One of the hallmarks of a developed world is where all genders are treated equally and I think it is safe to say that no nation on this planet is yet ‘developed’, certainly not when it comes to gender equality. The fact remains that women often find it hard to compete against their counterparts where invariably the ‘man’ is offered the prime post. In fact, a recent survey highlighted the fact that over 90% of the CEOs are all male and that only a small proportion happens to be female but please note that this survey does not take into account self-owned companies where the founders are also the head of the company. This only underscores the fact that gender inequality is alive and thriving in our society. Here are a few reasons as to why gender equality continues to define us as a society.
- Bad mentality: Women are often consigned to jobs that are well below their qualification and are generally thought to be good for roles such as housekeeping or the front desk. The issue is that we often have this perception about how certain jobs suit certain genders better than others and this societal perception plays a pivotal role in why women are often given jobs well below what they are qualified for. For example, if you were to take the fortune 100 companies, you would have a hard time locating a female CEO, with the exception of a few companies like Pepsi
- Education: Women are often denied equal opportunities and access to education that their male counterparts often enjoy and take for granted. The issue could be cultural or even peer related behavior but generally in countries like China and India, two of the most populous nations in the world, parents generally pay more attention to the boy than they do to the girl. As a result, the girl child is often ignored and even denied her basic right to education. And in today’s world, you need to have a strong educational background and the requisite work experience before you can dream of heading any company.
- Tradition and culture: Tradition and culture are what makes us who we are today; our very identity hinges on the same. But as so often, women are denied their basic rights, right to own property leave alone getting an education because their tradition and culture demands it. In this day and age, it is sad to see such rampant gender inequality being practiced in the guise of tradition and culture.
- Empowerment: Gender inequality is insidious to such an extent that there are women all across the world who are ignorant of the fact that they have the same rights as anyone else. It is time that various governments initiated empowerment drives to enable these women to become more self-aware and in the process, develop skills that can help them later on.
These are some of the reasons why women often find it hard to compete effectively against their male counterparts, in any sphere. It is not that they lack the intelligence or unable to put in the long hours, but the present perceptions that others have, regarding gender roles prevent them from enjoying the same rights as their male counterparts. For example, Saudi Arabia recently announced that women will no longer be banned from driving cars in public which only goes on to show you that gender inequality is diverse and comes in many shapes and forms.
