Naturally, gender relations can be very different in different cultures: states’ relations between women and men are incredibly diverse. This implies that gender is a cultural, social, and historical concept and that gender relations are changeable. This is not a rigid structure that needs to be obeyed, but a system that needs to be changed if it is outdated and no longer meets the needs of the time. The main parameters of gender justice include freedom, equality, tolerance, and the division of responsibility.
Freedom means that men and women have the right to a decent life and a decent upbringing of their children, without fear of hunger and fear of violence, oppression, and injustice. A democratic state based on the will of the people is the best way to achieve these rights. Equality in which even one person in the country should not be deprived of the opportunity to take advantage of democratic development. Men and women should be provided with equal rights and equal opportunities. Tolerance means that people should respect each other. People should not be afraid or suppress differences within and between each other. On the contrary, they must be preserved for a decent life for descendants. Shared responsibility means responsibility for managing economic and social development in countries, regardless of gender.
There are three main approaches to understanding what gender inequality is and how it can be overcome. These approaches are associated with different stages of the development of feminist thought, with the so-called three waves of feminism. Each of these approaches has found its embodiment in certain political decisions. The very first wave of the struggle for women’s rights was the struggle for women to become citizens on equal terms with men (Delao, 2021). That is, to gain rights that are now taken for granted: the right to education, the right to own property, the right to vote.
The second wave was the issue of women’s social rights. That is, even though a woman works a full day at work as a man, and when she returns home, she is forced to “work” again, caring for a married woman, a child, cooking, and cleaning. The third wave was the proposal not to separate men and women in discussions, where someone is privileged and oppressed (Delao, 2021). The new model proposes recognizing many gender differences, what is called diversity, as the basis of gender equality.
There is no guarantee that a simple increase in the number of women in political positions automatically changes the conditions of existence of the majority of women. In the formed community of feminists, there is also a fairly significant problem – racism. White women do not seek to represent and defend the rights of black women (Hooks, 2014). Racism in feminist groups happened because black women are or consider themselves to be working class. In addition, white feminists do not want to change the structure of their movements and include black women in the management. While this problem is facing the women’s community, it will be almost impossible to achieve global success.
Often, a woman is perceived only as a part of the reproductive system. A woman has the right to dispose of her body, including independently deciding about abortion. This right is considered at the state level and is guaranteed by the Constitution of the countries. Pregnancy can carry certain risks for the mother’s health and uncertainty about the future possibilities of ensuring the life of the child. Despite this, a man can threaten a woman with murder in some countries if she “kills” a child.
In conclusion, gender inequality is a dilemma that needs to be eliminated, as it causes women even more difficulties. To eliminate gender inequality, it is necessary to ensure equal representation of women in different positions in government and decision-making bodies. It is also essential to advocate for women’s access to information as a tool for empowerment and a key mechanism for change and to ensure that gender equality is taken into account in their mandates. In addition, it is necessary to exchange experience and best practices at the international and regional levels to eliminate obstacles in public and State structures that prevent women from exercising their rights. Naturally, not all men and women want and fight for equality. Feminist mobilization causes a massive wave of resistance and counter-movements around the world. Fighters against feminists stand up to protect family values and organize against the new totalitarian “feminist” ideology.
References
Delao, M. (2021). A brief look at the four waves of feminism. The Humanist. Web.
Hooks, B. (2014). Feminist theory: From margin to center. Routledge.
Lee, R. (1978). Politics, sexual and non-sexual in an egalitarian society. Social Science Information, 17(6), 871–895. Web.
Ortner, S. (2016). Dark anthropology and its others. Journal of Ethnographic Theory (6)1, 47-73. Web.