Gender Inequality Persists to this Day

Gender inequality still occurs till this day but thanks to some of those who believe we should all be equal are trying to make a change for those who don’t think they deserve to have them. Despite this, not only do women and girls continue to experience inequality and discrimination in many important parts of their lives. It hasn’t stopped them to reach the goal one day attaining equal rights. Women and young girls make up just over half (50.7 percent) of the Australian population.

While women comprise 47 percent of all employees in Australia, they take home on average $251.20 less than men each week and this is while working full time. The national gender “pay gap” is 15.3 percent and it has remained stuck between 15 percent and 19 percent for the past two decades (Gender Equality, 2018). The optimal career for Australian women is accounted for 68% for people with disability. 95% is taken by women who are housewives.

The reason is that they make dinner, take care of the kids, make sure the house is clean and also make sure their husband is satisfied. Men aren’t known for dealing with such responsibility if they did they’d earn more than a housewife because of it being rare. My parents use to be together and had their own business, it consisted of fixing cars and doing paint jobs. My dad was the head of the business and my mom was the organizer and treasurer.

Even though they worked together and had their own business my mom still got paid less. I’m not sure if it was because my mom was the opposite gender or because she wasn’t doing any physical labor that involved taking cars apart or painting them by hand. In 2017, Australia was ranked 35th on a global index measuring gender equality, slipping from a high point of 15th in 2006. While Australia scores very highly in the area of educational attainment, there is still a lot of progress to be made in the areas of economic participation and opportunity, and political empowerment (Gender Equality, 2018).

Besides gender inequality, domestic violence is also another problem we face today. The abuse can occur in relationships, friendships and even acquaintances, it is not known to be a factual problem because many people have a fear to ask for help, so they aren’t reported. In Australia and in many other countries domestic violence is common and widespread. We know that a woman is more likely to be killed in her home by her male partner. We also know that most women do not report violence to police; they are even less likely to report violent incidents to police when the perpetrator is a current partner because they are afraid (Mitchell, 2011).

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Personal Safety Survey 2005, provides information on people's safety at home and in the community and, in particular, on the nature and extent of violence against people in Australia. There are personal interviews that have information about every encounter every woman had with violence. A survey called the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS) was conducted across Australia between December 2002 and June 2003. As a result, it showed that A total of 6,677 women aged between 18 and 69 years participated in the survey and provided information on their experiences of physical and sexual violence (Mitchell, 2011). 

 The women in Australia also battle against the unequal pay they receive than men. Women from all over the world have brought up minimum wage and how they aren’t paid sufficiently for the labor. Men, on the other hand, are overappreciated and are paid more for fewer hours. There are many people out there in the world that can be sexist when it comes to females and have preference over males and underestimate the ability of A woman. In 1984, the Sex Discrimination Act came into action, this helped sex discrimination and sexual harassment become forbidden and against the law. This Act brought human rights and civil rights and it also gave Australia’s international human rights obligations.

Since the upbringing of human rights, everyone has tried to make it a priority because it plays an important role in the rights towards human beings. In Australia, men are quitting and women are taking over. According to my research until today women still, receive less pay than men. Women and men can work as part-time but why do women earn less? Well, it's stated that in the workforce there is gender preference. For example, I know a woman named Sam who is a civil engineer and her husband is one as well. They both work the same number of hours but have different responsibilities. Sam has to pick up her kids and make dinner when she is done at work and her husband just goes home and waits to be fed.

The difference between Sam and her husband is she doesn’t receive credibility for dealing with a huge responsibility which is being a mother. In continuation, I found an article that states the different minimum wage for a mother with a child. Most of the reason why many parents that are female take part-time job opportunities over full time is because they have to be the ones responsible for the child. Last year a chart was made to show a representation of different utilities and the expenses men and women spend throughout the workforce. It showed that 62% of employed women with a child under five work part-time, while only 8.7% of men do. Women are also far more likely to take parental leave as the primary career; 95% of primary parental leave used by non-public sector employees is taken by women.

Primary parental leave is the type of left most likely to affect people’s career trajectories (Livsey, 2017). Besides the United States, Australia shows that in time women are taking over the working industry. The largest numbers of women in absolute terms are in the workforce should come as no surprise; the adult population is at its highest level since 1978 (though with an increasing number of older non-working Australians) (Livsey, 2017). The wage inequality not only depends on gender but on the age as well. Older women are coming back to the workforce and it hasn’t stopped them from working over the years and until today you see older women working in the simplest to most difficult jobs. Employment for women aged 55-59 increased from 35% in January 1995 to 49.8% in January 2005 before jumping to 63.8% in January 2016 (Smith, 2016).

The one day that women get celebrated, appreciated and supported is International Women’s Day. This day is also a reminder of the gender discrimination that occurs all around the world but mostly in Australia. Like any other country, Australia has progressed the most to offer equal opportunities for women in the workplace. Looking at the statistics, According to the Australian Government, women account for 46.2% of the local workforce. The majority are part-time workers, followed by casual employees. A third are employed full-time (Stilinovic, 2017). Although change can happen, first by breaking down the barriers between genders.

The journalist who wrote this article mentions her own point of view, “We reviewed the processes of promotion, altered the conversation to be more inclusive, and, for the first time ever, women who took time off to raise a child were still considered for a promotion while on maternity leave, we now have black ops pilots that are women, they are being sent to Afghanistan” she says (Stilinovic, 2017). Australia has been making a change over the years and has been able to achieve gender equality. However, what’s being done to address the gender issue in Australia is giving the women who have children more of an opportunity to help maintain their families and to receive equal pay. It has not been fully accomplished because women still experience inequality and gender discrimination.

At work, women continue to face a gender ‘pay gap’ and barriers to leadership roles. Many encounter reduced employment opportunities because of the time they give to family and caring responsibilities. Sexual harassment and gender-based violence also threaten women’s basic right to feel safe and respected at work, in public, in places of study, and at home (Human Rights Commission, 2018). Both the United States and Australia have historically enjoyed female labor force participation rates that are above the average for other industrialized countries. In the decade to 2014, however, Australia witnessed a five percent increase in the proportion of women participating in paid employment, while the United States witnessed a five percent decline, attributable in part to the global financial crisis, the Great Recession, and also to the first wave of retirement among the baby boomer generation (R. Cooper, M. Baird, M. Foley, 2016).

 I think A way to address gender inequalities or human rights abuses against women/gendered minorities, locally as well as globally is to talk to the person who has the highest power and control. In order to be a change, I believe the person who makes the laws and commands action is the one who can make the country a better place. For example, Many Hispanics were struggling with paying their medical insurance and when Barack Obama was president he created a healthcare that was beneficial and easy to pay. As everyone may know this insurance was called Obama care. When I was reading Ch.1 in the textbook, women empowerment goes along the way with large groups of people who support gender equality and sexual health reproductive rights. It’s not just about words but it’s about action and this is where activism comes through.

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