Gender Inequality: A Rational Man’s Dilemma
June 21, 2008
Today, the burning topic of the day is gender inequality. Sociologically, the word gender refers to the socio-cultural definition of man and woman; the way societies distinguish men and women and assign them social roles. Gender differences are the creation of society and gender inequality is, therefore, a form of inequality which is distinct from other forms of economic and social inequalities. Gender inequality has adverse impact on development goals as it only helps reduce economic growth. By blocking the participation of women in social, political and economic activities, the overall well being of society as a whole can be hampered.
More than a century ago, Queen Victoria wrote to Sir Theodore Martin complaining about ‘this mad, wicked folly of ‘Woman’s Rights’”, just about when the feminist movement began. That was because the formidable empress did not herself need any protection that the acknowledgment of women’s rights might offer. However, women within each community, nationality and class have to shoulder a disproportionate burden of hardship.
Afflicted by an unequal sharing of the burden of adversities between men and women, gender inequality exists in most parts of the world, from Japan to Morocco, from Uzbekistan to the United States of America. However, there are many different forms of inequality, making it nothing but a collection of disparate and interlinked problems.
For example, in some regions of the world, gender inequality takes the brutal form of unusually high mortality rates of women and a resultant preponderance of men in the total population. In male dominated societies where boys are given preference over girls, natal inequality exists in the form of parents wanting the newborn to be a boy rather than a girl. In many countries, basic facilities available to women are deficient as compared to men. Opportunities of higher education and professional training may be far fewer for young women than for young men. In terms of employment, as well as, promotion in work and occupation, women often face greater handicap than men. In many societies the ownership of property can also be very unequal, with even basic assets, such as, homes and land going to men rather then women.
Which goes to show the continuing dilemma is to how to work towards gender equality. Even where their sexual life is concerned, women are at the receiving end of gender inequality. While, a man is said to be sowing his oats, a woman can expect to be labeled a tart, a whore and worse for simply indulging her physical needs. Even though the feminist movement has allowed women to smoke openly, drink at bars and have multiple sexual partners, despite all this freedom, a wariness persists about women who are emancipated enough to do what a man does best.
So, no matter what progress women make, gender inequality remains a rational man’s dilemma.
Recent Articles
The Most Effective Abs Excises
Imagine you are running out of time and you just have a month to go and show in the ramp. You are anxious about the goings, you are worried
Girls Pick These Tips To Choose Your Guy
The golden rule is to observe silently. It’s not too difficult to choose your Mr. right, you just need to look from bottom to up
Looking Back To The Gone Days
Life is complicated and it becomes more difficult when you don’t do the things that you want to. Life is full of dos and don’ts .there is a strong motive that lies behind
Ways To Save On Gifts
The holidays can be a tight time on the wallet for many people. You are walking around the store trying to figure out
Christmas on a budget
With the recent credit crunch, we are all feeling the crunch this Christmas. Shoppers are growing more cautious about spending
