Introduction
Throughout the history of human society, many different problems have been identified. Some were eliminated over time, and some, intertwined with history, remained in society until modern times. Most of these massive obstacles stem from conflicts related to the mentality of people and the established order of things. One of these problems is gender inequality, which is observed in almost all countries. The United States is no exception in this regard, as the United Nations Gender Inequality Index (GII) shows. According to this table, the United States is only in 46th place on the list of quality of life, behind many even smaller states (“Gender Inequality Index,” 2020). Consequently, despite all the policies adopted, this problem is still relevant for this country, which provides a vast space for studying and researching.
This social problem affects almost all spheres of human activity. Human gender is one of the fundamental characteristics of a person, based on which many relationships in society are built. That is why gender inequality is reflected in all areas where people are present: from health care to politics. In historical times, the differentiation between men and women was enshrined mainly in legislation. Even when legal measures of inequality were eliminated, the entrenched patriarchal order, based on the predominance of men in many areas, remained a powerful social construct. Echoes of past gender inequality are observed both in interpersonal relations and in large-scale adopted policies. Despite the colossal breakthrough made in this area over the past 100 years, this problem remains relevant and requires analysis, which forms the purpose of this review.
Historical Overview
As mentioned above, gender inequality was often enshrined at the legislative level, which deprived women of any right to defend their interests. Following this, it can be noted that a considerable gap in gender inequality in the United States persisted until the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was formed, which allowed women to vote. At the same time, before forming the United States, women already had this right in some colonies, but by the beginning of the 19th century, only men had suffrage (“Timeline of legal history,” 2021). Despite isolated cases, it can be noted that gender inequality in the United States during this period was enshrined in law.
Nevertheless, some individuals tried to influence this state of affairs by drawing attention to the problem. For example, John Adams’ wife encouraged him to pay more attention to women’s rights (“Women’s history milestones,” 2021). However, for the most part, such requests went unnoticed and did not have any significant consequences. Thus, many enlightened women were aware of the existing problems of inequality and even warned their husbands about the possibility of an uprising. Nevertheless, at the time of the formation of the United States, the prevalence of inequality was close to one hundred percent since women had practically no rights. This was partly due to the established patriarchal order since such gender inequality was prevalent in the world. In addition, from a legal perspective, many colonies relied on British common law legislation, in which husband and wife were defined as one person (“Timeline of legal history,” 2021). However, the further development of the state as a free territory led to this concept being gradually revised.
With the introduction of various successive amendments to the Constitution, attention to gender inequality has been drawn more often. One of the reasons for this was the wording used in the Constitution: “persons,” “people,” and “electors,” which left the theoretical possibility of including women in this list (“Timeline of legal history,” 2021). Through state division, parts of the United States have been able to make headway on inequality. For example, in 1839 in Mississippi, women received property rights with the permission of their husbands (“Timeline of legal history,” 2021). The creation of such local precedents made it possible to attract the attention of other states and the nation as a whole. With each subsequent year, more women appeared who achieved success in previously considered only male areas. For example, in 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor in the United States, graduating from Geneva College in New York with the highest grades (“Women’s history milestones,” 2021). Such cases led to the formation of local movements, among which the creation of the Declaration of Sentiments, a document that forms a plea for an end to discrimination, can be distinguished.
The most ambitious issue related to gender inequality and stopping women’s struggle for their rights was the virtual lack of suffrage. Before the constitutional Amendment was raised in 1878, Wyoming passed the Women’s History Milestones Act in 1869 (“Women’s history milestones,” 2021). However, until 1920 and the adoption of the 19th Amendment, this practice did not apply to the entire state. Many court cases were produced during this period to achieve this. For example, in 1900, women were given partial ownership rights, which allowed them to at least partially control their income (“Timeline of legal history,” 2021). An all-important milestone was the opening of the first birth control clinic in 1916. Despite multiple raids and imminent closures, the clinic’s creator, Margaret Sanger, founded the American Birth Control League and created the first birth control pill lately (“Women’s history milestones, “2021). Since the introduction of the 19th Amendment, the social movement for women’s rights has grown significantly.
An increasing number of people recognized this problem, although many men in power initially chose to ignore it. Nevertheless, the right to vote allowed women to legally assert their rights and take actions that are precedents for the further development of this situation. Not all of them were successful, such as the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, but they laid the foundation for further work (Quffa, 2016). Considering the timeline of the women’s political movement, it can be noted that most of the events took place precisely after the introduction of the 19th Amendment, which helped women enter the public field. This led to the promotion of several laws equalizing women and men in various spheres and the country’s top officials’ public recognition of this problem. In the following decades, thanks to this foundation, women began to occupy more iconic posts, make breakthroughs in previously predominantly male spheres of activity, and defend their rights, gradually reducing the level of inequality.
Current Situation
Thus, the situation with female inequality has improved significantly compared to what it was 100 years ago. Women have addressed many of the points of gender inequality that have been present in a patriarchal society for hundreds of years. Nevertheless, there are still many problematic points that have not been resolved so far. Despite many support structures for women that have emerged, from the UN Office for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women to centers that monitor women’s reproductive rights, many elements of the unequal treatment of women remain in society. The foundations for the gender inequality gap have been primarily addressed. However, the existing problematic points are much more subtle, and it is incredibly problematic to change them with any laws or policies.
Thus, gender inequality has become less pronounced, but this makes it no less widespread. Being legally able to vote and stand up for their rights does not mean that women will be equal to men. Kamala Harris, who became the first female vice president of the United States in 2021, is a prime example (“Women’s history milestones,” 2021). Although legally, women can achieve this position for a long time, until 2021, there was no single woman in such a post.
Existing hidden gender inequality can also be discerned through statistics. According to available data, in the United States, the overwhelming majority of high positions are held by men (“Gender economic inequality,” n.d.). On the other hand, there are far more women than men in low-paid jobs. Another striking example is the situation with COVID-19 and health workers, who, according to statistics, in three cases out of four are women (“Gender economic inequality,” n.d.). At the same time, the pandemic hit much harder precisely on married women since mothers lost their jobs two to three times more often than fathers.
Unfortunately, there are not many current bills to address such inequality. Laws like the Equal Pay Act were passed in the last century, and many of these documents have not yet been revised following the current situation. Nevertheless, among the current laws, one can single out the lifting of restrictions on women’s military service in 2013, which allows them to take up combat positions (“Timeline of legal history,” 2021). The Violence Against Women Act was re-authorized to include women from Native American lands in the same year. Finally, in 2013, a key component of the Defense of Marriage Act was declared unconstitutional, defining marriage as only a union of a man and a woman, which now allows people of non-binary gender to also fight for their rights.
Recommendations
However, all the political acts and measures described above are insufficient to address the existing gender inequality fully. Statistics also evidence this: the dynamics of changes in gender inequality in recent years have sharply decreased (England et al., 2020). Accordingly, although the measures taken have reduced the fundamental difference between genders, there are many nuances. This is partly because, during the period of inequality, the party with the advantage accumulated money, connections, and opportunities (Jansson, 2015). Thus, inequality is dictated by historical factors, and other approaches must be taken to address it.
First of all, the existing policies are aimed at creating a level playing field. However, due to the historical perspective described above, women and men initially find themselves in different conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to create situations in which women will be given the advantage to balance the system. The introduction, for example, of various kinds of quotas for female workers will, over time, create a situation in which an equal number of women and men in one position will be the norm. When such a situation is reached, it will no longer be needed since social traditions will be changed.
However, it is necessary to introduce various measures to protect women from male pressure until this happens. Despite all the measures taken, America still has exceptionally high adolescent birth rates, which is both a cause and an indicator of gender inequality (“Gender Inequality Index,” 2020). Therefore, it is necessary to introduce measures to protect women in areas where they are most at risk. So, for example, since most frontline health workers in the event of a pandemic are women, it is necessary to introduce support measures for them: from increasing salaries to providing benefits. Finally, the most ambitious step should be to disseminate detailed information about gender inequality and its historical causes in society. The more people know why women are more vulnerable, the easier it will be to change this situation and create new traditions based on gender equality.
Conclusion
Gender inequality in society is a widespread problem worldwide, rooted in the patriarchal system and associated prejudices. The United States is no exception in this regard, and despite the high development of the country as a whole, the situation with inequality remains very problematic. Until the beginning of the 20th century, there were practically no significant improvements in this situation, apart from isolated cases. Moreover, during the creation of the state, some of the rights that women already possessed were taken away.
Until the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, women declared themselves independent, achieving success and proving that they had the right to have equal rights with men. After the Amendment was adopted, a new era of emancipation began. Political figures finally began to pay attention to women, making it possible to promote even more necessary legislation. However, although in the second half of the 20th century, there was a boom in women’s rights, at the moment, the dynamics of the elimination of gender inequality have significantly decreased. Current laws provide little protection against inequalities for women as the situation has become much more complex. Accordingly, it is necessary to revise the old laws and introduce new actions based not on the provision of a level playing field but on providing women with advantages and protection.
References
England, P., Levine, A., & Mishel, E. (2020). Progress toward gender equality in the United States has slowed or stalled. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(13), 6990-6997. Web.
Gender Inequality Index (GII). (2020). United Nation Development Programme. Web.
Gender economic inequality. (n.d.). Inequality.org. Web.
Jansson, B.S. (2015). The reluctant welfare state: American social welfare policies past, present and future (9th ed.). Brooks Cole.
Quffa, W. A. (2016). A review of the history of gender equality in the United States of America. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, 3(2), 143-149.
Timeline of legal history of women in the United States. (2021). National Women’s History Alliance. Web.
Women’s history milestones: A timeline. (2021). History. Web.