Outline:
(1) Introduction:
A holistic view of the global society clearly depicts that gender equality does not exist in any walk of life.
(2) The concept of gender is not limited to women rather it is equally applicable to men as well.
(3) Gender equality does not prevail in social, economic, and political walks of life.
(4) Following practices in the economic sphere of life clearly supports the maxim
(a) Difference in the salaries of men and women.
(b) Defined positions of women and men in different organizations
(c) The concept of the glass ceiling validates the veracity of the maxim.
(d) Man still enjoys complete control over financial decision-making and property ownership.
(5) Social practices of the world further validate the validity of the apothegm.
(a) Treatment of women as second-class citizens.
(b) In most developing countries, violence is exercised against women.
(c) Women have to be the burden of all social responsibilities and man is only responsible for economic matters.
(d) States of Education and Health.
(6) In the Political arena, the condition of gender equality is much worse than in economic and social walks of life.
(a) Women constitute almost 59..of the world's population but they only have 12./. representation in parliaments around the world.
(b) Men enjoy control over state administration.
(7) Even the practices promoted by governments and women clearly depict that gender equality is a myth.
(a) Quota Systems (Women Specific)
(b) The Demand for exclusive treatment by women.
(8) Gender equality is a myth owing to the following reasons:
(a) Poor implementation of laws
(b) Patriarchy
(c) Socio-Economic Stereotypes.
(d) Women are one of the reasons for gender inequality.
(9) Conclusion.
A holistic view of global society clearly depicts that gender equality does not exist in any walk of life. The concept of gender is not limited to women only rather dis equally applicable to men as well. A holistic view of different Practices in economic, social, and Political spheres of life validates the veracity of the maxim. In the economic walk of life, practices like the structure of wages, the concept of the glass ceiling, the control of men over financial matters, and negligible contribution by women are clear proof that gender equality is a myth. Similarly, in the social arena, the treatment of women as second-class citizens, violence against women, and unequal distribution of social responsibilities between men and women further validate the veracity of the maxim. Furthermore, the authenticity of the apothegm can also be found in the political walk of life. Underrepresentation in parliaments and global forms, and insignificant contribution to the administrative structure of different countries in the political process support the argument. Even the practices promoted by women like special quotas. And demands for exclusive treatment also validate that gender equality is a myth. Gender inequality exists in the world owing to poor implementation of laws, patriarchy, socio-economic stereotypes, and due to the conduct of women. All the aforementioned practices and proofs supplement the argument and it can be said that gender equality is a myth.
To begin with, it is important to have an understanding of the concept of gender. This concept is not based on the biological orientation of different sexes rather it is based on the social rules associated with these sexes. It is argued that although, it is impossible to bring equality in terms of biological roles equality can be achieved in terms of gender. Furthermore, it is also important to understand that the concept of gender is not limited to women only. This concept is equally applicable to men as well. Thus, while arguing regarding gender equality, two genders must be given equal proportions.
Furthermore, economic, social, and political walks of life are the most important dimensions of our life. Equality in all these arenas is imperative to claim that gender equality exists. A holistic view of all these areas clearly depicts that gender equality is a myth. For instance, in the economic walk of life, different practices still, prevail which are completely in line with the motion in question. The difference in The salaries of men and women is one such practice. All over the globe, there does not exist any single country or organization where the salaries of men and women of equal rank are the same. In a survey conducted by The Pink Association, a global forum for women, it was concluded that on average women are paid 60% of what men earn in a particular position. The statistics are worse if one moves from developed to developing countries. Therefore, the difference in the salaries of men and women clearly proves that gender equality is a myth.
Similarly, the practice of the glass ceiling also proves that gender equality does not exist. Glass ceiling is a concept that states that in a private or public organization, women cannot take any position beyond the defined ceiling. This concept is widely exercised all across the globe. Restriction on women to enjoy an executive role is totally in negation to the concept of equality. In a report issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Cooperation (UNESCO), it was revealed that in developed countries 95% of the executive positions are occupied by men while in developing countries almost 98.5% of the seats are filled by men. These Statistics clearly show that the concept of the glass ceiling widely prevails and thus, in this case also, gender equality is difficult to find.
Similarly, men still enjoy control over financial decision-making and property ownership Most of the important decisions in the household and commercial areas which involve some kind of money transfer are handled by men. The same is the case with property ownership. A survey by the World Economic Forum revealed that in 2015, 72% of the property holdings were owned by men and in the rest of the 28%, men were the caretakers of 13% of the properties. These figures also show that financially women are entirely dependent on men. Ironically, in countries like Yemen and Morocco, women are not allowed to own any kind of property legally. The laws of those countries only permit men to own property. Thus, it can be safely said that gender equality is a myth.
Moreover, these differences can also be found in the social arena of life Particularly in developed countries and especially in developing countries women are treated as second-class citizens. Most of the social perks and privileges are limited to men only. Women are often denied the right to education and the right to quality healthcare, Although, in the case of women, the conditions of educational and healthcare facilities have improved they are not equal to the facilities enjoyed by men. A survey by the World Bank clearly states that boys are more likely to complete their education as compared to girls. In terms of enrollment, boys one still far ahead of women, and the gap increase as one moves to higher education. Although health facilities exist for every person in developing and underdeveloped countries, a boy is more likely to get better treatment as compounded to a girl. Thus, it can be safely assumed that gender equality is a myth.
Furthermore, another proof of gender inequality is the use of violence by men against women. In most cases, the violence is done by men owing to their dominant position in society. Owing to their dominance. they use their power to abuse women both physically and sexually. The dominance of men is owing to the very existence of inequality. According to a recent survey conducted by the Aurat Foundation, every 1 out of 4 girls has experienced sexual or physical violence in Pakistan. On a global level, the statistics of the United Nations forum for Women show that out of every 5 girls, 4 girls are the victims of different kinds of violence. It is interesting to note that case of violence against men by women happens once in a blue moon. Hence, statistics clearly show that gender equality is a myth.
Moreover, inequality also exists in terms of social responsibility sharing Women are the ones who have to bear most of the burden of social responsibilities. On the other hand, man's tasks are only related to his own economic arena of life. Housekeeping, children, and taking care of the husbands are all the responsibilities of women. They say that a man's work is from the sun to the sun while a woman's work is never done. These pearls of wisdom clearly express the stark inequality which exists in the social responsibility sharing between men and women. Man controls most of the formal activities of life which are well-defined while women have to take care of informal activities which have a broad scope and no time constraint attached to these activities. Hence, it can be said that gender equality is a myth.
In addition to that, gender equality is also absent in the political walk of life. Women constitute almost 51% of the world's population. In other words, they represent the majority of the population, but their representation in local and global forums is in no way near the proportion of their population. In a report by the United Nations, released in 2015, it was revealed that globally, women only enjoy 11% of the political representation. There does not exist a single country where women enjoy more than 20% of the political representation. In most of the Middle East and Africa, women are not allowed to become a member of Parliament. Therefore, in terms of Political representation gender equality is a myth.
Furthermore, gender equality also does not exist in state administration. Men enjoy a monopoly over state administration while an insignificant number of women are recruited in public organizations. A holistic view of different countries clearly shows the dominance of men in state administration. The World Economic Forum in its report revealed that 90% of the key political and administrative positions were held by men in 2014. Women, who represent 51% of the population, were only allowed to control 10% of state administrative responsibilities. Furthermore, those women who manage to secure a seat in parliament are highly unlikely to run an important ministry owing to the dominance of men in political proceedings. Hence, in this area also, gender equality does not exist.
Moreover, the practices promoted by women also show that gender equality is a myth. One main example in this regard is of Quota system. Women support and embrace the system of quotas. Under this system, a defined number of seats are reserved for women. This entire concept is in negation with the concept of equality. Equality cannot be achieved by promoting the sight of exclusive treatment. The quota systems further promote the existing inequality in every walk of life. Similarly, the demands of women for exclusive treatments like special counters, special bus seats, and reserved parking spaces are also promoting inequality and these demands hamper the movement of women to get equal rights. Not only this, but it also shows that women also do not believe in gender equality and they think that through proper means achieving gender equality is impossible. Thus, it can be safely assumed that gender equality is a myth
Moreover, there exist several reasons why gender inequality is present all over the globe. Until these reasons exist, gender equality will remain a myth. One main reason in this regard is the poor implementation of laws. Although laws exist in most countries to counter gender inequality they are not implemented and governments do not pay heed to create awareness regarding these laws. Secondly, partially is another reason behind gender inequality. Men are not willing to give away their powers and privileges and owing to their control over legal and administrative matters, women can't achieve gender equality. Furthermore, in every society, whether developed or underdeveloped, certain stereotypes are attached to women which obstruct the path of gender equality. These stereotypes are so deeply rooted that even women also think that gender equality is a myth. As these reasons are still present in most areas and no step has been taken to eradicate these causes, gender inequality is still very much in existence all over the globe. Thus, in the presence of all these factors it would be naive to conclude that gender equality is a reality.
In a nutshell, gender equality is a myth as there does not exist a single area of life where gender equality is present. In the economic walk of life, different salary structures of men and women, the concept of glass ceilings, and the control of men over financial matters are proof that gender equality is a myth. In the social arena, different health and educational facilities, a huge number of cases of violence against women, and the huge burden of social responsibilities on women provide clear proof that gender equality is a myth. The underrepresentation of women in local and global forums and in the administration of all countries further validates the authenticity of the maxim. Globally, sufficient efforts are not being made to address the root causes of gender inequality and in the presence of these causes, gender equality can't be achieved. Thus, gender equality is a myth and it will remain a myth for a given long time at the current pace of progress toward achieving gender equality.
