Gender Inequality In The Kite Runner

The year is 2016 and while there is much to celebrate, there is still a significant difference in the way that men and women are treated. Good afternoon Ms Del Corso and class, the issue of gender inequality is one for which I am passionate and my hope is that through this presentation it becomes one which will be discussed with more rigour so that justice can prevail. In The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini, it is obvious that the vast majority of male characters are treated with respect because of their gender but this sexism is also apparent in our modern world due to issues such as the gender pay gap and the way women are perceived in the media.

Within the pages of The Kite Runner, the reader is given an insight to the life of
Known as the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, the active members of the department were given authority to viciously punish those who did not follow their rules. One victim who experienced this abuse of power was Hassan’s wife as she was unnecessarily beaten in public for raising her voice. Despite the crime she supposedly committed, Farzana was ruthlessly regarded as nothing of importance and deemed unworthy of being treated as a human being. Furthermore, her husband was unable to assist her for fear of being punished and said, “If I fought, that dog would have surely put a bullet in me, and gladly!” [1: page 200]. Through this particular scene, Hosseini exposes the reader to the idea of gender inequality and how it affects both women and men. Another example of this injustice that is present in the novel is the prejudice to which Soraya is subjected. When Amir expresses his interest in wanting to marry Soraya he experiences firsthand just how poisonous gossip is within his community. Despite the event that caused Soraya to lose value as a potential wife being resolved years ago, she is still reminded and
Despite the pay gap being a worldwide issue, it is still painfully ignored by those in leadership, meaning that the problem is not dealt with and thus women are not considered equal to men in the work place. According to the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency, the gender pay gap is a combination of the influences of “interrelated work, family and societal factors, including stereotypes about the work women and men ‘should’ do, and the way women and men ‘should’ engage in the workforce” [4]. For a country that is supposed to be “young and free” [5] as its National Anthem suggests, why is it that stereotypes of women and men influence how much money each gender earns? It is clear that Australian women are not free from this injustice. Perhaps another reason why the gender pay gap exists in modern society is because it is a consequence of the discrimination against women that occurred throughout history. An example of this discrimination is the law that prohibited women from voting, proving that their opinion was not important, especially considering the fact that during this time women were considered the property of their fathers or husbands. During the 1900’s a group named The Suffragettes [6] yearned for the right to vote as it would open a door to more opportunities for women, and therefore