Gender Inequality, Origin and Addressing of the Issue (Essay Sample)

GENDER INEQUALITY
Student name
Institution
Gender Inequality
It is great the disparity in the definition of gender and sex. Lay men may not differentiate between the two but they each have different meanings. Sex is the biological characteristics that a being has while gender is created by society. Gender is the socially constructed roles norm and perception as to what is male and what is female. Gender comes from the community while sex is determined immediately after conception. Gender can change while sex unless through surgery cannot be changed. Gender inequality is the favouritism bestowed to one gender over another. This favouritism leads to the undermining one gender branding it as inferior to the other.
History of Gender inequality
Steps have been taken to ensure gender equality in the current age we live in. Though not fully realized in all sectors, it was not always the case in the earlier years.  Jeremy Bentham a British philosopher poised a question that highlighted the gender inequality at that era. HE asked
Why exclude them? Of the two sexes of which the species is composed, how comes all the natural right to political benefits to be confined to one?” Jeremy Bentham (1789)1
Over the year’s women have been underlooked like the inferior gender with most of their rights being limited. Those granted had to be approved by men. This glaring disparity was not only in politics but in almost all aspects of life from work to education. New Zealand was the first nation to grant women the right to vote in 1893. Saudi Arabia was the last nation to grant women the fundamental right to vote. This happened in 2015 (DILLI, 2015) This came 122 yrs. after the first nation. This shows although progress is being made, the rate is alarming. In the USA the autonomy to vote was granted to women in the third decade of the 20th century. Before this, woman was considered less intelligent and irrational, they were likened to children. This was the main reason why they weren’t allowed to vote.  They could also not be granted passports and had to travel using their husbands’ passports. Male chauvinism was rampant during this era.
The United Nation (UN) tried fixing the problem of gender inequality in 1979 by forming the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) This was a convention whose main aim was to lobby for the equality of women in all sectors. This came after a decade of advocating for the equality of women through the UN women decade that was from 1976-1985. It should be noted that after 1970 the number of women accessing education, in politics and leadership, work and other areas in life have generally increased.
Women fertility issues have been affected. With more and more women being able to access family planning methods. Globally, in 2010–2015, women fertility rate reached 2.5 children per woman a drop when matched to 3 children in 1990–1995 (figure 1.18). In developed countries, the rate was lowest during 1995–2000, but in 2010–2015, it returned to similar figures like that of 20 years earlier of 1.7 children per woman (Affairs, 2015). The mean childbearing age has also risen. This is due to women accessing both family planning methods and higher education placing them at a better position to safeguard their future
 
In education, Despite women enjoying better access to tertiary education than previous ages they still lag in areas that was initially dominated by men. Women are less likely to graduate in these fields science, engineering, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and services than men. This was specifically for fields like engineering during the period 2005–2012. 1 in 5 men are likely to graduate compared to 1 in 20 for women. This is a clear indication that though grounds have been made, to achieve equality we are not there yet.
 
An original analysis of how addressing the problem will improve.
 
Gender inequality can be addressed in several ways. One of them includes the use of affirmative action. The favouring of women over men in jobs, admission to schools and politics will help greatly shift the scales. Women will be empowered and will finally be able to compete for the same resources as men who traditionally had an advantage.  Affirmative action should be applied to statistics prove that indeed there is gender equality. After this gender equality may be found. Application of the 1/3 gender rule will benefit women. This rule states that no less than 1/3 of a discriminated gender group should be at any organization. Implementation of this rule in corporations will help give women chances.
 
Gender inequality can also be solved through the gradual change of societies perception of gender. Once the societies perception of gender changes, equality will be met. Chauvinistic and misogynist male views should be dropped for universal views that view both genders as equal. This will lead to the loss of the notion that some jobs and tasks are suited better for males giving women opportunities. Women should be considered as equal and as capable as a fellow man.
 
Concepts that affect gender equality
 
Culture is a concept that affects gender equality. In some customs, a certain gender is preferred to another. This brings about gender inequality. Cultures that are patrilineal tend to invest more in their sons than their daughters. IN some communities, e.g. in northern India that practice patrilocality where after marriage the girl leaves her family and goes to live with her husband’s family. This seems like the woman ceases to be part of her biological family and joins another. This has led to more families in the region investing heavily on son’s education and life neglecting their daughters. They do this with a view that investment on daughters would be equipping her up for another family (Jayachandran, 2015).
 
Payment of dowry also affects equality. Payment of dowry has generally faded away in European countries but the culture is still strong in other parts of the world. Before marriage, the bridegroom is expected to pat with a dowry in exchange for the wife (in Africa). This act objectifies women to property that can be transferred or exchanged. It also supports patriarchy in society. A new clinic offering prenatal tests in the city of Amritsar put up a billboard that stated “invest Rs. 500 now, save Rs. 50,000 later” This was clear that the 500 Rs. Was for an ultrasound that would show the sex of the baby. The 50000 Rs. Was the money saved when the coupled procured an abortion (Jayachandran, 2015). This shows the effect that culture has on an inequality. Outdated cultural practices should be dropped.
 
Religion is another factor that bears its weight heavily on inequality.  Almost all religions tend to side to a male-dominated society. The position of the leader of religion (God) is usually