Gender Equality Is No Longer an Important Concept - Essay Example

Gender equality is no longer important or a relevant concept. Consider this ment in relation to the position of women in contemporary society. The equality of sexes means, that men and women have the identical rights and duties, and also equal opportunities in a society. The equality of sexes also concerns departures of justice and division of duties, both in family, and in a public life. If the accessory to the certain sex prevents to estimate strong and weaknesses of the person, it can lead to discrimination and restriction of opportunities for the person. In 1978 the Law on an equality of sexes in Europe has been accepted. Its purpose is maintenance of the equal attitude to men and women. The law is important for representatives of both sexes; however its basic purpose is position of the woman in a society. For many years before acceptance of this law the woman struggled for their rights. In 1854 the woman have got the recognition of the right to inheritance, in 1864 the unmarried women began to be considered as the independent individuals. The married women have acquired such right only in 1888. Since this moment they have acquired the right to dispose the property belonging them (Fortmann, 2006). Sex equality is the feministic treatment of equality assumes an equality of sexes, that men and women should have equal shares in the social authority, equal access to public resources. The equality of sexes is not identity of sexes, identity of their attributes, characteristics. The term egalitarian theory (in this case is a synonym of the term equality of sexes) has undergone at least four stages of transformation. The idea of absolute equality between people as sample of a socially-fair society was primary. Historical development has shown that such concept is utopian. The ideas of similar "equalizing" of women and men also have the sad examples of realization. Involving of women in heavy kinds of work, "double burden" loadings on women, occurrence of "straw" orphans - the left children. And the most remarkable – the mass attempt of women to break the female identity, having accepted mans behavior and mans game rules for equality with men. The second stage in understanding of the term ‘equality’ was comprehension of necessity of equality of the rights of all citizens of a democratic society. Realization of this certainly progressive principle of social development has shown its inconsistency and weakness from the point of view of realization of the rights separate marginal groups (women, national minorities, etc.). From here there is an occurrence of the third stage of egalitarian theory in social development. The equality of rights of citizens was commensurated now with equality of opportunities for the realization of these rights. There are concepts of positive discrimination and equal start (Coltrane, 2005). At existence (gender) discrimination in a society the equal rights do not give the equal opportunities to the discriminated group (women). The system of privileges for such group allows "to balance chances", to give equal start to discriminated and not discriminated groups. Creation and realization of such system is considered to be the positive discrimination. In the development of concept ‘equality’ the feminist have brought an essential contribution at each stage of becoming of this term. However the sensation of "innuendo" in the concept of equality from the point of view of construction of a society, free from gender discrimination, is present and at the egalitarian theory. We still continue to operate within the limits of a "mans" society in which women adjust to the standard (specification) of mans character traits, fields of activity, trades. "Mans" norms are present both at samples of leadership and management, and in samples of the majority of things surrounding us and the subjects (Horgan, 1994). The fourth stage in development of concept of the egalitarian theory should become the recognition of equality of self-value, feelings, self-identifications of men and women alongside with observance of equality of the rights of men and women. Self-value of women (abnormal group from the point of view of patriarchal societies) should be recognized by a society. It will remove a problem of hierarchy of distinctions of men and women. It is worth mentioning that all roles are important both "mans", and "female" character traits, fields of activity. All are important: mothers, wives, fathers, husbands, workers and working women, nurses and doctors, etc. Value of the person belonging to the certain social group, should admit not only declared slogans but also to be estimated by a real public measure - a payment for this or that work of individuals of this or that quality. Speaking about the role of woman in society it is worth mentioning that in hands of the woman there is a creation of culture, family, rescue of mankind and a society in difficult modern social and economic conditions. The woman should realize the value, the great mission of Mother of the World and prepare to the responsibility for destiny of mankind. In fact a birth, education and perfection of human individuality are very complex processes, slow and long. Many scientists speak, that education of the person should begin from the moment of its birth and precede all life. The role of the woman-mother in education of children is especially great. Mother pawns a basis of the future conscious life of the child, forms a direction, painting, quality of its all aspirations and abilities. It should do is by two ways. First, being improved itself, secondly, caring of the child already when it still is in a womb (Tuttle, 1986). The man is stronger physically, the woman - spiritually, the man is more developed intellectually, the woman - intuitively. And only when they each other supplement with these qualities, they wholly carry out the purpose in a society. Normal evolution is possible only at balance of the beginnings. Prevalence of any one beginning over another inevitably leads to heavy consequences. The equality is an opportunity to create own spirituality, individuality. So, in conclusion, it is worth saying that the understanding differences between man and woman should be used in social work. So being the equal humans, men and women are different in their functions and psychological peculiarities. References Coltrane Scott , Family Man: Fatherhood, Housework, and Gender Equity, Oxford University Press, USA (2005) Fortmann Louise, Smith Kirk, Lustgarten Audrey, Miraftab Faranak, Women and Gender Equity in Development Theory and Practice: Institutions, Resources, and Mobilization Duke University Press (2006) Gender-based analysis. Canada, 1996: Horgan Dianne D. Achieving Gender Equity: Strategies for the Classroom, Allyn & Bacon; 1 edition (1994) Tuttle L. Encyclopedia of feminism. New York, Oxford, 1986. Read More