Advancement of Policies for Gender Equality - Essay Example

Advancement of Policies for Gender Equality Introduction Gender related issues have taken a considerable amount of attention in the society due tounfortunate cases of discrimination and economic injustices based on gender. Several measures for example forums have been instituted with the purpose of solving these problems as well as pushing forward several agendas meant to empower women, who are considerably the major victims of inequality (Lorber, 2005). This is essay will compare and contrast between the advancement of policies for gender equality and continuing gender economic injustice. Gender inequality has been one of the major social political issues considered as a dilemma in the past and the current society that we are living in. Women specifically have been neglected in major decision making processes in their homes as well as in the government especially when they show interest in joining politics (Lorber, 2005). Since long time in history, women have been viewed as inferior to men such that they are forced to perform difficult chores in the house instead of moving around searching for decent employment to sustain them selves. This in itself makes them vulnerable to torture due to the fact that they lack the capacity to move out of violent relationships as a result of overdependence on their men to provide them with all their basic necessities. On the other hand, several initiatives have been brought forward to promote and advance policies for gender equality. These are for example forums such as the famous Beijing meeting, which surprisingly took the world by surprise and which saw the creation of awareness through the setting of several policies and objectives through their mission statement. Such objectives included and not limited to empowerment of women, principle that terms women’s and female children’s rights as inalienable, etc. in general, advancement of policies for gender equality entails taking actions to promote equitable distribution of resources and wealth across both genders such that there is growth and development in the economy (Lorber, 2005). The goals of these policies enhance several goals, which can be classified basically into three categories. These include focus areas such as; capabilities, resources, opportunities and services as well as human security. Under capabilities, education for both genders especially women is advocated for so as to ensure that they attain the necessary qualifications to enable them compete effectively with their men counterparts in all fields. This is necessitated by the fact that most of the societies used to view women as property such that instead of advocating for them to go to school, they were made to get married at a fairly tender age. Under resources and opportunities, women are given a fair chance to participate in decision making thereby enabling them to acquire leadership skills (Epstein, 2006). This means that they can no longer be viewed as inferior to men in this context but as equal partners in development activities, which have been dominated by men for a long time. In fact, it is evident that women have taken up the challenge based on the high number of them who are in the political arena such as Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Angela Merkel etc. In general, it may be true to say that advancement of policies for gender equality is a key factor in promoting democracy, poverty eradication as well as overall economic growth. Continuing Gender Economic Injustice Unlike the advancement of policies for gender equality, continuing gender economic injustice is a phenomenon which can be said to be a major barrier to gender equality. In the previous discussion, it has been noted that gender gap in earnings or what can be termed as male-female income disparity is one of the major contributing factors to vulnerability of women to societal discrimination. This is due to the fact that most of the employers refuse to hire female employees and when they do so, they pay them lower wages than that of their male counterparts. According to statistics based on the US census bureau, women earn approximately 25% less of what men earn with regard to 200 reports (Rhode, 2006). As an example of what results to this gap, some researchers observe that this trend may go on increasing due to the fact that consumers are noted to appreciate male employees especially those of the white race and the only thereby buying less where the services are delivered by female employees or men of other races. Unless the perception of these customers is influenced so as to make them appreciate other people such as women, women in the US may continue to lack the potential of attaining financial independence. Conclusion Gender inequality has dragged the economic growth for a long time due to the fact that women in particular have been left out of development projects as a result of the perception by most people that they do not have the capacity to deliver. This is a notion that has provided men with the opportunity to work in high positions such as management and leadership, leaving their female counterparts doing house chores such as cooking, cleaning and looking after property. However, several open minded people and organizations such as those championing for human rights have developed policies that are aimed at bridging the gap between men and women. These are aimed at empowering women with the necessary tools such as education and skills to enhance their chances while competing with males in the job market. These efforts among others can be described as advancements of policies for gender equality. On the other hand, there are those who do not find it worthy to empower women economically such that a woman cannot find a decent job either due to lack of qualifications or as a result of societal discrimination. This is one reason why gender gap in earnings continues to exist in the society. Bibliography Epstein, C. (2006) ‘Border Crossings: The Constraints of Time Norms in Transgressions of Gender and Professional Roles’ Fighting for Time, Shifting boundaries of work and social life ,New York: Russell Sage Foundation, pp. 317-340 Lorber, J. (2005) Gender Inequality: Feminist Theories and Politics, Roxbury Publishing Company Rhode, D. (2006) Speaking of Sex: The Denial of Gender Inequality, Harvard University Press Read More