Gender Equality: A Global Issue

Gender equality is one of the issues that has resulted in a heated debate among the societal members as some of the people have been calling for the equal treatment of men and women. Unfortunately, there are those individuals who are of the opinion that the traditional societal rules that dictate that women should only be assigned the informal roles should be upheld, thus, dismissing calls for gender equality. As demonstrated in this paper, it is worth noting that the campaigns will not yield the anticipated benefits unless some of the important considerations are made. For instance, it would be crucial to make sure that community members have a comprehensive understanding of the need to accord women their rights as dictated in the Constitution and awarding them – females – some of the leadership positions in the society.

Background Information On The Global Societal Issue

Gender equality refers to the ease of equal access to all resources among its community members irrespective of their gender (Elwer, Harryson, Bolin & Hammarstrom, 2013). In such a scenario, all the people have equal chances of being recruited in the employment opportunities available in their locality as well as participating in the critical decision-making process on the issues affecting them. However, for quite a long time, women have been denied an opportunity to take part in the active running of the society, which has greatly confined their duties to carrying out the subordinate roles in the community. The main rationale behind this conviction is anchored on the patriarchal nature of the society, which implies that men address the critical matters affecting the community. As a result, women are always deemed as inferior beings, who cannot make reasonable decisions without men’s input. However, over the recent years, this scenario has greatly changed due to intense calls to make sure that all the societal members are treated equally and are awarded equal privileges irrespective of their gender differences. 

Arguments Supporting Solutions To The Global Issue

One of the key strategies that would lead to the enhancement of gender equality is raising awareness on the need to uphold the women’s rights. It is paramount to note that the Constitution decrees that all members of the community are equal despite their sexual or physical differences, which implies that no gender is superior to the other. Nevertheless, the traditional societal dictations have always depicted that the role of women should be taking care of the families and carrying out the domestic chores. Therefore, there is a need to make the societal members aware that females have equal rights to those of their male counterparts. Thus, they should not be denied the opportunity to take part in the decision-making process of the critical issues affecting the society (Farrior, 2009). Such an undertaking would also make the people aware that women should also be allowed to take part in the active building of the society by being assigned some of the leading roles – for example, being appointed as heads of parastatals and the private institutions.

Empowerment of women is another factor that can be used to promote gender equality within the society (Kuhlmann, Ovseiko, Kurmeyer, Gutierrez-Lobos, Steinbock, Knorring, Buchan & Brommels 2017). Due to the adoption of patriarchal rules, women have been denied access to some of the key institutions in the society such as educational and legislative ones. It is important to note that failing to offer the women access to educational opportunities has been one of the integral factors behind the sustenance of gender inequality in the society. Since they do not have the required educational qualifications, it becomes impossible for them to assume leadership roles in the societal institutions. However, making sure that females have the required knowledge to hold some of the leadership positions in the community is one of the major milestones towards the promotion of gender equality. Women who would be appointed as leaders in various institutions – such as parliament and corporations – would also act as role models. Thus, they would be in a position to inspire the younger girls to work hard in their studies, which would enable them to hold such powerful offices in future.

Conclusion

In summary, gender equality is increasingly becoming an issue of concern among the societal members. This serves as the main reason why various human activist groups have launched global campaigns to advocate for equal treatment of women and men in the society. Nevertheless, it is paramount to note that the desired objectives would not be achieved unless some of the critical factors are put into perspective. For instance, it would be paramount to raise awareness among the people on the need to ensure that women are accorded their rights and freedoms as stipulated in the Constitution. The Constitution dictates that all people are equal. Thus, no one should be discriminated against on the basis of his/her gender. Additionally, it would be rational to empower women – by appointing them into some of the leadership positions – as a strategy for inspiring the young girls to work hard to achieve their career aspirations.

References

Elwer, S., Harryson, L., Bolin, M., & Hammarstrom, A. (2013). Patterns of gender equality at workplaces and psychological distress. PLOS One, 8(1), e53246.

Farrior, S. (2009). Human rights advocacy on gender issues: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Human Rights Practice, 1(1), 83-100.

Kuhlmann, E., Ovseiko, P.V., Kurmeyer, C., Gutierrez-Lobos, K., Steinbock, S., Knorring, M.V., Buchan, A.M., & Brommels, M. (2017). Closing the gender leadership gap: A multi-centre cross-country comparison of women in management and leadership in academic health centres in the European Union. Human Resources for Health, 15(2), 1-7