Description · Web viewGender equity and equality has been a subject of discussion for decades with...

Running head: GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND INEQUALITY 1

Gender Discrimination and Inequality

Student name

Institution Affiliation

GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND INEQUALITY 2

Acknowledgement

First and foremost, thanks to the Almighty God, for His guidance and protection throughout the

research work which we were able to complete successfully. Secondly, thanks to all the five

team members who worked collaboratively to ensure that the research was conducted and

completed successfully. The countless hours we have out into the research has finally paid off.

Lastly, our deepest gratitude to the sociology lecturer who provided us with the necessary

guidance and was always willing to answer our never ending questions. Receive our heartfelt

thanks and gratitude.


Table of ContentsDescription..................................................................................................................................................9

Causes of the issue....................................................................................................................................11

Cultural beliefs.......................................................................................................................................11

Religious beliefs.....................................................................................................................................12

Lack of employment equality................................................................................................................13

Lack of bodily autonomy.......................................................................................................................13

Poor political representation.................................................................................................................14

Racism...................................................................................................................................................14

Its impact on society..................................................................................................................................14

Biased policies and laws........................................................................................................................14

High levels of poverty among women...................................................................................................15

Less access to opportunities for women...............................................................................................16

Inequality in economic outcomes..........................................................................................................16

Pro-capitalistic leaders..........................................................................................................................18

Inadequate Resources...........................................................................................................................19

Possible solutions......................................................................................................................................20

Education and Creating Awareness.......................................................................................................20

Introducing new policies and emphasizing on old ones........................................................................20

Eliminate gender discriminative practices.............................................................................................21

Raise aspirations for girls and women...................................................................................................21

Providing proper value to women's work..............................................................................................22

Get women into power.........................................................................................................................22

Recommendations.....................................................................................................................................22

Expanding women's access to finance...................................................................................................22

Invest in family planning........................................................................................................................23

Invest in agriculture...............................................................................................................................23

Engaging men and boys.........................................................................................................................24

Scaling up current strategies.................................................................................................................24


Limitations.................................................................................................................................................25

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................25

References.................................................................................................................................................26

List of Figures

Figure 1: Girl and Boys school enrollment rate(UNDP, 2013).....................................................................9Figure 2: female labor force participation rates (Ospina & Sandra, 2017).................................................16Figure 3: the state of gender gap 2020 (World Economic Forum, 2020)...................................................17


Executive Summary

Gender equity and equality has been a subject of discussion for decades with no definite solution

being discovered on how to close the gender gap. Some of the causes include cultural and

religion beliefs, unequal pay, lack of access to basic and quality education and healthcare

systems among several others. This research focuses on the impacts of the gender gap, an dhow

it can be solved. Possible solutions and recommendations are provided in the article.

Additionally, charts and graphs created by previous researchers have been listed to provide

additional visual information to support information gathered by researchers.


DescriptionGender equity and equality is a human right that requires men and women to be treated

equally, legally, and given the same access to available opportunities in our societies.

Unfortunately, this human right has continuously been violated across the different economic,

political, and social spheres throughout the years (Hazel, Kelly, & Kleyman, 2019). The world

has continued to face a persistent gap in how men and women access the available opportunities,

including leadership and decision making power. Across almost all societies worldwide, women

are provided with fewer options than men, including access to higher education, economic and

political engagement, and access to basic needs, including proper and quality health. The issue of

gender discrimination and inequality is not exclusively perpetuated through unequal access to

resources and decision-making power (Thekla & Ryan, 2018). Instead, it is perpetuated through

the different norms and stereotypes passed from one generation to another. These norms and

stereotypes constrain women and men to behave in a particular manner and engage in specific

roles, resulting in increased inequality.

For over two decades, countries and international organizations have set goals to reduce

gender inequality in the different sectors. For instance, the Millennium Development Goal

(MDG) 3 focused on global gender inequality and how to eliminate it in the primary and

secondary education by 2005 and in all education levels by 2015 (UNDP, 2013). Other instances

include the 1/3 gender rule in the political arena of the third-world and developing nations.

Tremendous advances have been made regarding eliminating the persisting gender gap globally;

however, the challenge continues to persist. There is increased women participation in the labor

sector. More women are vying for senior political seats, including presidential seats, female

literacy has increased, and the gender gaps in the education sector have continued to shrink,


among several other advances. During the past century, the gender gap in the education system

has become smaller, with women and men having the same access to education and learning

opportunities, especially in primary and secondary education. Even in the least developed

economies, the ratio of females to males in the primary school enrollment is 93%, while in

secondary education; the ratio is 98% (UNDP, 2013). Health indicators also illustrate that

maternal deaths have decreased, especially in the Sub-Saharan countries and South Asia. The

maternal mortality rates are considered the best health indicator used to measure inequity health

outcomes between men and women.

Figure 1: Girl and Boys school enrollment rate(UNDP, 2013).


Despite this notable progress, the human rights issue continues to persist on the local and

worldwide levels. Topics such as gender discrimination regarding access to healthcare,

education, political power, and financial services still make it difficult for women to access the

available economic opportunities (Bank, 2015). Access to financial services also remains a

significant challenge for women in low and middle-income economies. For instance, in South

East Asia, only 37% of females own an account in a financial institution making it difficult to

enhance their ability to generate income and have more power in their homes. Notably, in low-

income economies, gender inequality has been reported to make slow progress and persists.

Therefore, it is essential to continue shedding light on gender discrimination and inequality, its

significant impact on society, and possible solutions to the menace.

Causes of the issue

Cultural beliefsFor years, culture has played a critical role in influencing gender discrimination and

inequality that is still being experienced even today. Traditionally, in most countries, especially

developing countries, women were expected to play the reproductive role while men played a

productive and community function. Women were, therefore, barely involved in any activities

that entailed running society and related matters. Their roles involved giving birth, taking care

of their families, and their children. For these reasons, they were viewed as inferiors. This can

also be illustrated by the 1st and 2nd world wars where men went to fight for their nations, leaving

women behind to take care of the family and their properties. Even after the war was completed,

men came back and took over these responsibilities with the notion that women will go back to

their usual reproductive roles.


Additionally, cultural practices such as early marriages for young girls, circumcision, and

other barbaric acts witnessed in middle and low-income countries also have a critical role in

representing women as inferior people compared to their male counterparts. Fortunately, the

social construction that women are inferior to men was slowly becoming forgotten. Human rights

activists and women activists realized the worth of women and started fighting for gender

equality and equity, as illustrated by the radical and liberal feminist waves. As the equality fights

continued to persist, changes were observed in most societies, with women getting more

appreciation and recognition. However, even with these fights, the norms and stereotypes

continue to persist across the globe, making it challenging to attain gender equality.

Religious beliefsReligious doctrines, beliefs, and laws have played a critical role in encouraging gender

inequality even in the 21st century. The ideas that also arise from holy books such as the Bible

and the Quran have played a critical role in portraying men and women to have different

responsibilities that result in gender discrimination and equality. Additionally, religious cultures

have played a significant role in heightening the concept of gender roles and expectations. For

instance, the Islam culture for ages has banned women from showing their faces or hair to the

public and getting married to different individuals. On the other hand, men can dress. However,

they want and marry up to four wives. Some Christian communities, such as the Catholic

Church, do not allow women to serve as fathers while men are allowed. Such practices have

seen religion push the narrative that men are more superior than women who are not allowed to

engage in certain activities leading to gender inequality and discrimination.

Cultural/religious beliefs have continuously acted as an impediment towards the

achievement of gender equality and equity. From a young age, girls are taught to behave in a


certain way and have limited expectations compared to men. Their religion and culture

emphasize the need for them to be less empowered than men, which affects their ability to aspire

more and work harder than their male counterparts (Holman, Stuart-Fox, & Hauser, 2018). It is

difficult to change these attitudes and believe that young girls have impacted them from a young

age.

Lack of employment equalityMost economies across the world only give ¾ rights to women while providing men all rights.

According to research, only six states worldwide have provided equal legal work rights to both

men and women. The gender inequality encountered in the employment section has a domino

effect on all other gender inequality areas.

Lack of bodily autonomyFor years, women have had no control over their reproductive systems, making it

challenging to access birth control and family planning services, especially in the Middle East

and African countries. WHO states that despite having 200 million women globally who do not

want to get pregnant, they still get pregnant due to the lack of access to contraception. The

reasons for the lack of contraception include cultural or religious norms and limited access. 40%

of these pregnancies are unplanned, and half of them end up in abortion while 38% result in

birth. In most cases, the mothers who give birth become financially dependent on others,

resulting in loss of freedom.

Poor political representationDespite notable progress over the years regarding electing women to top political seats,

women remain underrepresented in the political arena. For instance, in the US, the national

parliament at the beginning of 2019 only had 24.3% of seats being occupied by women. In other


countries, especially in the sub-Sahara and Middle East region, the women in the political arena

are way less. Therefore, issues related to women such as parental leaves, childcare, gender

equality, and GBV are often neglected due to the lack of enough female politicians to bring them

up.

RacismGender inequality goes hand in hand with racism. Women of color are treated differently,

have less access to proper education and quality healthcare systems, and are paid poorly in their

job areas than white women.

Its impact on society

Biased policies and lawsDespite introducing policies such as 1/3 gender rule in various countries, women are yet

to be fully represented in the political sector. The majority of the decision-makers in the political

arena of most nations globally are male. In certain countries, especially Islam nations that are

dictated and guided by Islamic laws and beliefs, women are yet to be viewed as efficient leaders

and decision makers fully. For instance, for years, Saudi Arabia has been governed by men as

dictated by the Islam religion that advocates for the dominance of men. For this reason, a law

prohibiting women from driving continued to persist until recently in September 2017 when the

country's leadership led by King Salman agreed that women should drive cars. This case is a

single example of some of the biased laws and policies implemented in different nations due to

the lack of female voices during the decision making process. In almost all countries, men

occupy most of the power positions, while very few women occupy the low ranking political

systems. Therefore, it is difficult for women to air out their problems and back them up with the


needed support. The results are continued formulation and implementation of policies and laws

that, in most cases, do not favor women nor their needs.

High levels of poverty among womenCompared to men, women face significant challenges in joining high education

institutions, especially in low and middle-income countries. Most women end up joining low-

paying service occupations including in the hospitality and tourism industry, domestic jobs, and

other jobs that require face-to-face interactions. Other women are forced to open up small

businesses that generate less than adequate income. Women, therefore, end up being less

financially empowered compared to men. The ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic has further

heightened high poverty levels among women. The service occupation was most hit by the

pandemic, resulting in businesses' shutdown and laying off employees, especially women in

most companies. Therefore, men continue to lead in the economic summit while their female

counterparts continue to saddle in poverty.

The global trend of extreme wealth concentration has also dramatically strengthened the

individual's economic and political power; most cases are males. For instance, as illustrated by

the Forbes list of the top wealthiest billionaires globally, only men make it to the full ten list.

This is an example of how many women have failed to generate sufficient wealth as most men

globally.

Less access to opportunities for womenAlthough the gap between women and men enrolled in primary and secondary education has

shrunk over the years, gender literacy's challenge continues to persist, especially in the Middle

East, North Africa, and South Asia. In low-income economies, for every ten boys, only one girl

is admitted to secondary school; in countries affected by conflict only, eighth girls in secondary


school for every ten boys. Additionally, most girls do not pursue STEM courses compared to

boys which in turn limit their ability to participate in high income generating job opportunities

(Holman, Stuart-Fox, & Hauser, 2018). The reason behind this behavior is the fact that girls are

not encouraged to pursue hard subjects since they are taught to believe that they are designed for

males. Therefore, as they grow up they tend to associate hard jobs and activities to be associated

with men and less demanding and less paying jobs to be associated with women. These

inequalities make it profound for female learners to advance economically once they have

completed their education system. The disparities encountered throughout the female life make

it difficult for her to break out of the vicious circle of being provided low-quality and

unfavorable opportunities throughout her life.

Inequality in economic outcomesTrends in global economic analysis indicate a widening gap in the labor market outcomes

across most countries globally. Women make up 40% of the worldwide labor force; however,

their participation remains low. For instance, in 2014, the female labor participation was 22% in

North Africa and the Middle East, while in Sub-Saharan Africa, it remained 64%. The Caribbean

and Latin America were privileged to witness an increase in female labor participation while

South Asia faced a decline, and Central Asia and Europe remained constant. High female labor

participation is an indicator of improved access to quality education, decreased fertility rate, and

access to better household technology and services, which remain absent in most countries

globally. The gender gap arising from female labor participation remains significant even in the

OECD nations. In Japan, the gender gap in the labor participation sector is 25%, while in

advanced economies, it is at 10%. In OECD nations, 80% of employed women work in the


service industry than 60% of employed men. In this service sector, women can mostly be

identified in the community and health services characterized by low pay and low salary.

Figure 2: female labor force participation rates (Ospina & Sandra, 2017)

It is essential to point out that not all global trends and disparities in gender favor men; some

also favor women. For instance, recent studies indicate that women are attaining higher academic

grades in some countries compared to men. There is sufficient evidence illustrating male


disadvantages associated with increased promotion of women's rights that ignore men's needs

and well-being. Unfortunately, some politically feasible strategies implemented to promote

gender equality have played a significant role in lowering the dominant male groups' standard in

these countries.

Figure 3: the state of gender gap 2020 (World Economic Forum, 2020)

Pro-capitalistic leaders In countries such as India, some pro-capitalistic leaders want to grow their economies and

not disturb the current social systems and features. Such leaders do not wish to transform

women into industrial workers who can generate more income and become empowered just as

equally as men. They still believe that women should be dependent on feudal and patriarchal

features, which makes it impossible to empower women economically (Signh, 2020). It is


difficult to advocate for gender empowerment and equality in regions where leaders share

different beliefs.

While women empowerment is critical in ensuring increased gender equality and equity in a

region, it has also been associated with less attention being paid to the boy child, particularly in

the education sector. The continued fight for the girl child has seen lawmakers and institutions

forget about the needs of boys. The gender equality movement aims to ensure boys and girls

have equal access to the available resources and not make boys less dominant. Unfortunately,

increased focus on girls has, in specific scenarios, had a negative domino effect on boys.

Therefore, activists and institutions need to implement strategies that ensure that both boys' and

girls' needs are considered even while uplifting the girl child.

Inadequate ResourcesTo advocate, campaign, and educate on gender equality requires the use of different

resources that most low and middle-income countries lack. For instance, to introduce girls'

schools in every district, governments have to budget and allocate a considerable percentage of

finances they cannot raise. They also need human educators and trainers who also have to be

paid to conduct their job. The need for such resources makes it difficult for countries to put

enough effort into fighting for women empowerment and gender equality.

Possible solutions

Education and Creating AwarenessEducation plays a critical role in enabling both men and women to change their attitudes

towards the concept of gender equality and equity and accept a significant social value. Through


education, women acquire the needed knowledge that they have equal rights just like their male

counterparts, while males learn that they should treat them equally as they treat their male

colleagues. Therefore, institutions should introduce the concept of gender equality in their

studies to teach boys and girls from a young age about the need for equality and its significance

in their societies. While the reviews have introduced higher learning institutions in many

countries, introducing the studies from the primary or secondary level will play a critical role in

changing many people's attitudes towards gender equality. It is also important to conduct

campaigns and workshops to educate parents on the need to empower their girl child just like

their boy child. Parents play a critical role in influencing certain beliefs and attitudes in their

children; therefore, educating them would play a critical role in eliminating some of the gender

attitudes that boys and girls grow believing in.

Introducing new policies and emphasizing on old onesOver the years, countries have introduced new policies hoping that they will close the

gender inequality gap, especially in the economic and political sectors. For instance, in particular

third-world economies, a 1/3 gender rule has been introduced to ensure that at least a third of

people in the parliament house are women. Different policies have been introduced in the US,

including the 1963 Equal Pay Act and the 1967 Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). However,

even with the introduction of such systems, lawmakers' lack of emphasis has seen them become

less relevant even as the fight for gender equality goes on. Therefore, it is essential for

lawmakers in the different countries to review these policies, assess the impact they have had

since their introduction, and introduce mechanisms to make them more relevant and useful

towards the gender equality course. Additionally, new policies should be submitted to cats more

light on the underlying gender issues and create sustainable solutions. Law enforcement


institutions should be strengthened to ensure that they take severe actions against individuals and

institutions that continue to practice gender discriminative practices in their workplaces.

Eliminate gender discriminative practicesIn Bangladesh, most girls are married off at a young age, which becomes an impediment

to their education. 50% of the girls are married off before attaining the legal age of 18, while

30% have at least one child at 15-19. Circumcision exposes young girls to severe health risks.

Although the practice has faded away with time, it is still being carried out in some of Africa's

marginalized countries. Sexual harassment is also common in almost all parts of the world.

Women face sexual abuse in very many places, including their workplaces and their homes. The

abuse limits their ability to fight for the available opportunities, just like men, in addition to

harming them physically, emotionally, and psychologically. To eliminate gender discrimination

and inequality, governments need to address such barbaric acts that expose girls to risks and

deny them opportunities to succeed just like their male counterparts.

Raise aspirations for girls and womenFrom a young age, most girls are raised to believe that they are inferior to boys, which

also impacts their desire and ability to work hard to access available opportunities encountered as

they grow up. Therefore, a key strategy is raising their aspirations and educating them to believe

that they can achieve anything, just like their male counterparts. It is essential to empower them

with confidence to seek out all possible opportunities as they grow up. Additionally, empowering

their mothers is also a critical strategy in enhancing the education girls receive from a young age.

For instance, in Afghanistan, there have been significant moves to improve women's knowledge

through the introduction of girls' schools in every district. When girls are educated, they also

become empowered to encourage their future daughters to fight for their rights.


Providing proper value to women's workOften, the work done by girls and women is underappreciated. Most women work in the

service industry, where they are often underpaid, overworked, and underappreciated. Therefore,

it is essential to encourage employers to appreciate work done by women by offering better pays

and providing them with a good and fair working environment.

Get women into powerTo reduce the gender inequality gap and overcome the systemic barriers to women

empowerment and success, it is essential to increase female participation at all levels. The

number of women holding positions of powers globally has grown over the years. For instance,

in South Asia, the number of women in the national parliament increased from 7% to 18% in ten

years. However, despite this rise, women remain underrepresented in parliamentary houses.

There is only one woman for every four men in the parliament. Therefore, to eliminate these

barriers, it is critical to elect more women leaders who can voice out women's needs and ensure

that fair gender practices are eliminated in their leadership country.

Recommendations

Expanding women's access to financeIt is clear that when a country values both boys and girls, it is likely to invest in good

education, quality health systems, and skills training to ensure that even women widely benefit

from the opportunities available in the society. One way of eliminating gender inequality is

expanding women's ability to access financial services. As mentioned earlier, a high percentage

of women in most countries globally do not own a single account at any financial institution. In

some states, women are even barred from opening up an account. Additionally, most women do

not own the kind of property used as collateral to guarantee grants and loans. Introducing


promising projects that allow women to hold needed merchandise for collateral purposes would

help overcome this challenge. Also, as proof of identity documents such as a utility bill could be

used by women to open bank accounts, women were not registered red at birth due to the female

status.

Invest in family planningCountries and international organizations need to focus on four main objectives to reduce

the gender gap: reduce maternal mortality rate, ensure equal access to the education system for

both boys and girls, ensure women have access to better-paying jobs just like men, and lastly,

close the gender gap regarding ownership and control of property such as land. As illustrated by

the Bangladesh initiative, investing in family planning leads to improved health for women,

reduced child mortality rates, and increased labor force participation (Kolip & Lange, 2018). In

Latin America, improved family planning strategies saw a 7% increase in female labor

participation in 2000-2012 and a 30% decline in poverty (Bertnad, Ward, & Santiso, 2015).

Therefore, it is essential for nations and the concerned international organizations to pay more

attention to ensuring access to quality healthcare, particularly the family planning sector.

Invest in agricultureAgriculture is the main economic activity in most low and middle-income economies.

However, women's ability to generate income through agricultural activities is limited by the

lack of land access or to own land mostly due to cultural/ religious beliefs. These beliefs argue

that women should not own land, illiteracy that results in low-income generating jobs, and lack

of access to financial services. Making it easy for women to acquire lads will play a critical role

in shrinking productivity gaps while also reducing hunger and poverty in the mentioned regions

(Hazel, Kelly, & Kleyman, 2019). In collaboration with governments, financial institutions can


offer credit to women at low interests and movable collateral to encourage more women to get

loans and funds to invest in the agriculture sector.

Engaging men and boysAddressing gender inequalities entails women's involvement and their male counterparts

for success to be achieved. As illustrated by the UN, to close all gender gaps, it is essential to

address the discriminatory masculine practices that lead to female oppression. For instance, to

deal with GBV against women, it is necessary to educate men and boys on its dangers and why it

should be avoided. Approaches that can be used include public campaigns to create awareness of

why men should be fully involved in fighting for women's rights. Men are the central policy-

makers and lawmakers in most countries.

In most cases, they create and introduce laws that often fail to consider women's needs.

Therefore, educating them on the need to ensure women's requirements will also introduce non-

biased laws that will shrink the gender inequality gap. This strategy will also influence them to

increase their participation in gender equality in the political, economic, and social sectors

(UNDP, 2013). When men change their attitudes towards women empowerment, they will view

women as equal and therefore treat them reasonably rather than inferior human beings.

Scaling up current strategiesSome strategies created to close the gender gap in the last decade have proven to be

effective. Some of these strategies include legal reforms, quotas for worm representation, among

several other techniques. Effective strategies should be scaled up and given more attention to

achieve further success. This action will play a critical role in transforming many women's and

girls' lives, increasing their participation, and reducing the existing gender gap globally.


LimitationsIn certain instances, different books provided different sets of information. It was

therefore difficult to acquire the needed set of information to explain different phenomenon

observed during the research. Secondly, since we were working as a team it was mandatory to

agree on most of the concepts arising during the research. Unfortunately, in certain instances

team members failed to agree necessitating the need for intervention measures such as conflict

resolution. These measures consumed a lot of time leading to time wastage and delays in the

completion of the project.

ConclusionFor years, countries and international institutions have put up different strategies to close

the gender inequality gap. These strategies have been inspired by the fact that when women are

empowered, the economy grows faster than when women are not empowered. Unfortunately,

causes such as cultural and religious beliefs, unequal access to education, and unequal access to

healthcare systems have made it difficult for institutions to close the gender gap. Some of the

recommended solutions include educating women and men about the need for gender

empowerment, ensuring equal access to healthcare and education systems, and making it easy to

access financial services. It is important to note that even the fight for gender equality is

characterized by different challenges, including pro-capitalistic leaders, inadequate resources,

and persistent cultural/religious beliefs. Despite these challenges, countries and international

organizations continue to work together to ensure that the gender inequality gap is closed, and

women and men are treated fairly and equally.


ReferencesBank, W. (2015). World Bank Group Gender Strategy (FY16-23) : Gender Equality, Poverty

Reduction and Inclusive Growth. WorldBank, Washington DC.

Bertnad, J., Ward, V., & Santiso, G. (2015). Family Planning in Latin America and the

Caribbean: The Achievements of 50 Years. USAID, Measure Evaluation.

Hazel, Kelly, & Kleyman, K. (2019, August 12). Gender and sex inequalities: Implications and

resistance . Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community , 1-13.

Holman, L., Stuart-Fox, D., & Hauser, C. E. (2018). The gender gap in science: How long until

women are equally represented? PLoS biology , 16 (4).

Holman, L., Stuart-Fox, D., & Hauser, C. E. (2018). The gender gap in science: How long until

women are equally represented? PLoS biology , 16 (4).

Kolip, P., & Lange, C. (2018). Gender inequality and the gender gap in life expectancy in the

European Union. European Journal of Public Health , 28 (5), 869-872.

Ospina, E., & Sandra, T. (2017, October 16). Working women: Key facts and trends in female

labor force participation. Our World in Data .

Signh, K. (2020, February 20). Why gender disparity is actually an economic challenge in India.

HerStory .


Thekla, M., & Ryan, M. (2018). Addressing gender inequality: Stumbling blocks and roads

ahead. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations , 21 (5), 671-677.

UNDP. (2013). Chapter 5: Gender Inequality. In Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in

Developing Countries (pp. 161-195). UNDP.

World Economic Forum. (2020). The state of Gender Gap. World Economic Forum .

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