Gender Inequality, Research Paper Example

Gender inequality refers to males and females not being equally represented in society. Differences in genetics, psychology, or societal, cultural standards may be at the root of the treatment. Some of these disparities seem to be social constructs, whereas others seem to be experimentally based. Gender inequality results in discrimination, objectification, and violence exposure, which translates to low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, thus impacting their lives. This essay will analyze gender inequality and how it affects females.

Gender inequality is a common phenomenon amongst females, especially black females in the United States and globally. Gender inequality occurs in various sectors, including religion, politics, employment, and education. Most of these sectors are dominated by males because different corporations think women cannot assume jobs (Huang, Gates, Sinatra, & Barabási, 2020). As a result, being a young female interested and looking forward to joining a male-dominated sector (computer science), gender inequality is a significant concern for me. Getting into the tech industry worries me because of the uncertainties, including whether corporations will allow me to practice my expertise or assign me insignificant roles despite my training and experience because I am a female.

Gender inequality results in a lack of employment equality where males assume the most senior positions and females assume minor roles in the corporation. Furthermore, the disparity in job positions results in variations in salary between females and males, where males earn higher wages than females. Besides, the inequality results in unequal access to education opportunities, which could disadvantage females interested in advancing their education (Heymann et al., 2019). For example, most tech courses are saturated with males, and some instructors are not concerned with females in those classes because they believe they are in the wrong career or are lost in their career path. As a result, I am concerned about what is awaiting me regarding gender inequality as I wait to pursue computer science and join the industry saturated with males.

Women also receive lower-quality medical treatment than men and have limited access to contraceptives. This is connected to other factors that contribute to gender inequality, such as low levels of education and work possibilities, which causes more women to be poor. As a result, they have a lower likelihood of being able to afford quality healthcare. There has also been less investigation, affecting women more than males, such as rheumatoid disorders and chronic discomfort issues. Many women also face prejudice and rejection from their doctors, widening the disparity in healthcare quality between males and females. Women are the ones who suffer the most when religious liberty is violated. According to the Economic Forum, when radical beliefs (such as ISIS) enter a society and restrict freedom of conscience, gender inequality worsens (Heymann et al., 2018). Religious intolerance was also linked to women’s right to interact in the economy in a study conducted by Brigham Young University.

The overall attitude of a community has a significant impact on gender disparity. It’s less concrete than some other elements on this list. Whether it’s work, the system of law, or hospitals, how society evaluates the distinctions and value of male vs. female plays a crucial role in every field. Gender beliefs go deep, and even though progress can be accomplished through laws and significant reforms, there is often opposition after substantial improvements. When there is progress, such as improved inclusion for female leaders, it is also usual for everybody (males and females) to overlook other issues of gender inequity. Gender inequity is maintained, and these ideas slow meaningful change. Despite years of improvement, women remain chronically underserved in government and political processes. As a result, topics raised by female lawmakers, such as maternity leave and babysitting, pensions, women’s rights laws, and female abuse, are frequently overlooked.

Gender inequality contributes to racism, affecting females’ lives, especially women of color. It is hard to discuss gender inequality without mentioning racism. It impacts what jobs females and minorities can attain, how much they are paid, and how legal and healthcare institutions see them. For a long time, racial hatred and gender discrimination have been intertwined. According to scholar and historian Sally Kitch, Early colonists in Virginia chose what work might be taxed based on the female’s race. Work conducted by African women was considered labor, taxed, whereas work completed by English females was considered domestic and thus not taxable ((Huang et al. 2020). The division of labor is one factor that contributes to gender inequality in the workplace. There is an underlying idea that men are more prepared to perform specific tasks than women in most countries. Those are, for the most part, the highest-paying positions. Women’s income is lowered as a result of this prejudice.

However, the issue of gender inequality has eased in the past few years as human rights and gender equality activists have advocated for equality amongst females. As a result, gender inequality in the present world is less oppressive than in the early years when females did not have to pursue equal opportunities. Currently, there are females in top positions in corporations and the tech world, even if they are a few compared to the previous years when there were no females in such career positions (Batz-Barbarich, Tay, Kuykendall, & Cheung, 2018). Gender inequality impacts females’ lives in various ways, including lack of political representation, religious freedom, medical care, legal protections, job segregation, employment, and access to education. Denying women the above privileges lead to poor quality of life because they do not have jobs to raise money to sustain their lives and families.

Addressing the issue of gender inequality would enhance females’ lives because they will have access to good nutrition, education, healthcare, and economic empowerment. Proper nutrition is a crucial aspect of human decency and a fundamental right (Batz-Barbarich et al., 2018). Despite this, girls and women are considerably more likely than boys and men to be malnourished for a range of biochemical, socioeconomic, and cultural issues. When girls and women are given the tools to assert their rights, their food and wellbeing improve, as does the standard of living for their individuals and communities. However, gender equality will be impossible to achieve as long as girls and women are malnourished at substantially higher rates than men and boys.

In summary, gender inequality results in suffering and poor quality of life amongst most females. As a result, it is essential for society, corporations, and individual people to play their part in eradicating gender inequalities. Gender equality will enhance the lives of females by improving economic properties through job, political, and education equality. Besides, gender equality will enhance the lives of many females because they will access medical services, thus keeping them safe from life-threatening ailments. Gender equality ensures a healthier and safer society concerned with human rights.

References

Batz-Barbarich, C., Tay, L., Kuykendall, L., & Cheung, H. K. (2018). A meta-analysis of gender differences in subjective well-being: estimating effect sizes and associations with gender inequality. Psychological science, 29(9), 1491-1503. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618774796

Heymann, J., Levy, J. K., Bose, B., Ríos-Salas, V., Mekonen, Y., Swaminathan, H., … & Gupta, G. R. (2019). Improving health with programmatic, legal, and policy approaches to reduce gender inequality and change restrictive gender norms. The Lancet, 393(10190), 2522-2534. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673619306567

Huang, J., Gates, A. J., Sinatra, R., & Barabási, A. L. (2020). Historical comparison of gender inequality in scientific careers across countries and disciplines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(9), 4609-4616. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1914221117