The Persistent Challenge and Goal of Achieving Gender Equality

Shirley Tong/ Edge columnist

Is there true equality between men and women? Advocates have long promoted gender equality to ensure that all genders, male and female, have the same rights and opportunities to be treated as equals. It seems straightforward when considering gender equality: all genders are equal, with all the same decision-making rights and participation opportunities. Gender equality in today’s society remains a topic of debate and ongoing efforts. One might always wonder why there’s still no equality between genders in certain countries. At the end of the day, all people deserve the assumption of equality.

What is Gender Equality?
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Other perspectives on gender equality

Broadly speaking, all over the world women have historically often been discriminated against in a variety of ways, such as unequal access to sports, education, work opportunities, political representation, etc, since born as female rather than male. So, what is gender equality? It’s equal access to service, equal benefits for comparable roles, and equal opportunities for progression and promotion. Even though these disparities are gradually reducing, women and men have always had different roles in the community. Physical differences do exist, though. Throughout evolutionary history, men and women have adapted physically to perform different roles related to survival and reproduction.

About Evolution History

According to Britannica, Human evolution is the process by which extinct primates gave rise to modern humans on Earth. From a zoological perspective, we are Homo sapiens, a ground-dwelling, upright-walking species that most likely originated in Africa around 315,000 years ago and is known for carrying civilization.

For instance, men’s physical prowess, including greater muscle mass and bone density, likely evolved to support activities such as hunting and providing protection. In contrast, women’s bodies have adapted to support the demands of pregnancy and childbirth, which require different physical attributes. These evolutionary adaptations demonstrate how physical differences lead to gender imbalance in sports due to congenital conditions.

Gender inequality in sports

How does human evolution lead to gender inequality in sports? Often, women don’t enjoy the same opportunities and resources when it comes to sports. Around age 14, many girls drop out of sports at two times the rate of boys, which makes a huge contrast, as mentioned by Women’s Sports Foundations. By the time they reach their late teens, one in three girls had quit engaging in sports, compared to one in ten boys. In general, women’s sports have fewer programmes than men’s sports. This means that the diversity of programmes for women is limited, making it difficult for many women to locate a programme that matches their skill level.

“Overpower. Overtake. Overcome.”
– Serena Williams, the American former tennis player, mentioned by SIWIKI Fitness

It refers to a step or plan for winning or succeeding. Women continue to face difficult circumstances while taking a resolute and uncompromising attitude to reach their objectives. According to Athlete Assessments, boys get 1.13 million more sporting opportunities than girls, and 4% of the total commercial investment in sports goes into women’s sports, despite a 2018 Nielson report revealing that 84% of general sports fans have an interest in women’s sports.

Furthermore, women’s programmes that do exist may be limited in terms of resources and possibilities. Because of limited financing, women’s sports sometimes lack the same quality of facilities and coaches as men’s sports. According to Athlete Assessments, The Women’s Sports Foundation estimates that males in sports earn approximately $179 million more in athletic scholarships each year. Up to 83% of sports now offer the same amount of prize money for men and women. But in the 17% who don’t, the difference runs into the millions, as stated by a BBC Sports survey. Even at the national level, women struggle to achieve equal footing. Soccer, basketball, and baseball are among the sports with the largest salary disparities. According to CNBC, The US won the 2019 Women’s World Cup with a prize money of $4 million, which was nine times less than France’s $38 million award at the 2018 Men’s World Cup. Athletes at the same level with the same amount of work are frequently paid less because they are female. People attribute this to women’s sports having a lower following, which only highlights inequality between men’s and women’s sports.

Women faced unequal 19th-century V.S. Different men’s sports programmes that always better than women’s

Unequal access for females

Moreover, females have uneven access to health care and education, and they confront boundaries in the workplace. In most Southeast Asian and Asian countries, there are prevalent social practices that force or encourage girls to have babies at a young age and marry as teenagers, which have serious and immediate health repercussions leading to higher rates of maternal mortality and infant mortality. This practice, which is founded on poverty, cultural norms, and gender inequality, perpetuates a cycle of disadvantage and hardship. For example, according to UNICEF, 52% of Bangladeshi girls marry before the age of 18, and 18% marry before the age of 15. Early marriages often lead girls to drop out of school, restricting their educational chances and prolonging the poverty cycle.

Across Asia, women typically earn less than men for the same job. This gender wage disparity is caused by discrimination, unequal access to higher-paying occupations, and conventional gender norms that place a larger value on men’s work. According to OECD, The gender pay gap in Korea is the highest among OECD countries at 37.2%, Women working in Korea earn only 63% of what men earn, one of the largest gender income disparities among OECD countries. Traditional social practices and gender inequities create a cycle of disadvantage for women in many Southeast Asian and Asian nations, emphasizing the critical need for a fundamental societal transformation to achieve equal opportunities and rights for all.

How to promote and address gender inequality?

Addressing gender inequality in society requires a comprehensive approach that tackles the issue from multiple angles.

1. Education

Education plays a crucial role in this effort. Schools should incorporate teachings on gender equality from an early age, emphasizing the importance of respecting all genders and challenging stereotypes.

2. Workplace

In the workplace, businesses and organizations must ensure equal pay and opportunities for all genders. Policies supporting work-life balance, parental leave, and flexible work arrangements can also help promote gender equality.

3. Media

The media can contribute by portraying diverse and empowering gender roles, which can help change societal norms and attitudes.

4. Universal access

Encouraging universal access to reproductive health and rights is also essential for promoting the well-being of individuals and societies, which can reduce maternal mortality rates and improve overall health outcomes for women and girls.

Ultimately, achieving gender equality requires a collective effort to recognize and value the contributions of all genders equally, thereby creating a more inclusive and fair society.

Conclusion

Gender equality remains a significant challenge globally, with disparities in rights and opportunities persisting in many regions. This inequality comes from past discrimination and the roles society has assigned to each gender, especially noticeable in sports, education, healthcare, and work.

“Gender equality is the goal that will help abolish poverty that will create more equal economies, fairer societies and happier men, women and children.”
According to nclurbandesign.org, Graça Machel who is the Co-founder and Deputy Chair of The Elders.

To tackle this issue, a comprehensive approach is needed. By collectively valuing and respecting everyone, regardless of gender, a more inclusive and fairer world can be built for all.