On Gender and Inequality

When we think of equality, we think of not only gender equality but equality of wages, opportunity, racial and social equality, no discrimination, and what not! We all might be equals before the law but are we even alike? 

In the first instance, we, as human beings, are not identical by nature. We are distinctive biologically – ‘men’ and ‘women.’ Men are a symbol of strength and sturdiness; women are timid and humble. 

Then why should women be treated as equal to men? 

Not only is Gender Equality a fundamental human right but a vital foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. It is one of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, the fifth one to be precise.  

There were (and even still are) times when women were subject to domestic violence at homes, considered to be one of the safest spaces. Nations have now realized the need to end this unfair treatment, and over 125 countries have laws in place against sexual harassment and other discriminatory practices. Women can even stand for their rights with policies and institutions supporting them. However, there is still some hesitation coming forward and putting out one’s case. Not the law alone, but faith should be at aide too. 

In all spheres of life, it costs much more to be a woman than a man. Working conditions have not been favorable for women, and they are the homemakers rather than bread earners. 

There is a widely unequal distribution of gender varying from industry to industry. Tech, software, and engineering, mainly the analytical jobs, have a male-dominated representation. On the contrary, emotional and care-taking roles like teaching, nurses, even doctors specialized in gynecology and allied fields are women-dominated. Even scientific studies back this choice of lines as they seem women to be mentally and emotionally stronger, but logically and analytically weaker than men. Duh!

At this point, I can quote dozens of examples where women have achieved professional success in technical roles, but these few cases are not enough to claim equality. 

Even if women are employed, the pay gap is wide. And, with age, the pay gap further widens, and most of these women tend to leave their jobs and their successful careers to support the household. 

This homemaking is unpaid labor, yet the backbone of our society’s functioning. Raising children, cooking, washing, cleaning, budgeting, grocery shopping, and other household chores are unaccounted for in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculations. The problem lies in here. The terminology used by the state, think-tanks, academics, and individuals conveniently measures only the income contribution of paid workers. 

Policies on industries, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, health, and education, to name a few, use this figure while being discussed and formulated. But it only measures the work that is visible in glass-walled high-rise buildings and not in smaller never-stopping factory-like private spaces called homes. 

According to a report by Oxfam, the estimated unpaid labor performed by women and girls globally is worth more than $10.8tn annually, which is three times the size of the global tech industry. Yet it seems to be invisible. 

To be clear, Feminism stands for equal socio-economic, cultural, and political rights for women as are for men. It boils down to gender equality and not the belief that women are superior to men. Feminists like Malala Yousafzai, Emma Watson, and many others possess a similar ideology, often misread by us. The predicament lies in our approach to perceiving. A woman playing football or a man participating in household chores is unacceptable to society at large.

The term Feminist Economics is widely popular in academics, addressing the core of gender inequality and how capitalism and other factors support (or oppose) it. The field of development economics is also about understanding the role of women in an economy and biases that arise from studying it. In the context of the developing countries, where institutions are corrupt, and a large informal sector is at work, female biases aggravate the already persistent problems. 

For a fact, women choosing male-dominated professions are generally less paid when compared to their male counterparts. Even in the era of work from home, women tend to leave jobs accruing of the lack of maternal leaves. The optimum period for breastfeeding a child is the first six months, but a large proportion of women need to join back within two weeks of childbirth. The highly fashionable paternal leaves have not been of any relief. 

Women might be equally educated and competent to work, but they stand a lower chance to be promoted given such uncertainties. Roles requiring longer working hours, no weekend offs, traveling, and being on the go are less likely to see women fill them. Returning to work after long leaves put them into a disadvantage over others as they start from the level at which they left. Again, the probability of progression is meager, setting an end to their long-sought careers. 

Apart from pay in parity, political representation is equally important to facilitate inclusive gender equality. In countries like India, women representation at the grass-root levels called the Panchayat is dismal. Even if they are electorally selected, their husbands are the ones running the show. For long, women have been subject to a suppressed environment in rural India. They have no say in even fertility decisions, let alone the household decisions. It is malpractice in the name of traditional values.

Women have fought for their political rights even in pre-revolutionary France. Then they marched to frame a new constitution and were no longer considered passive. Suffrage has seen all phases when it comes to women’s rights, and they have never missed an opportunity to end it. 

Gender equality will not come about of its own accord. It requires the concerted effort and solidarity of women human rights defenders, political will, and better legislation, gender budgeting, and quotas.

Countries – Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden – top the Global Gender Gap Index (2020), conducted by the World Economic Forum. The index captures gender-disparity magnitudes on economic, health, education, and political benchmarks. 

Providing women and girls with equal access to education and information, technology, health care, work opportunities, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large. Elimination of all harmful practices, such as child marriage and domestic violence, is needed. 

It would be a bold step as well as an accounting revolution, to recognize the value the unpaid domestic work in the Gross Domestic Product. However, until then, through the provision of public services, infrastructure, and social protection policies, the government should promote shared responsibility within households.

With reforms to grant women equal rights to economic resources, access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources, per national laws, should be put in place. Implementing new legal frameworks regarding female equality in the workplace and the eradication of harmful practices targeted at women is crucial to ending this gender-based discrimination prevalent in many countries around the world. Challenging the monopoly of power in the hands of men and the power of men over women is essential to restore the equality of the kind that concerns us!