In the globalised world, social justice has gained much traction and international attention, thanks to the ever burgeoning reach of social media. One issue in particular stands out from the diverse array of societal problems the world faces - gender discrimination. With the growing attention feminism is gathering on the international stage, it is safe to say that the battle of the sexes has never before reached such a stupendous magnitude as it has today. Feminism, the advocacy of women’s rights on grounds of political, social and economic equality as that of men, has largely been lauded as progressive and a positive force propelling society forward. Yet, as the feminist movement gains momentum globally, it has also garnered increasingly hostile reactions worldwide too. Many critics now claim that feminism demonises men and that men are now being discriminated against as women receive preferential treatment. Is this really so?
Men are equally discriminated as women due to other factors such as race and sexuality. Till today, many forms of discrimination are still prevalent even in the most liberal and developed countries. Racial discrimination, for instance, is still widespread in US. The Ferguson unrest brought to the world’s attention the horrific police brutality and countless innocent victims killed by police officers, some as young as 12 years old and whose only crime was their skin colour. Even more recently, not even a day ago, 50 victims were killed in a shooting at an Orlando gay club. These victims were mindlessly murdered, regardless of their gender. With such overwhelming evidence, one has to agree that men are just as much victims of discrimination as women are.
Yet despite the problems both genders face, we cannot deny the fact that women are particularly vulnerable to abuse and discrimination due to their gender.
Even today, women still face limited opportunities in the workplace despite having the same qualifications as their male counterparts. While it is true that some women have managed to break through the glass ceiling, many more are still trapped beneath this selective barrier and are unable to gain rightful credit for their own works. This is particularly apparent in the scientific fields. The systemic oppression of women scientists and their contributions, whose works are often attributed to their male counterparts is known as the Matilda Effect. Brilliant scientists such as Rosalind Franklin, Cecilia Payne and Lisa Meitner have been largely ignored by society and even snubbed by the scientific community despite the tremendous contributions and discoveries they had made simply due to their gender. Critics may argue that we have made progress but is it sufficient when we merely have 44 female Nobel prize laureates out of more than 800 laureates? Hence one has to disagree vehemently that men are just as discriminated as women.
Traditional gender roles, though weakened by the evolution of the nuclear family unit and the increase in educated women, are still deeply embedded in society. Women are still seen as homemakers and are often expected to be more submissive and acquiescent. This is especially true in Asian societies which are still greatly influenced by Confucian concepts. These gender roles have led to the restriction of women’s career choices and life decisions as women are often encouraged to pick careers which involve care-taking or childrearing such as nursing and teaching. Women who diverge too much from what society deems as acceptable career paths frequently receive harsh criticism and social judgement from their peers. Furthermore as women now become a larger part of the workforce, they are expected to balance both their careers and childrearing perfectly whereas men are not judged as harshly for not playing an active role in parenting. Thus it is obvious that men are not as discriminated as women.
Women are still overwhelmingly seen as sexual objects by society. This has resulted in the development of what many call the ‘rape culture’ where many feel that rape is not a severe social problem that needs to be dealt with immediately. While we cannot ignore the fact that men can also be rape victims, we must also acknowledge that a shocking majority of rape victims are women and these victims are more often than not blamed for ‘asking for it’. BBC has recently released a documentary ‘India’s Daugher’ about the 2012 New Delhi gang rape. In this documentary, one of the rapists was interviewed and he showed no remorse, even going on to blame the victim for struggling and thus causing the beating that ultimately took her life. Despite new laws about sexual assault passed in 2013, only the New Delhi gang rape case passed with conviction whereas more than 700 other cases were thrown out of court the year. It is undeniable that women face overwhelmingly more discrimination than men do.
Women are also not fully allowed free agency of their own bodies. Society places more emphasis and higher standards on women and the female body, restricting women’s agency. In 2013, approximately 700 new laws governing women’s bodies were passed by mainly male lawmakers in US whereas no law has ever been passed regarding men’s bodies anywhere in the world. Till today, young girls are still being put through the atrocity and pain of female genital mutilation in third world countries. All these evidence point undeniably to the blatant discrimination that women have to face as compared to men.
‘The truth is rarely pure and never simple.’ Oscar Wilde’s words succinctly summarises gender discrimination. While it is more than tempting to simplify the root causes and effects of gender discrimination, to do so would be to foolishly dismiss the true underlying problematic mindsets present in society. The destruction of gender discrimination is not equivalent to putting women on a pedestal, nor is its purpose to vilify men. Rather, we should seek to destroy the social construct of gender so as to allow each and every one of us to be able to fully maximise our talents and potential for the betterment of mankind as a race.
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