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    Essay On Gender Equality-Why An Issue PDF

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    salmanyz6
    Gender inequality has been a global issue as women have historically been deprived of many rights granted to men. The United Nations has sought to promote gender equality through declarations like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While progress has been made in some Western countries through women's suffrage movements, discrimination against women remains in many parts of the world in areas like wages, access to education, and vulnerability to domestic violence due to financial dependence on men. International agreements and some national laws have promoted women's rights, but true gender equality has yet to be achieved everywhere.

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    Essay On Gender Equality-Why An Issue PDF

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    salmanyz6
    500 views4 pages
    Gender inequality has been a global issue as women have historically been deprived of many rights granted to men. The United Nations has sought to promote gender equality through declarations like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While progress has been made in some Western countries through women's suffrage movements, discrimination against women remains in many parts of the world in areas like wages, access to education, and vulnerability to domestic violence due to financial dependence on men. International agreements and some national laws have promoted women's rights, but true gender equality has yet to be achieved everywhere.

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    Gender inequality has been a global issue as women have historically been deprived of many rights granted to men. The United Nations has sought to promote gender equality through declarations like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While progress has been made in some Western countries through women's suffrage movements, discrimination against women remains in many parts of the world in areas like wages, access to education, and vulnerability to domestic violence due to financial dependence on men. International agreements and some national laws have promoted women's rights, but true gender equality has yet to be achieved everywhere.

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    500 views4 pages

    Essay On Gender Equality-Why An Issue PDF

    Uploaded by

    salmanyz6
    Gender inequality has been a global issue as women have historically been deprived of many rights granted to men. The United Nations has sought to promote gender equality through declarations like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While progress has been made in some Western countries through women's suffrage movements, discrimination against women remains in many parts of the world in areas like wages, access to education, and vulnerability to domestic violence due to financial dependence on men. International agreements and some national laws have promoted women's rights, but true gender equality has yet to be achieved everywhere.

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    1

    Last updated January 2019


    CSS with Mushtaq Mahindro
    Gender equality- Why an issue?
    Outline:
    1. Introduction
    2. Thesis statement
    3. Gender discrimination in the global context
    4. Notice taken at the UN level.
    5. The extent of the issue and man’s inclination to exploit the weaker segments of the society.
    6. Financial dependence on menfolk has been very much instrumental in keeping her deprived
    of her basic rights.
    7. Women suffrage movement in the West.
    8. Increased literacy and her financial independence have played an important role in
    emancipating her from the undue clutches of the uncivilized norms of certain societies.
    Gender equality is the view that both men and women should receive equal treatment and
    not be discriminated against based on gender. It implies the equal ease and access to resources and
    opportunities regardless of gender. This includes the participation of females in all economic fields
    and decision-making processes at par with men i.e. without any discrimination with reference to
    gender. It entails the concept that both men and women are able and free to develop their abilities
    and make choices without any gender prejudices. The point briefly revolves around the fact that
    both have equal rights and deserve equal respect irrespective the job they perform. Gender equality
    is not granting the equal representation or fixing of equal quota for the womenfolk. It is the
    provision of equal opportunities and means to access a certain position in society and the state.
    Thesis statement: Discriminative attitude against the womenfolk has remained a worldwide issue.
    However the same is fast diminishing with the increased literacy world around and the efforts
    made at the UN level.
    The issue of gender equality arose as women were deprived of many rights and privileges
    granted to the menfolk in various parts of the world including the developed one, though these are
    being reduced with the passage of time. For instance wages discrimination against women has
    been observed all over the world except some of the Nordic countries where the law prohibits such
    discrimination.
    United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights also seeks equality in law and equal
    pay for equal work. According to UNICEF gender equality means, “women and men, and girls
    and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities, and protections. It does not require that
    girls and boys, or women and men, be the same, or that they be treated exactly alike."
    The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women was adopted by the United
    Nations General Assembly in 1993.
    As regards sex trafficking, sexual violence and oppression against women and depriving
    them of their due rights in legacy, these criminal acts are prevalent in many societies not because
    2

    that law of the land or society invariably consider such acts as the approved ones or grant some
    kind of legitimacy to such acts. As a matter of fact, these are being committed against them because
    powerful segments of the society are generally prone and inclined to exploit and carry out assaults
    against all the weaker segments of the society. These may be the child abuses, exploitation of the
    ignorant and poor masses and depriving them of their due rights in the society irrespective of their
    gender.
    She has been subjected to Sexual violence including war rape, marital rape, payback rape, a
    form of rape specific to certain cultures, particularly the Pacific Islands, which consists of the rape
    of a female, usually by a group of several males, as revenge for acts committed by members of her
    family, such as her father or brothers, with the rape being meant to humiliate the father or brothers.
    Domestic violence- forced marriage, forced prostitution, sex trafficking, honor killings, dowry
    killings, acid attacks, forced sterilization, forced abortion, mistreatment of widows (e.g. widow
    inheritance) still being in many parts of the world. Despite the universal commitment by
    governments to end child marriage, "one in three girls in developing countries (excluding China)
    is being married before they are 18.
    In many societies, the cultural preference for a male child has resulted in a shortfall of
    women in the population. Sex-selective abortion; that is neglect or abuse of girl-children due to
    sons’ preference over daughters, is also in vogue in some of the countries.
    Even at present despite many international agreements and local laws women are having less
    access to education and opportunities to be financially independent, hence less educated and
    financially dependent on men folk. That makes them further too weak and vulnerable to take care
    of themselves and able to fight for their rights particularly in the property ownership cases and
    protect them against domestic violence.
    In some Western countries, women have only recently obtained the right to vote, notably in
    Switzerland, where women gained the right to vote in federal elections in 1971. In France, married
    women obtained the right to work without their husband's consent in 1965. In Australia, until 1983
    a husband had to authorize the application by a married woman for a passport.
    The movement towards gender equality began with the suffrage movement in Western
    cultures in the late-19th century, which sought to allow women to vote and hold elected office. It
    was after World War II that a more general movement for gender equality developed based
    on women's liberation. The central issue was that the rights of women should be the same as
    of men.
    Now Gender equality has been made part of the national curriculum in Great Britain and
    many other European. Female economic activity is being considered a common measure of gender
    equality in an economy in the developed world. UN Women states that: "Investing in women’s
    economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication, and
    inclusive economic growth "as economic dependence of women generally results in her insecurity,
    social and psychological exploitation and even domestic violence. According to Amnesty
    International, "Women who are victims of gender-related violence often have little recourse
    because many state agencies are themselves guilty of gender bias and discriminatory practices.
    3

    It was after World War II that women liberation movement and feminism added
    substantially to the women’s rights. The UN and other international agencies have adopted several
    conventions promoting gender equality. For instance:
     The Convention against Discrimination in Education was adopted in 1960 and came into
    force in 1962 and 1968.
     The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
    Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly. It has
    been described as an international bill of rights for women, which came into force on 3
    September 1981.
     The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women was adopted by the United
    Nations General Assembly in 1993.
     Also in 1994, in the Americas, the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention,
    Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, known as the Convention of
    Belém do Pará, called for the end of violence and discrimination against women.
     At the end of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the UN adopted the Beijing
    Declaration on 15 September 1995 - a resolution adopted to promulgate a set of principles
    concerning gender equality.
     The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSRC 1325), which was adopted
    on 31 October 2000, deals with the rights and protection of women and girls during and
    after armed conflicts.
     The EU equal treatment directive of 23 September 2002 on the implementation of the
    principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment,
    vocational training and promotion, and working conditions states that: "Harassment and
    sexual harassment within the meaning of this Directive shall be deemed to be
    discrimination on the grounds of sex and therefore prohibited."
     The Council of Europe's Convention on preventing and combating violence against women
    and domestic violence, the first legally binding instrument in Europe in the field of violence
    against women, came into force in 2014.
     The Council of Europe's Gender Equality Strategy 2014-2017 has the five following
    objectives:
    1. Combating gender stereotypes and sexism
    2. Preventing and combating violence against women
    3. Guaranteeing Equal Access of Women to Justice
    4. Achieving balanced participation of women and men in political and public decision-
    making
    5. Achieving Gender Mainstreaming in all policies and measures

    Despite all this gender equality, and of its degree of achievement is not equal in all the
    countries. There are countries where it is high and in others, it is quite low. However, gender
    equality is one of the objectives of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
    4

    World bodies have defined gender equality in terms of human rights, especially women's rights,
    and economic development. The United Nation's Millennium Development Goals Report states
    that their goal is to "achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women". Their goals also
    include giving women who work certain full-time jobs equal pay to the men with the same job.
    It is in this background that gender equality has been made an important point of the
    seventeen Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and it is measured annually by
    the UNDP’s Human Development reports.
    There has been criticism from some feminists towards the political discourse and policies
    employed in order to achieve the above items of "progress" in gender equality, with critics arguing
    that these gender equality strategies are superficial, in that they do not seek to challenge social
    structures of male domination, and only aim at improving the situation of women within the
    societal framework of subordination of women to men.
    The point is that deep-rooted socio-cultural and in many cases, the religious orders as prevalent
    in many countries can’t be changed in a short span of time or just with the promulgation of such
    UN resolutions. It will take time. As a matter of fact, things are improving with a passage of time
    particularly with the increased literacy of both the genders and participation of women folk in all
    walks of lives at par with men is going to add to her prestige, and as a matter of fact, adding.
    …………………………………..

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