Sirwa Shwani

Reflection Essay

There are many diversity issues that exist today in our society. It is very

important for these issues to be addressed accordingly. I believe that one of the

most important problems that seem to still exist today is gender inequality.

Gender inequality will be the focus of this essay; it will include information on the

history of gender inequality, what things have been improved, and what is still

faltering. I have found out from research that gender inequality is not just a

problem with females but also with males (). The focus will be on gender

inequality and why it still exists, and some ways to eliminate it from society.

The history of gender inequality shows us that women mostly have been

displayed and discriminated against in ways worse than men. Women have been

seen as objects and not as a respected human being. An example of this shown

in John Bergers Ways of Seeing. Women were painted completely nude by

male painters, as if they were objects to be admired. Such acts would never be

preformed on men, because it would be considered as an insult to their dignity

and intelligence. Another similar example is the Public Help Messages,

discussed on pg. 220 in the Reading Culture textbook, which analyzes the

advertisements from WWII of women being guilty of spreading disease, with the

men holding no responsibility.

I never realized the intensity of the lack of respect for women. When

people say they were treated badly in the old days, I never realized what that

meant. By displaying actual ads and images that existed back then, these articles
have definitely helped me see what women had to go through every day.

(George, Diana, and John Trimbur).

Past stereotypes of what a classical women is, has taken a major turn.

Such as in the article, Women Boxers: The New Warriors. Which was very

focused on how women are just as strong and powerful as men. I really liked how

the author brought in the life stories of the boxers mentioned, making them more

relatable. It is awesome they are being recognized for their hard work and

achievements in a general male profession. Very few women boxers can afford

to work exclusively on their boxing careers; most balance this interest with other

jobs. All these women have taken the courage to against the general idea of

what a women should and how they are supposed to act. This is a good example

of women who are pushing back against the social barriers and proving that

women are capable. (pg. 211-214)

I agree that women are capable of so much more than what theyre given

credit for. On the other hand, even though our view might have changed slightly

there are still many people that hold women to very strict rules of what a women

should be and look like. There are still men for instance that think of women as

objects and not human beings. While it is not only women that are bothered

everyday with gender inequality stereotyping but also men are facing the same

issue. There are stereotypes for guys to be strong and muscular this puts a lot of

stress and demands on what a perfect man and a perfect woman should look

like. These stereotypes are always of every time reinforced with the media. (The

Huffington Post 2015)

 Gender inequality has affected women in the work place mostly. Women

are not respected the same way as men. It is shown from research that women

have earned lower for the same job and effort than men. It has been showed that

womens economic security is directly linked to their family income; this includes

earnings from jobs, but women tend to be concentrated in fields that lead to jobs

with relatively low wages. Even women who do go into higher-paying fields still

earn less than their male peers. This explain the reason why, in 2013, about 14.5

percent of women ages 18 and older had family incomes that placed them below

the federal poverty line, compared with 11 percent of men. As was discussed in

the discussion of Week 12, March 27-31: Work, it explains how women in the

work place is affected by this inequality. Also women who are single moms are

not able to earn enough to support their families and children. I agree with

Enrique Velasquez when he stated, Greenhouse describes the middle class

families who are having to juggle two jobs to maintain their lifestyle. But as I

have observed this becomes a very harder problem with women who are single,

who dont get respected in the work place and dont earn enough to support their

kids and families. (pg. 408 George, Diana, and John Trimbur)

Gender inequality can be prevented and ended. The important factor is

that when we start to grow up and look into life we learn about gender and

gender inequality. This is a factor that we learn and that we cant control. For this

reasons it is the parents responsibility to try and make equality visible to children.

It is important that as a parent to be able to show the children what is wrong and

right in inequality of gender. Inequality can also be prevented by achieving high

level of education, social integration, increasing women employment, involving

them in active politics and social activities, arranging social protection programs

and getting awareness among parents (Smilowitz, Ariel 2015)

Another factor that I believe would be effective is respect. This would be a

factor that will be effective not only in the work place but everywhere else in the

world. It is important that we try to have respect toward women and treat them

just like any other men or human being deserves to be treated. Promoting gender

equity and respect is a key action we can take to prevent violence against

women. Workplaces have a lot to offer and the benefits will extend beyond

individual organizations and into our community more widely.

Women Empowerment is a human rights issue. Gender inequality can

never be fully eradicated just by the legal and administrative actions. The

educated people should develop a national consciousness of the positive impact

of gender equality. There is a need for changes to happen in the view towards

women. Gender equality has many benefits the society will benefit in many ways

when women are treated equally and are not deprived of their rights. We should

hope for a society where women are not discriminated because of their gender.

Equality should be for all, regardless of gender, age, race or nationality.

Everyone should command the same respect, and enjoy the same opportunities.

That means respecting women without qualification and never thinking or treating

them in a disrespectful way.

Sources
 Despoja, Natasha Stott. "Leaders Acknowledge Culture Change Needed

to Stop Violence against Women and Children." The Sydney Morning Herald.

George, Diana, and John Trimbur. "Chapter 4 - Images." Reading Culture:

Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 193-221. Print.

Human Development Reports." Gender Inequality Index (GII) | Human

Development Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

<http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/gender-inequality-index-gii>.

Jackson, Robert Max. "Seminar: What Causes Gender Inequality?" What

Causes Gender Inequality? -- Robert Max Jackson (seminar). N.p., n.d. Web. 28

Apr. 2017. <https://www.nyu.edu/classes/jackson/causes.of.gender.inequality/>.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 July 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

<http://www.smh.com.au/comment/addressing-gender-inequality-is-crucial-to-

preventing-violence-against-women-and-children-20150723-giizpc.html>.

Smilowitz, Ariel. "For U.S. Women, Inequality Takes Many Forms." The

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

Week of Week 12, March 27-31: Work quoted Enrique Velasquez