‘Gender Equality Remains a Distant Dream.’ What Is Your View?

‘Gender equality remains a distant dream.’ What is your view?

Since the first feminist movement of the nineteenth century through early twentieth century, gender inequality as an ineradicable problem has been exposed to the limelight of the public. Women suffered sexual discrimination until the so-called ‘feminism’ came into being. Nowadays, feminism has been running for over one century, and incontestably, it does have resulted in change of social status of women to some extents, leading people to believe that gender equality is no longer a distant dream. However, does it really mean that? It is still present that in some less developed regions, women are still treated discriminately. To my perspective, gender equality still remains far away from us as besides focusing on equal rights shared between the two genders, it is also a spirit in mind. Lacking of education, social culture and traditional stereotypes of genders are all obstacles in the way that make gender equality a distant dream.

In less educated areas, while women suffer countless disadvantages compares to men, health remains the cruelest of all inequalities. In sub-Saharan Africa, reproductive rights of women in these regions are also threatened. Each year, approximated eighty million unintended pregnancies occur and about thirteen percent of the deaths that women suffer are due to unsafe abortion. Women in these regions are less educated and they lack the ideas of protecting themselves from such kinds of violence. According to a survey in Zambia, only about eleven percent of women thought they have the right to ask their husbands to use precaution to prevent such unintended pregnancies. Lack of education, women under such conditions would not like to stand up and fight for their own rights, as in the male-dominated world, the concepts inculcated to them are to be obedient to their husbands. Even though nowadays, related associations have been aware of this situation and sent volunteers to help improve this situation, a much longer time must have past before their rights could be guaranteed.

Although education and level of development take important roles to ensure equal rights between males and females, in more developed countries, like Japan, there are also obstacles in the way to achieve gender equality. In Japan, machismo of the male gender remains a dangerous sign. Japanese women are required by their husband to drop their jobs once married. Because of the working culture in Japan, it is rather difficult for females to maintain both her job and family. Although they could enjoy the social benefits as well, it does not truly worth it as at the same time they are deprived of the rights to choose their own lives and this is unfair. Gender equality is hard to achieve in such a culture, but it is even more difficult to change the culture of the whole society in order to achieve gender equality as culture remaining as part of the country’s identity has long been accepted by the public and inveterate in its people’s minds.

The old stereotypes of genders maintain that men favor the hard power of command; hence most people would like to describe leadership in traditionally male term. This will then put females at an inferior position when competing with males for higher position in a job. Although there are several famous ladies like Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton that successfully step on to the global stage with brilliant status that make many males to covet, they suffered more than what we can imagine. Women have to adopt a stereotypically ‘masculine’ style if they want to be successful leaders, for example, Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady of British politics. Their status as women is not accepted by their leadership position, then how could we say that females have gained equality with males?

What really counts is equality in rights, reputation, etc. Only when all the individuals value the spirit of being equal can woman really enjoy equality with men. Feminist movement is first brave step by women in their way toward final equality between the two genders. The awareness of the whole society will definitely push us further and get closer to out final destination. Although it is not easy to realize our dream in a short period, I believe, one day, we could finally enjoy the true equality between women and men.