GENDER INEQUALITY
GENDER INEQUALITY
Gender inequality is the state of making one gender inferior to the other, be it male or female. Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender. Gender equality should be seen as a human right and should be exercised in different communities.
GENDER INEQUALITY IN WOMEN
Gender inequality affects both genders but the cases of the female gender tops the list. Girls go through different forms of practices associated with gender inequality. In most communities, educating a female child is still seen as a waste of money and time and as such females have high rate of poverty and illiteracy in comparison to males. In such communities, female children are either married off at tender ages or asked to stay back and assist their mothers all in the name of training them in preparation for marriage. Also, in most rural areas, females are not permitted to speak up in social gatherings except you have a man to call your husband and females are not entitled to inheritance of properties because they will eventually leave and bear their husbands' names. In most households, husbands feel more delighted to have baby boys than girls and as such, end up getting more wives to give them an 'heir'. Girls are being assigned to more household chores than boys, they are being stressed and training them is used as an excuse, most females are even given farm works rather than the boys in the family. Females are subject to sexual abuse and domestic violence, spousal rape is evident in most communities and not seen as a crime because men are supposedly superior.
GENDER INEQUALITY IN MEN
Men, on their own part also go through different forms of gender inequality in different stages in their lives. In most cases, they are being ignored to concentrate on the female gender because girls are assumed to be weak. Men get hurt emotionally but they are not being cared for because they are 'men'. Most organizations do not offer parental leave to men and their working hours are not made flexible, they are expected to work round the clock and they end up not having time to take care themselves. At an early age, boys are expected to take care of their siblings and saddled with a lot of responsibilities, they grow up feeling pressured to be 'real men' which could lead them into taking unnecessary risks. Men rarely seek professional help or discuss their problems with family or friends because they are expected to take responsibility for their lives. Young men turn out to be violent when their feelings are being trampled upon because everyone believes men don't get hurt or they are strong. Men tend to commit suicide because they feel everyone is looking up to them and when they make mistakes or commit errors, they think it's best to commit suicide instead of facing the ones who put their trust in them.
Gender equality is the goal, while gender neutrality and gender equity are practices and ways of thinking that help in achieving the goal. We should not take it with levity because it has adverse effects on both genders, we should seek to make both genders equal and not prefer one to another.