The Issue of Gender Inequality in Society - Essay Example

Final paper Introduction It is often pointed out living in the social environment should be seen as an irreplaceable prerequisite for the development of the human potential to its fullest. Indeed, many of the activities which are thought to be characteristic to our kind could not have evolved if it had not been for the presence of other people. However, the experience shows that sometimes a part of the population is oppressed by the majority and faces obstacles on the way of its personal development. It is quite understandable that no type of discrimination should be permitted, but I am strongly convinced that gender discrimination is one of the worst times as it relies on aspect that a person has no power over and is often reinforced by the society. General assessment of the effect In the course of this class, I was able to read a considerable amount of evidence which affected the beliefs which form my opinions. I was truly surprised to learn that some of the categories that I automatically applied to the society should be analyzed in great detail and their artificial nature should be exposed. In other words, I was able to see that some of the beliefs which I held true and indisputable were actually designed by the society long before I was born. As a result, this allowed me to introduce certain changes in the way I form my opinions about the world. To be more specific, now I see that it would not be advisable to be categorical about the idea of gender since it is much more complex than I thought about it. As a result, the above mentioned changes in my opinion allowed me to redefine the way I perceive myself. It would not be a mistake to suggest that one of the first things that I did after having adopted the new kind of thinking was to see whether my actions do to strengthen the oppressing gender roles that I learned about. I found that indirectly some of the ideas that I thought to be correct as well as the way in which I treated certain people were heavily influence by the kind of thinking which was predetermined by the society. As a result, I did my best to get rid of these aspects of my personality in order not to help the society oppress others. It is quite understandable that having understood the negative impact of gender roles, I started treating the society in a different way. For example, I was able to see that the social environment in general is a complex system that has a certain tendency of development. I can not say that I was surprised by this kind of thinking, but I could not imagine that some concepts, like patriarchy, which were suitable for the previous epochs, but not the modern one, are still able to influence the lives of the people. In other words, in spite of the fact the humanity exists many thousands of years, there is no shift in the perception of the reality or of the relationship between the genders. Topics that particularly affected me As one could have probably guessed, I was deeply affected by the discussion of gender inequality which is conditioned by gender roles that are being promoted in the society. The latter is often defined as “the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex on the context of a specific culture” (Schaefer 256). It is obvious that every element of this definition reveals the subjectivity of the above mentioned concept and I wonder why people perceive this as a stable and universal model. Many scholars tried to shift the opinion of the public by providing their own opinion on the issue. For example, I was delighted to learn that some see “gender as a social structure that has its origins in the development of human culture, not in biology or procreation” (Lorber 1). I believe that this is a rather bold approach towards the category which is perceived as conventional. Other researchers pointed out that a part of the population, namely women, often experience oppression which is similar “to the situation of a bird in a cage”(Frye 10). I think that the comparison may be exaggerated, but it surely reflects, the difficulty of the situation. Finally, I was surprised by the claims that the current culture fails to provide a proper pattern of masculinity. One of the authors suggested that “we dont raise boys to be men. We raise them not to be women, or gay men” which means that the actual education to become a real man is not provided (Friedman). The nature of the effect As it has already been noted, a detailed discussion about gender inequality in the contemporary society allowed me to change my beliefs about many aspects of the world. Indeed, when I was able to remove the understanding that gender is not something that is determined by nature, but the concept that is being constructed by the society, I was able to see relativity in many parts of my life. In addition to that, I thought about the negative impact that following the above mentioned tendency might have on women, the gender that is being oppressed most of the times. This also had some practical implications which I tried to introduce into my everyday life. For example, in my speech I always try to use gender neutral expressions and make sure that none of the words which I articulate can be interpreted in the way that would be offensive to any gender. In addition to that, I try to make sure that my friends share my position and do not participate in forcing the gender roles onto people. I am truly convinced that by doing so I make my own contribution into improvement of the society and eliminating the oppression of women which has been firmly established in the modern social environment through various indirect means. The significance of the topic’s affect It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the issue of gender inequality and further discrimination is a problem that engaged all the society. In other words, I think that it is virtually impossible to say that some people are not involved in this process as it takes the entire society to form the conventional beliefs. I believe that every person is affected by the topic in question in a direct or an indirect way which means that it is particularly important to develop a proper understanding of it and make sure that a person does not reinforce the beliefs that are oppressing to a part of the population. I personally want to become a citizen that contributes to elimination of gender inequality, at least of a small aspect of it. Conclusion Having considered all the evidence, I might come to the following conclusions: the issue of gender inequality is an important one and was able to affect me deeply. I saw that the concept which I thought to be an objective one actually reflect the kind of thinking of only a particular part of the society. What is more important I feel sorry for the other part which is being oppressed: I am strongly against any inequality that exists in the society. It was my great pleasure to see that many scholars were able to develop their own unique visions and promoted it among the people. Works Cited Friedman, Jaclyn. "Toxic Masculinity." The American Prospect. 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2015. . Frye, Marilyn. "Oppression." Instituto De Investigaciones Filosóficas. Web. 8 Mar. 2015. . Lorber, Judith. Paradoxes of Gender. New Haven: Yale UP, 1994. Print. Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology in Modules. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print. Read More