Feminism and Gender Equality
Cornwall and Rivas (2015) are of the viewpoint that women have been subjected to various forms of oppression and suppression since the traditional times and as a result have enjoyed very limited amount of freedom within the society. More importantly, it has been seen that despite performing all the household choirs and looking after the family they had never received the kind of appreciation or reward that is their due. However, in the recent times, due to changes in the thinking pattern of people and also because of the emergence of the notion of feminism the condition of women has undergone a significant amount of change (Williams, 2018). The purpose of this report is to analyze the notions of feminism and gender equality in the Asian nations and North America. The report at the same time tries to analyze the probable reasons for the problems of gender inequality and the lack of support that feminism has garnered in the Asian countries. This report can be used to conduct further research works on the various aspects of feminism like women empowerment, gender wage gap and others.
The primary limitation of this report can be said to be the fact that the major data required for the completion of this report was derived from the secondary sources. Thus, in future this report can be extended and made more effective through the use of primary data. The report takes the help of various national data and also the secondary sources to analyze the concept of gender equality in the Asian countries and USA. The report begins by introducing the notions of feminism and gender equality. The report next discusses these notions in the particular context of USA and also the factors which have contributed to it. The report also analyses these notions for the Asian nations and the influential factors which have resulted in the present condition. The report next undertakes a comparison of the USA and the Asian countries in the particular context of the concepts of gender equality and feminism. Finally, the report concludes by recommending some measures like equal education, gender education, equal wage and others through which gender equality can be achieved.
As opined by Calkin (2015), feminism can be defined as the advocacy of the basic rights of women or the female individuals on the basis of the notion that both sexes are equal. McBride and Parry (2016) have stated that feminism can be defined as the plethora of political and social movement, ideologies, thought processes and others which had not only made the females aware about their rights but also freedom. More importantly, the notion of feminism has at the same time lead to the liberation of women and their resultant empowerment. Peters and Wolper (2018) have stated that the roots of feminism can be traced back to the ancient times not only during the “Age of Chaucer” but also to the Ancient Greek and Roman Periods. The notion of feminism finds adequate representation in the works of some of the major authors of this period like Chaucer, Christine de Pizan and others (Bartlett, 2018). However, at the same time, it needs to be said that despite the feministic works of these authors the condition of women in this age was far from satisfactory. The machinery of feminism found a new lease of life in the works of authors like Thomas Hardy, Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler and others in the 20th century (Williams, 2018). As opined by Calkin (2015), the works of these authors can be seen as the catalysts which propelled the rise of the feminism and women empowerment in the latter part of the 20th century.
Feminism and Gender Equality in USA
McBride and Parry (2016) are of the viewpoint that the women since the traditional times have been treated as inferior to the male members of the society. This belief has not only limited the number of options which have been available to the women but at the same time have contributed in a substantial manner towards the oppression and suppression faced by them. It is precisely here that the notion of gender equality gains prominence. As stated by Williams (2018), the concept of gender equality argues the fact that both men and women are equal and thereby same kinds of opportunities as well as treatment should be meted out to both of them. The net result of this is the fact that individuals in the contemporary times champion as well as argue for same kind of education, job opportunities, social status and other attributes for the women as well (Cornwall & Rivas, 2015). However, at this juncture it needs to be said that despite the developments in the thought processes and also the rise of these notions the condition of women has not changed in any substantial in some of the major Asian countries. As a matter of fact, in the majority of the Asian countries the women still have a very limited amount of independence and are dependent on the male members of their family for social status and also identity (Kabeer, 2016).
The United States of America is generally considered to be a pioneer in the emergence of the notion of feminism and has also contributed in a substantial manner towards empowerment of women in the different nations of the world (Leach, 2015). Peters and Wolper (2018) have propounded that the women of USA have access the same kind of rights as well as liberties that the male members of the nation have. In addition to this, it is seen that the women are provided with equal kind of educational, job, health and other kinds of opportunities that the men of the nation enjoy (Medie & Kang, 2018). More importantly, the national government of the nation takes active initiatives to ensure the fact that the freedom as well as the liberty of the women of the nation is not curbed and they enjoy equal status in the nation. Furthermore, the women of the nation have a say in the matters of their marriage, family affairs, the future of children, societal affairs and others (Tobias, 2018). As a matter of fact, individuals who discriminate women on the basis of their gender are liable to stringent kinds of punishments and can be brought before the court of law (Leach, 2015). In this regard, mention needs to be made of “Married Women’s Property Act 1839”, “Married Women’s Property Act”, “Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013”, “The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act” and others (McDowell, 2018). Moreover, campaigns like “Stop Violence Against Women” conducted by the national government to respond against the various instances of violence committed against women also needs to be mentioned in this regard (Stopvaw.org, 2018).
Feminism and Gender Equality in Asian countries
According to Zinn et al. (2015), the nation of USA scores very high on the gender equality quotient in comparison to the other nations of the world. More importantly, the gender wage gap between the two sexes in the nation under discussion here is only 9.3% which is way lower than other nations (Tobias, 2018). In addition to this, the household work is being shared by the male and the female members of the family in the nation. Moreover, the women are being encouraged to pursue the careers of their own choice and the liberal culture which is predominant in the nation has contributed in a substantial manner towards this (Medie & Kang, 2018). It is pertinent to note that the contemporary media and its portrayal of women have contributed in a substantial manner towards this high rate of gender equality. Furthermore, the religion of Christianity is predominant in the nation is also a vital factor which has promulgated the rise of this concept (Bartlett, 2018). Thus, it can be said that a plethora of factors like cultural, social, religious and other factors have given rise to feminism and gender equality in the USA.
The cultural beliefs as well as traditions followed by the Asian countries are very different from the ones followed by the various Western nations of the world. Morley and Crossouard (2016) are of the viewpoint that these differences in the religious practices, customs, beliefs and others practiced by the Asian nations have given rise to a society as well as culture in these nations which is starkly different from the Western nations. For example, it is seen that in the majority of the Asian nations like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and others a conservative Islamic religion is being followed (Alston, 2014). On the other hand, in the nations like India, Sri Lanka and others Hinduism is being followed which although not as stringent as Islam yet offers limited amount of liberty or freedom to the women (Kabeer, 2016). As opined by Cesari and Casanova (2017), the women in the Islamic tradition are required to wear hijabs so as to cover their faces and are not even allowed to go out of their houses without the company of any male members of their family. More importantly, they enjoy very limited amount of educational, job and other kinds of opportunities. In this regard, mention needs to be made of Malala Yousafzai who was shot because of her desire to study and go to school (Alston, 2014). In addition to these, it is also seen that the women have a very limited amount of influence as well say in the affairs of their own home and despite performing all the household choirs are treated as mere domestic servants and as means of procreation. Furthermore, these women have practically no property rights and it was not only recently that they were even allowed to vote in the elections (Cesari & Casanova, 2017).
Sung and Pascall (2014) have stated that in comparison to the Islamic nations, the nations of India, Sri Lanka, China and others score high on the gender equality quotient. However, the nation of India scores very high on the gender pay gap index (Cesari & Casanova, 2017). For example, in the particular context of India it is seen that although the society is a very conservative one yet the women enjoy a substantial amount of freedom in the nation. In this regard, mention needs to be made of various initiatives like “Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme” (2012), “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojna” (2015), “Mahila E-Haat” (2016) and others (Kabeer, 2016). In addition to these, the national government has passed various regulations like “The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976”, “The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987”, “The Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention, Protection and) Act, 2013” and others (Cesari & Casanova, 2017). More importantly the first Prime Minister of the nation, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, himself said “You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women” (Kabeer, 2016). Furthermore, the women are entitled to various Fundamental Rights like equality (Article 14), anti-discrimination (Article 15) and others (Cesari & Casanova, 2017). These initiatives as well as the regulations have contributed in a substantial manner towards the empowerment of women in the nation of India unlike in the Islamic nations.
An analysis of the nations of USA and the Asian nations clearly reveals the fact that there is a stark difference in the condition of women in these nations. This becomes apparent from the below given graph-
Figure 1: Gender Equality Status in different nations
Source: (Fetterolf, 2018)
The above given graph clearly indicates the fact that more than 91% of the people in the nation of USA feel that the women of the nation enjoy equal status as well as rights. On the other hand, it is seen that only 71% people in India and 64% people in Pakistan feel that the women have equality in the nation (Fetterolf, 2018). This is perhaps one of the major reasons why the women in India, Pakistan and other Asian nations still have access to very limited amount of job, educational and other kinds of opportunities which are commonly available to the women in USA. More importantly, the inadequate growth opportunities which are available to women in these nations have actually stunted the growth of these nations. Zinn et al. (2015) are of the viewpoint that one of the major reasons for the unprecedented growth that USA have been able to attain over the years is because of the plethora of opportunities which are available to them and also the equal status that they enjoy in the nation.
Conclusion
To conclude, the notion of feminism has gained unprecedented prominence within the spectrum of the contemporary world. More importantly, it needs to be said that the women have been subjected to various kinds of oppression, suppression and other kinds of derogatory behavior since the traditional times. However, in the present times, with the change in the outlook of people and also with the emergence of various kinds of literary works, the condition of women has changed in a substantial manner. For example, in the USA it is seen that the women enjoy almost equal kinds of rights as well as social status in comparison to the male members of the concerned condition. However, when the condition of women in the Asian nations is taken into consideration the situation is far from being standard. In this regard, it needs to be said that women in these countries even in the 21st century enjoy a very limited amount of freedom or liberty.
There are various measures which could be used by the national governments and other authorities of various nations to enhance the quotient of gender quality within the spectrum of the contemporary society. Some of the most important measures are listed below-
- The various nations need to offer equal kind of education to both the male as well as the female members of their nation. This will not only offer equal kind of growth opportunities to the women on par with men but at the same time will remove the gender bias as well.
- The authorities of various nations need to take initiative to reduce the gender pay gap. More importantly, they should follow the notion of “equal work, equal pay” rather than paying remuneration on the basis of gender of the employees.
- Offering gender education to the individuals, especially the male members of the society would at the same time help them to overcome their gender inhibitions as well as biases. This is likely to help the societies as well as nations to achieve the stage of gender equality in the best possible manner.
References
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