The Problem of Gender Inequality - Essay Example

Gender Inequality Gender inequality is the unequal treatment of people in any society because of their gender. Gender can be defined as naturally occurring characteristics between men and women, or socially constructed roles that are given to people by the society. It can also be biologically defined as the chromosomes, brain structure or hormonal differences found in men and women. Gender differences include the various physical or non-physical characteristics which are found in both males and females in a society. Naturally, sex, which is a defining factor of gender, occurs to individuals at birth in relation to their reproductive roles and characteristics. All these differences have a significant impact on largely unequal treatment between women and men in the society. The female gender, which is generally weaker in comparison to its male counterpart, is the one that is mostly discriminated against. Not only are women treated differently but they are also denied opportunities in favor of the male. Various theories have been proposed by sociologists, which relate to gender inequality. This paper will discuss gender inequality as portrayed by the society with reference to social pathology theory, social disorganization theory, and social structural theory. It will make reference to the presidential debate between Obama and Romney, and statistical data on income levels between men and women in United States. There are many signs which show the level of gender inequality in a society. Job allocation and promotion based on sex are discriminative actions by society especially in the employment sector. The allocation of resources in the society in reference to a person’s sex is a form of gender discrimination. It is equally discriminative when in some communities, male child education is given more emphasis at the expense of the female child one. Gender based inequality has been found to rampantly occur in the third world countries. However, sociologists still believe that it is a big problem even in the developed countries such as the United States. They recommend drafting and enactment of laws that will make sure the issue of gender inequality has been solved. Even the slightest form of discrimination in the society or work place should be treated with seriousness by the society to show how grave the matter is. Remuneration policies that are drawn based on gender indicate a form of gender discrimination which should not be the case. People should receive equal payment for equal tasks completed regardless of their sex. Gender inequality is associated with many social problems. Issues that are women related pose a bigger problem than those related to men. Although feminist groups are meant to oversee these issues, they have not been successful in doing so. They have received a lot of resistance and opposition from anti-feminist groups which believe that women should not be favored but have to fight for their position in the society. Regardless of the constraining factors faced by feminist groups, numerous measures are being put in place to ensure that the issue of gender inequality is fully addressed. Such measures include different laws and regulations aimed at ensuring that women receive equal treatment and opportunities with their male counterparts. Every politician hold this as a pledge in their campaign trail, while the law making bodies formulate laws that are likely to oversee the issue has been sorted out completely. Experts agree that the fight to achieve gender equality is not an easy battle, but still have high hopes that at one time they will win the fight. Social problems that are inherent in the society require combined efforts of the various actors to ensure that they succeed. Although many people believe that this role should be held by the government, social groups and non-governmental organizations, they also are part of the team and should be fully involved. Politicians have played a major part in trying to bring gender equality in the society. Different laws that have been put into place and their plans are openly discussed, as witnessed during the second round of presidential debate that took place between Obama and Romney. Both politicians agreed that a lot needs to be done to ensure that gender equality is achieved. Social disorganization is defined as the inability of people in a society to solve the issues that jointly affect the society, or even achieve the values that the society shares. Various scholars have sought out to articulate the theme of social disorganization with gender inequality in the society through study and research. The theory initially was based on the disorganized city life, full of crime, concentrated on various locations in the popular cities. The disorganized manner of such societies has been a result of gender related violence and crime instigated against women in the cities. As crime rates increase, more rape cases have been reported by women in the cities, especially the known regions that have high crime rates. Women are the best target for petty thieves due to their feministic nature. Social structural theory is concerned with the manner in which people in a society are organized by characterizing patterns and relationships. Different societies have uniquely defining characteristics which identify them and make them distinct from other societies. How the society is institutionally organized in regard to the family, education, economics or political institutions is the major concern of this theory. Traditionalists in the traditional social structure put their biggest concern on the social crimes and why particular individuals commit crimes in the society. The manner in which societal structures are arranged and planned contributes to gender inequality among people in the society. The reorganization of societal structures such as the education system has greatly impacted the growth and development of gender equality. The education system has been modified in such a way that women are encouraged to study more, while social campaigns that are aimed at including more women in school have been put into place. Social pathology is a critical theory related to people who break the social norms in the society. Issues relating to substance abuse, violence, women abuse, crime and terrorism, corruption and crime, discrimination and violation of human rights are concerns of sociologists who follow this approach. Many contemporary problems that are faced by people in one society are experienced globally by people and shared by different communities all over the world. Violence against women, which is also referred to as gender based violence, is considered a public health issue in all countries around the world. Sexuality is one of the major concerns, yet a general issue affecting societies globally. Only a few cases have been reported on violence that is directed towards men by women. Research indicates that about 10% to 15% of women in intimate relationships are forced to satisfy their partners’ sexual demands against their own will. Since they cannot decide when to have sex and when not to, they are denied the freedom of choice, and therefore their status is unequal with that of men in the society. In his campaign trial seeking for re-election in office for the second time, Obama faced Romney in a debate that covered a number of issues affecting the American citizens. Issues discussed included political, social and economic ones, as both tried to sell their ideas to the world and win the hearts of the voters. Obama pledged a government that would keenly address the issue of gender inequality, as he had already started doing in his first term in office. In the second round of debate with Romney, Obama pointed out that although it was not an easy task, he would ensure that his government remained focused and committed to bringing equality of gender both in the public and private administration. During the debate between Obama and Romney, a heated argument on the “women issues” was addressed. While Obama was of the opinion that women required to be paid equitably and given similar opportunities with men, Romney was of the opinion that job opportunities with women were essential so as to bridge the gap between men and women. Obama had made sure that the bill which would give women the opportunity to sue anybody if they felt that they were not being paid equitably was passed by the Senate and he signed it into law. This gives any American woman the right to demand equal pay with male people in the society. Federal employees in the Obama administration are paid 93% of the men’s salary, which is an increment in their earning levels (Abdullah and Brennan). According to the two politicians, social structures in the administration of the country are essential in bringing gender equality. As stated by the two politicians, when proper structures are put down, equality can be achieved by the society, thus ending gender discrimination. This is demonstrated by the bill signed by Obama, which enables women to seek legal action in case they feel that their pay is not equitable to that of men. Earnings of Year-Round, Full-Time Workers by Selected Characteristics: 1999 Characteristics Number Percentile of the earnings distribution Average earnings 10th 25th Median (50th ) 75th 90th Sex Male 48,814,790 16,000 25,000 38,000 7,000 87,000 50,000 Female 34,162,710 13,000 19,000 28,000 40,000 56,000 33,000 Source: www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf The table indicates data of earning levels of women and men in the United States in 1999. From the data, men earn more than their women counterparts regardless of the job titles that they hold. The difference in the income shows that women are discriminated against their male counterparts (“Census 2000 Special Reports” 3). Although recent arguments point out that the gap has closed with time, the disparities in the levels of income between men and women have been a reason for feminists’ campaign on equal rights between men and women. Across the board, women earn less than men, which requires measures to be put into place to ensure that they earn equal salaries for equal job tasks done. The data is best suited to the social structural theory which shows how the society has been designed to function. According to the structural theory, the manner in which the society deals with the underlying problems inclusive of gender discrimination is discussed. The structural theory would be the best way in which the society would solve the problem of unequal pay by setting up the required laws and social structures. In order to solve the problem of gender inequality, individual citizens should take it as an opportunity to first end gender related discrimination. This becomes the first step of ending the issues faced by women. Taking it as a personal initiative is likely to ensure that gender related violence and cases of rape are minimal in the society. However, the government should ensure that laws are passed and that there is no inequality practiced in the society by any person. Harsh consequences should affect the people who are found to be in violation of these laws. Political proposals by Democrats and Republicans all support these proposals as indicated in the debate between Obama and Romney. The feminist movement also points out that the first step in ending gender inequality is through the encouragement of people in the society to take it as a personal initiative. Works Cited  Abdullah, Halimah, and Allison Brennan. “Obama, Romney Equal on Gender Pay Inequality.” CNN, 20 October, 2012. Web. 26 May 2013 http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/19/politics/romney-obama-women-hiring. Census 2000 Special Reports. Evidence from Census 2000 about Earnings by Detailed Occupation for Men and Women. US Census Bureau, May 2004. Web. http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/censr-15.pdf. Read More