Gender Discrimination In Australia Essay

What is discrimination? Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. Discrimination can lead to bullying from a young age and impact people's lives to be driven by hate, and can cause the victims of discrimination to be driven by fear. It's a lose-lose situation for both the attacker and victim. So what else is there, I'll tell you! I'll be focusing on people who have defied the social standards of gender, racial and female discrimination.

Gender inequality is a social problem which causes unfair treatment in society between different genders. In a common household consisting of a mother, father and a child. Stereotypically the mother would stay home,
cook, clean, sew and would be the parent the child always goes to in need. The father would go out and work to support his family and would have more freedom than their wives. This used to be true but over the couple of decades most of the biggest life changes for women, have changed that. Yes, women can can offer emotional support and understanding but men can too. Even now people are just realising that men are suffering from the adversity that were and still are put on women due to gender discrimination which also links to gender stereotypes. Such stereotypes would be that a women can't work because "they are weak" where men "have the backbone" to do so. Even though the gap between women is still at a disadvantage to men, the rights between genders in most countries have measured close to equal considerably.

Women were not allowed to vote because it was thought that women were not concerned with politics; and, they were already represented by their husbands.
Historically, women's roles were in the home, as wives and mothers, not as citizens who engaged in politics. Women's active participation in World War I helped earn them a right to vote. Women have had to work to where we are now. Not being able to vote until 1920. Now we have had the first ever women, Julia Gillard hold a position as a leader for the Australian Labor Party from 2010 to 2013 and both served as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia. It wouldn't have been easy. Time, sweat and dedication put into having the rights of women somewhat equal to men. Alice Paul a member of the National Woman's Party dedicated herself so women could vote today and despite being warned that the other members and herself would be arrested, she continued her work. Alice was tried and sentenced for 60 days in a Workhouse in suburban Virginia. The water came from a bucket and the food was infested with terrible vermin. Alice embarked on a hunger strike and so a tube was forced down her throat pouring liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured for weeks until the pressed heard. Alice Paul was one of the many women who contributed in allowing women to vote and have a
voice.

Racism is the false belief that people are divided into a hierarchy of races, with certain groups inherently superior to others by virtue of genetic inheritance. In South Africa the people were divided with one side being white Africans and the other black Africans. Dealing with racism because he was born "black", Nelson Mandela fought to bring basic rights for South Africa. When facing the death penalty for being part of the African National Congress and Communist Party activist. He stirred the court with his famous speech and I quote "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which everyone lives together in harmony and equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve but if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." He was put behind bars for 27 years and every 6 months he was subjected to in humane punishment. In 1990 when Mandela finally attained his freedom he led the African National Congress to end discrimination of race and established a multiracial government "Government of National Unity". He was known for devoting himself to peace and social justice. Improving race relations, discouraging blacks from retaliating against the white minority and building a new international image of a united South Africa which were central to President Mandela's agenda.

People are beyond what the are recognised to be, they are more than what meets the eye and have accomplished many great things such as the first Australian female in position in the Labor Party and the 27th Prime Minister. Women can work too and can also be a mother who works at home and takes care of the kids; same applies for men. We today are influenced through Nelson Mandela to get along and respect each other not for our race but for who we are. The need of discrimination starts with you.