The principle of equality is not a new concept,

but rather a well-established idea that dates back to an-

cient times. It has been discussed by great political
thinkers such as Socrates and Aristotle. Similarly, gen-
der equality is not an alien concept either. Archaeologi-
cal evidence has shown that even ancient societies, such
as Harappa and Mesopotamian civilizations, champi-
oned the idea of gender equality. While these societies
were few and far between, it is important to note that
most of them were patriarchal in nature. However, the
failure of this principle can be attributed to the living
conditions of those societies, where physical strength
played a dominant role in determining one’s quality of
life.
Today, one’s physical strength no longer
plays a prominent role in determining the standard of
living, its prominence has been replaced by one’s intel-
lectual power. In this modern era, digitalization and
modernization have struck the limelight. Today irre-
spective of gender, any person with the required skill
can and is doing an efficient job. But the road to this
destination was not smooth, there were many hurdles
that women of the medieval and modern era had to face
to emerge to this level.
But the most important event that has proved to the en-
tire world that, every woman can be equally efficient in
performing the tasks that were previously stereotyped
as a man’s job happened during World War 1. During
the the Great War, women were forced to work, while
men were off fighting the war. This proved to be an im-
portant milestone for the feminists as this reminded all
the women of their capabilities. This inspired all the
women to demand their rights and even go on strikes
when denied.
Women have achieved many rights
but this fight is not over. Although pure or absolute
equality cannot be achieved, they must be able to avail
all the social opportunities that a man can avail. Most
modern constitutions champion this doctrine, but it is
equally important to be implemented perfectly.
Even after being backed up by mod-
ern constitutions, there still exists a significant gap be-
tween the social status of men and women. In most un-
derdeveloped and developing countries, women are still
treated as second-class citizens. Modernization effects
are limited in those countries, hence such gender bias
still exists there. It is also equally important to note that
modernization and development cannot be fostered un-
less a country is free of gender bias. This strongly sug-
gests that development is directly proportional to the ex-
tent of gender equality.

Gender equality doesn’t

mean pure or absolute equality. It is impossible to
achieve, as the very nature of the human body cannot
comply with this idea. Gender equality determines equal
access to social opportunities. No one should be denied
any opportunity purely on the basis of gender.
 Finally, most emerging philosophies
and ideologies support this concept of gender equality
and support for it is reflected in their constitutions or in
literature. Even amidst these contemporary situations
where gender equality is seen as a fundamental human
right, it is sad to note that there still exist societies where
women are bound by social constraints. The nature of
male supremacy still exists in a few parts of the world
and it is the duty of each human being to fight it and
bring change in the way of thinking of people.