Essay Introduction
In today’s society, gender roles are frequently discussed. Gender roles are defined as the roles or behaviors that are learned by a person as appropriate to their gender. Feminism is also very important in relation to this subject. Feminism is the belief that women should have political, economic, and social equality with men. The term feminism also refers to a movement that works towards gaining equality within a male and female relationship.
Research Paper on Gender Equality
In relation to gender and society, a gender-equal society is also a topic that I support. A gender-equal society is defined as “when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision making, and sharing responsibilities.”
Argumentative Essay Examples on Gender Equality
In a gender-equal society, the human rights of men and women are both equally respected. Women who desire an active role in society should be able to participate in activities of their own choosing, while men should also be able to enjoy a fulfilling home and community life. A gender-equal society is a society that is built not only by men or women but built equally by both genders. In a world full of males and females, both the roles of the female and the male should be equal. I believe in a gender-equal society because we each have unique talents that can contribute to the world we live in and eventually make it better.
Thesis Statement for Gender Equality
The equality between men and women should be divided in ways such as sharing responsibilities, the division of domestic labor, social inequality, and so much more. Equality in the roles of a man and female is not found very often in today’s society because of the many stereotypes that imply women are inferior to men. Stereotypes imply that women should stay home all day cleaning, making food for their working husbands, and taking care of children all day, while men take care of finances, work on the car, and do home repairs. It is perceived that females will eventually fulfill the stereotype of having children, completing household duties, and attending to their husband’s needs.
Categorizing women into such stereotypes not only causes gender oppression but also feeds into gender inequality and makes it normal to believe that women are only good for doing housework because of their gender. Whether a woman has a higher income than her husband or not should not determine how much or how often the man or woman does household chores. Household chores should be done between both the man and woman equally, helping one another to get the job done. At the end of a busy day at work, a woman should be able to come home to her children to tend to their needs, and a man should be able to do the same.
Research Papers: Work-Life Balance and “Having It All”
In the article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” Anne-Marie Slaughter speaks of her experience of having her dream job but still feeling that something was missing and hindering her from “having it all.” Her not being able to see her children regularly and not being able to tend to their needs or have a relationship with them resulted in her getting the feeling of not “having it all.” Yes, she had her dream job, but her not being with her children made her dream job seem less of a dream. She is very thankful to have a husband who took care of their children when she was not there. But as a mother, she felt being there for her children was something she had to do as well. I agree with Slaughter in the sense that women cannot have it all.
A woman is torn between working all the time and not having a relationship with her children versus having a great relationship with her kids and not working as hard or as much as she would like. She is not able to have both in the sense of tending a family and her dream job. Slaughter’s article “Why Women Can’t Have It All” gives insight into how women can work as hard as men can and how men can be just as great caretakers as women are.
Just like a woman desires to spend time and take care of her children, a man wishes for the same thing. And just like a man is a hard worker and provides for his family, a woman desires the same action. It should not be forgotten that women want to be successful and viewed as hard workers the way men are, and we should not forget that a family must be tended to by both the female and the male. I believe that a woman and a man should both have equal responsibility at home and at the workplace.
Equality can generate a world where far more of us have choices and a greater ability to be ourselves without feeling the need and pressure to prove ourselves to the opposite sex, and it will bring us closer to achieving our life goals, including our careers. “We must insist on changing social policies and bending career tracks to accommodate our choices, too. We have the power to do it if we decide to, and we have many men standing beside us.” (Slaughter)
Gender Equality in the Workforce: Real-life Examples and Experiences
In addition, the article “How to Be a Woman Programmer” by Ellen Ullman sheds light on how women and men are not viewed as equal in the workforce and do not get treated the same. Ullman focuses on the main differences between a male and female in the computer programming field. She goes into detail on how different it is for a woman to work in computer programming than it is for a man. One difference that she speaks of is that women have to go through harassment even while they are just doing their job, something that men do not struggle with as much as women do. Ullman speaks based on her own experience on the job: “I endured a client — a sweaty man with pendulous earlobes — who stroked my back as I worked to fix his system. At any moment, I expected him to snap my bra” (Ullman). The truth of the matter is women all over the world have to deal with harassment more frequently than they should.
Ideas on Harassment and Its Role in Gender Equality
One main form of harassment is catcalling, which not many people see as a form of harassment. It is unfortunate that when a woman complains about catcalling or one of the many other forms of harassment she deals with, she is responded to with the same old negations from men and sometimes even other women. Responses such as “Just say you are not interested,” “Just ignore it,” and “Take it like a compliment.” The truth is, it is not always easy to “just ignore it.” Surveys have shown that most women first get harassed between the ages of 11 and 14. Those surveys have also reported women feeling angry, fearful, anxious, and getting a sense of low self-esteem after being harassed. It would be easy to assume that compliments would make one feel happy and confident. Catcalls make women feel everything but happy and confident. So, is a catcall really a compliment? The responses from the surveys report that street harassment actually makes women feel the opposite of happy and confident. Not all women may feel this way, but it is important.
To be able to determine the difference between the women who have a positive reaction to catcalls and the women who feel negative toward a catcall. Harassment is more than just a rude comment or a catcall. Following the subject of harassment, it ends up being a way for men to exert control over a woman and her body. Shouting a rude comment about a woman’s body suggests entitlement to her body. Staring, groping, or even standing too close to a woman without her consent shows entitlement to her space, and expecting a woman to speak to you after harassment displays entitlement to her time. Ignoring women when they speak up for what they feel shows a lack of respect for their voices.
Despite all the stories women have shared about their experiences and feelings about harassment, some men still seem convinced that women love harassment. Most women do not want any part of the harassment. For clarification, if a woman does not find what you are saying or doing flattering, it is simply not a compliment. From my point of view, harassment is something men do not have to go through as much as women do. This would not be a problem if women were viewed as equal to men. Whether it be in the workplace or on the street, women deserve to feel safe and should not have to feel uncomfortable. Women should be respected equally, just like men are.
Gender Gap in Education
Although there are many exceptions of boys and girls being different, boys and girls do differ on average in ways that parallel gender stereotypes, which I believe affects how the sexes behave at school and in class. The differences have to do with physical behaviors, styles of social interaction, academic motivations, behaviors, and choices. It is said that, on average, girls are more motivated than boys to perform well in school, at least during elementary school. More power to girls, but I believe that something should be done so that both genders are doing well in the academic aspect of life.
The Plight of Young Males in the U.S. Educational System
In the article “The Plight of Young Males” by Saul Kaplan, he explains concerns about young males and their education in America today. Kaplan understands the importance of equal opportunities for women but fears that America might have forgotten about problems that young males may face. “However, with all of the attention and focus on supporting equal opportunities for women, we have taken our eyes off an alarming trend. Young men in the US are in trouble by any measure of educational attainment” (Kaplan.) Just walking on a college campus, you visually see that there are many more females than there are males.
In my opinion, the reason for the uneven female-to-male ratio on college campuses is the neglect of the education of young males. “In fact, in each year since 1982, more American women than men have received a bachelor’s degree. Over the last decade, two million more women graduated from college than men” (Kaplan.) I agree with Kaplan in the sense that we should be focusing on and fighting for the education of young males the way that we fight for gender equality.
The Consequences of Gender-Based Judgments
The truth is, we all come from different backgrounds and cultures and are all so different. We should be working together to eventually give one another the same opportunities and rights. Whether male or female, gender equality is something everyone will benefit from. As previously stated, men and women were created to do certain jobs better than the other sex, but that should not create an imbalance in the equality of men and women. Gender equality does not mean women and men will become the same in every aspect, but that the rights of women and men, opportunities, and responsibilities will not depend on whether you are male or female.
Gender equality also means men and women are treated equally at home, on the street, and at the workplace. Women and men should be seen as equal and should be valued in the same ways. We should not make judgments of one another that are solely based on gender. Both men and women face judgment and have to live up to standards about how they should dress, what they can and cannot do, and what jobs they can and cannot work. Everyone, no matter what gender they are, should have a choice to do as they please without having to worry about judgment because stereotypes say to be a certain way.
Conclusion
In today’s society, stereotypes may alter how we all work, live, and relate to each other. But we must stand together and make a difference in society to be seen as equal. We are all amazing in our own ways, men and women. But let us be sure not to replace one norm of injustice with another. And instead, focus on the bigger picture: balance and equality for every gender. We each need to rethink our narrow-minded thoughts on gender-based roles so that we may one day create a society where men and women can participate together in politics, at the workplace, and at home and live the life they have always wanted without feeling judged because he is a man or she is a woman.
