MANANGAN JEZELEI GWYNETH Class: 4/4
Stereotypes are defined as set ideas that people have about what someone or something is like, especially about an idea that is wrong. Indeed, women in today’s society suffer from setbacks in occupational, educational and political landscapes due to societal expectations which stem from old customs and culture. Societal norms which dominate the female way of life in the past56 few decades such as domestication and subservience to men continue to affect women today.
The anachronistic mindset that women are meant to fill domesticated roles such as being a housewife has resulted in consequences such as the pay gap. One of the main causes of the gender pay gap is due to the childcare penalty. According to a case study in Denmark by Vox, childbearing accounts for 80 percent of the gender pay gap. This assumption is further supported by studies conducted in America, where the largest gender pay gap was identified to among women in their 30s; also known as their childbearing years. Society’s expectations that mothers should take care of their children results in many women taking time off from work when they bear a child, which consequently affects their ability to progress in their work. Furthermore, after childbirth, women find themselves at a position where they are not offered certain opportunities that require significant travel or work hours due to the perception that they are the primary caretaker of their children. This results in men progressing at a faster rate, and ultimately taking up positions of seniority and power in corporations.
In the educational landscape, the antiquated perception that women are obligated to serve men by being housewives or undertaking similar roles leads to the idea that they no longer need to be educated. Especially prevalent in developing countries, many girls are inhibited from receiving education due to traditional gender roles that marginalize their worth in society. Furthermore, there are many legal, religious and cultural practices that discriminate against girls getting an education, on top of undesirable circumstances that they might be in, such as forced labour, early marriage and the lack of access to educational institutions. According to UNESCO, out of the world’s 774 million illiterate adults, two-thirds are women. The share of illiterate women has not changed for the past 20 years. Therefore, the inability of many girls to obtain an education hinders their progress in life.
When one thinks of a politician, the face that usually come to mind is that of a man. Just like the higher tier of corporate positions, much of the international political landscape is dominated by men. As proof, an article published by UNWOMEN shows that only 24 percent of all national parliamentarians were women as of November 2018, a slow increase from 11.3 percent in 1995. However, it is worth noting that women are known to have more struggles in the political arena than their male counterparts. Primarily in elections, women face more struggles advocating their messages to their audience as much of it is made up of older generations, who tend to lean to a conservative and traditional set of beliefs. Moreover, double standards among men and women politicians are usually more disadvantageous for women. To elaborate, male politicians can usually get away with being aggressively assertive, and still be seen as strong leaders. However, when the same situation is portrayed by a woman politician, she would be considered to be “emotional”, “bossy” and “controlling”. Furthermore, displaying emotions, such as in heartfelt speeches can make women seem weak and even hormonal, causing their audience to see it as a sign of incompetence. While on the other hand, displays of emotion among men is hailed as a sign of compassion and care for others.
While it is worth noting that in developed countries, the effects of gender inequality have been greatly reduced, there is still a lot to be done to close the gender gap, to illuminate a recently published article by CNN states that despite having the highest tertiary education rate of women aged 25-34 in the world, South Korea’s deeply patriarchal culture makes it more arduous for women to obtain jobs due to the prospect that they have to fulfill certain gender roles such as child rearing.
To conclude, the infinite societal expectations that continue to burden women will probably not be eliminated within the next few decades. There will always be stereotypes the hold back women in their jobs, studies and in their political aspirations. Perhaps, we can work toward closing the gender inequality by educating future generations with a more gender positive and unbiased habits.
Writers by the River 