3 March 2015
3 March 2015 It has been said that as humans, we learn from our past, but how could this statement be true? Inequality has existed within our society for many decades, and even though we recognize that is incorrect we have not made the effort to change it. A male is said to earn twenty two percent more than a woman in his lifetime, while doing the same job with the same qualifications.(WGEA Online Article) Now this raises the question, what is gender inequality?
Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender.
What is gender equality?
Gender equality is the view that men and women should receive equal treatment, and should not be discriminated against based on their gender. I believe men and women should be treated equal in status, rights, and opportunities.
Although women in America have come a long way, there are still social inequalities with respect to the media and the workplace. When the word equality is mentioned or a person is asked the definition, responses often touch the subject of racial injustice. People may believe that equality is tied mainly to racial injustice. However, this is not true. Equality can relate to gender, sex, or even one’s sexual preference. A man’s role in today’s society is viewed as dominant and hardworking, while the woman’s role is submissive and secondary. Due to these perceptions, many people adopted a view on feminism.
More education on this topic is needed to correctly understand feminism. Feminism is a movement that allows women to expand their careers and businesses in ways they were not allowed to do before. Women are often stereotyped as being “weak” or “too soft” for the work environment because they are not as “tough” as men. In fact in a recent online poll 66% of people voted that a male is stronger than a woman and only 34% said a woman was stronger than a male.( Debate Online Article) Thanks to a strong support feminism women are able to hold positions in our government. An example being
Barbara Mikulski, who is the longest serving female senator in history.
"Barbara is the longest serving woman in Congress, and her leadership serves as an inspiration to millions of women and girls across the globe to stand up and lead.”
President Barack Obama (CNN Online News)
Women are not only more likely to be the caregivers in a family but also are often the primary breadwinners.
In this current day and age women are supporting their own families without a male figure supporting financially, and it is not uncommon for men to be aided financially by their wives.
The rise of female breadwinner in a family has quadrupled since 1960.(The Huffington Post Online Magazine)
Feminism supports the rights for women to have better careers, higher paying jobs, and financial independence.
However because of social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, feminism is often given a bad name, ridiculed, and not taken seriously. This type of communication lead the perception of feminism as invasive and harsh. Some men have even gone as far as coming up with their own term “meninist.” This word is being used not to promote male equality but to mock women who are feminist. (Online Article on Meninists )
Social media plays a major role in society; it is constantly providing ways to interact with others, to view what’s trending, or to catch up on news. People are influenced by what they see and hear on their social medias.
This too impacts gender inequality. As an illustration, if we ask a stranger in the street who Kim Kardashian is they would more than likely know who she is because of how she is always