Gender inequality is a pervasive issue worldwide and affects different social, political, and economic domains. Despite the achievements made in recent years, fundamental transformations are required to ensure women’s empowerment and equality worldwide. This proposal examines the details of the reforms needed in these policies to completely address the problem of gender inequality.
Gender inequality is well-established in society and is grounded in the historical and cultural factors that shape people’s outlook and conduct regarding gender roles. Although progress has been made in gender equality, the existing gap can be seen in education, employment, and political representation. Women and girls are still being blocked from ensuring their part in society, which restricts their chances for development and enforces the cycles of marginalization.
Social discrimination is an act of discrimination based on a person’s race, age, income status, and ethnicity. The presence of social discrimination is shown in different ways, keeping gender inequality in its place. In the sphere of work, men most often are trumped over women and, as a result, cause systematic biases in the process of hiring and promotions. For a long, the idea that women will do house chores and depend on their husbands’ support and that men are considered masculine and capable of doing any challenging job thrown at them has prevailed (Breda et al., 2020). The latter concerns ingrained socially constructed norms and expectations that create a gender-based division of labor. Women usually suffer from various obstacles to a successful career, as a result of which they are confined to low-paying and non-prestigious jobs.
Furthermore, gender-based discrimination is not just confined to the workplace; it also restricts women’s access to education, healthcare, and other opportunities. Stereotypes and prejudices against women lead to unequal treatment in the different spheres of their lives, which, in turn, consolidate the inequalities and inhibit women’s autonomy and freedom (Breda et al., 2020).
The gender pay gap indicates economic inequality between men and women (Blau et al., 2020). In spite of equal education and performance, women still earn less than men. The gender gap is powered by such problems as low rate of education level and restricted employment. This anomie situation highlights the inherent systemic inequalities between wages and compensation models. Research indicates that the main components of this disparity include occupational segregation, discrimination and transparency, which requires systematic reforms to ensure that the gap is eliminated (Blau et al., 2020).
Moreover, gender pay disparity has wide-ranging effects on women’s financial stability and well-being. A lack of career opportunities and lower wages not only leads to the economy’s polarization but also contributes to the fact that women are more present among people experiencing poverty and vulnerable populations (Blau et al., 2020). It has an unfavorable effect on the global development, and as a result of this gap, families may not earn enough to live their lives or even plan for the future.
Altruistic gender inequality comprises of the unequal behavior that people face due to their gender characteristics, which are perpetuated by society in the form of norms and standards (Xi et al., 2022). Sometimes, this inequality manifests in discriminating against women regarding education, healthcare, and political involvement. In the past, the responsibilities of maintaining the household and nurturing children were given to women, while men were the ones expected to provide financially and lead (Breda et al., 2020). Such norms generate gender-based societal biases and contribute to the unfair treatment of women in society. Similarly, society pushes women to choose between domestic duties and career ambitions (Breda et al., 2020). Women face inequalities every time they consider career over caregiving duties. Beyond that, the fact that working places have systematic biases such as little or no access to childcare facilities, leaves, and days off that high men advantage over women results in difficulty in balancing between career and caregiving roles. These inequalities downgrade women’s chances and prevent full social involvement, leading to recurrent cycles of exclusion and disempowerment.
In addition, gender-based discrimination overlaps with other forms of inequality, aggravates disparities and further downplays the less fortunate. Intersectional approaches are imperative for the analysis of gender inequality complexity and for building effective interventions that will target the core of the problem.
Even though the negative consequences of gender disparity are widely acknowledged, they persist. Statistical data reveals a disproportionate number of men and women in different areas, such as education, workforce, and political representation (Blanden, 2020). These disproportional ties not only constrict chances for personal advancement but also impair social development as a whole. Having women feel like they are being less valued and wanted has negative side effects on their self-esteem and life goals.
The fight to eliminate gender discrimination has to be informed by credible research and data to spot the key points of intervention and track the progress over time. The implementation of comprehensive strategies tackling the source of gender inequality is vital for achieving sustainable progress and nurturing the notion of “one society”.
Historical and cultural conditions are in opposition to the preservation of gender inequality. The deeply ingrained patriarchal systems over the years have systematically oppressed women, throwing them into lower roles in society (O’Connor et al., 2020). Moreover, socialization includes gender stereotypes from the beginning that affect individuals’ perceptions and behaviors. These stereotypes not only help in the subtle perpetuation of these gender roles and expectations, but they also limit the opportunities for women and reinforce the existing systemic inequalities.
Besides, institutional biases, such as legal, economic, and political structures, reinforce gender discrimination by maintaining unequal power dynamics and limiting women’s access to resources and facilities (O’Connor et al., 2020). Eliminating these root causes calls for a holistic approach designed to contest preexisting norms and structures and implement gender-responsive policies and practices.
In conclusion, gender disparity persists as a huge challenge that needs transformation in the social, economic, and political sectors. This issue has to be dealt with in a comprehensive manner that will not only unmask its causes but also try to touch upon historical and cultural aspects, processes of socialization, and institutional biases. Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is vital to releasing their full potential and achieving social development. Furthermore, we can curb gender stereotyping in our society by increasing public awareness via the news media. The public media can achieve this by airing out the various challenges that women face so that the existing laws against gender-based discrimination, especially in employment.
Breda, T., Jouini, E., Napp, C., & Thebault, G. (2020). Gender stereotypes can explain the gender-equality paradox. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(49), 31063-31069. https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2008704117
Blau, F. D., & Kahn, L. M. (2020). The gender pay gap: Have women gone as far as they can?. In inequality in the United States (pp. 345-362). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003071709-31/gender-pay-gap-women-gone-far-francine-blau-lawrence-kahn
Blanden, J. (2020). Education and inequality. In The economics of education (pp. 119-131). Academic Press. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128153918000100
O’Connor, P. (2020). Why is it so difficult to reduce gender inequality in male-dominated higher educational organizations? A feminist institutional perspective. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 45(2), 207-228. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1080/03080188.2020.1737903
Xi, J., Lee, M. T., Carter, J. R., & Delgado, D. (2022). Gender differences in purpose in life: The mediation effect of altruism. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 62(3), 352-376. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022167818777658