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Maritza Leon Cartagena

Mrs. Watkins
Comp II TR 10:30am
April 19, 2016
The Great Divide: Gender Inequality
Is gender inequality a problem in 2016? If gender inequality is a problem of today, is
there a solution? Gender inequality has been a problem since the beginning of time. As time
passed, women have had to step up for themselves. They have fought for their right to be
respected and to be equal. Equality affects everyone at work, role in the house and social life.
The restrictions society place on people are affecting how countries work. Gender inequality
takes place all over the world. On one hand, Feminism is used as a way to judge women for
defending their rights. On the other hand, Masculinity is how men feel about their role and
superiority over women. There are different places where gender inequality is seen, such as:at
work, salary, education and freedom of expression. I believe that inequality has a solution, but
first society has to accept that there is a problem.
There are many forms of inequality such as gender, race, income, and social classes.
However, gender inequality has the longest history. Shaw Dorius explains that gender inequality
is has the longed lasting inequality in history, and the most difficult to address. This type of
inequality is a problem and should be properly defined. Dorius, a professor at the University of
Michigan, writes that gender inequality exists when men (or women) enjoy a disproportionately
large share of some valued good such as political power or long life (1). When either side
obtains the power, the other side becomes less valuable. Societys perspective is that every
person that achieves a higher position has the responsibility of leading those below them. In
gender inequality the same argument can be made. Gender inequality has been decreasing over
the years but has not disappeared completely. As Dorius explained in his journal, The biggest
success story for women involves tertiary education where, by the year 2000, women had

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eliminated the gap in post-secondary educational enrollments (1952). Now there are about the
same number of women as men continuing their education after high school. Society has
previously held the view that women were not supposed to be educated because that will make
them equal to men. Heroic women changed the future by fighting for their rights. Now women
have the ability to earn the same education in order to do the same work as men. Even still,
society does not always accept this change and in their eyes, women are still less capable. Some
people disputes that this is due to abuse in their homes and because the women do not stand up
for themselves. Others argue that is because women are oppressed in and out of the home all
over the world, but there can be a solution. Humanity still has old views, and they are unwilling
to change them. This problem has been the most significant because changing the worlds beliefs
is full of tremendous difficulty for the government and for each gender.
Often, gender inequality has taken place at home when it comes to gender roles. Home is
a place of refuge, learning, and responsibilities, but sometimes holds the greatest example of
inequality. A history of gendered labor has resulted in men and women having similar
expectations for gender roles (i.e., that men should be the breadwinner and women should take
care of the household) (Fetterolf, 221). Gender role at home is the starting point of gender
inequality. The amount of income each member brings to the house determines the amount of
domestic work the each income provider has to do. Fetterolf the author of Gender Inequality in
the Home: The Role of Relative Income, Support for Traditional Gender Roles, and Perceived
Entitlement journal explains that Women who made less or the same as their spouses were
more likely to believe that women should be responsible for the housework and childcare, and
these beliefs accounted for their increased domestic labor (233). Gender inequality in the house
is a way to maintain women as the house workers and obligates them to be more dedicated to
their husband. It is oppressive that the higher position are held by men, and had they determine if

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women should be equal or not. Men always argue that they are not responsible for this problem,
yet they have the option to make a change and they do nothing about this problem. Women are
trying to make changes but have not yet overcome this barrier.
Correspondingly, gender inequality in the workplace has been a non-ending dilemma
throughout the years. Gordon Gauchat from the University North Carolina at Chapel Hill, states
that during the 1970, women earned less than 60 percent of what they earned (Gauchat). He then
states, that there has been a continuous rise in the gender earnings percentage until the 2000s.
Some people argue that wage inequality stems from the fact that women are weaker than men
which makes them unable to work in the same places. Others believe that outside work is for the
man and women should stay at home and take care of the house. Women have the same rights to
work wherever they choose. Klugman, author of Persistent Gender Inequality in the World,
journal argues that in earnings, men tend to prevail in jobs such as: manufacturing, construction,
transport, and communications, while women are more likely to work jobs in the fields of:
education, health, and social work. As an American society in this period of time, more women
are integrating into jobs that were viewed as men jobs. In other countries the same segregation
and inequality between men and women is still present. The biggest problem with this inequality
is that it creates a barrier in the minds of others. Occupational segregation is defined as the
systematic concentration of groups of workers (e.g., women, people of color) in particular jobs
(Gauchat, 720). Occupational segregation is a humongous contributor to this segregation. It is
affecting people who have the skills for the job, because they do not look capable or fit the
expectations of an ideal worker. A continuous reminder of this inequality is the way each gender
is paid. Jeni Klugman, the Director of Gender and Development at the World Bank Group,
argues that Women consistently earn less than men for doing the same jobs, with no country

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achieving gender parity on this issue (139). If they do the same job, they should get paid the
same regardless of their gender.
Society sees women fight for their right as feminism, and not as way to be equal.
However, believing in equality is the way for women to show that they are capable of
everything. Actress Emma Watson said Feminism by definition is the belief that men and
women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and
social equality of the sexes (Cole). If this was the widely-held definition for feminism then
everyone would be a feminist. Unfortunately, the world has a negative view of feminism. In
Coles, Full Transcript of Emma Watsons Speech, Cole explains how Watson argues that,
both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to
be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing
ideals. If we stop defining each other by what we are not, and start defining ourselves by who we
are, we can all be freer. Society is a slave to the belief that women do not have a right to keep
their individualism and own opinions. Men are also oppressed by the role that society has input
them in. Ashley Crossman, sociology expert, explains that Liberal feminists argue that women
have the same capacity as men for moral reasoning and agency, but that patriarchy, particularly
the sexist patterning of the division of labor, has historically denied women the opportunity to
express and practice this reasoning (4).When it comes to work, the higher positions are typically
held by men. Women are usually rejected for these types of job due to their gender.
Gender inequality affects all of us. Men, as well as women, are also treated unequally in
certain situations. The expectation that men are stronger creates barriers for them. As men, they
are required to not show emotion and to lead their household to prove their masculinity. In the
Full Transcript of Emma Watsons Speech, it is illustrated that she says,
I want men to take up this mantle so that their daughters, sisters, and mothers can be
free from prejudice, but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too,

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reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned, and in doing so, be a truer and complete
version of themselves (Cole).
Peoples actions in this world determine who they are and what they will become. The
judgement society puts on each person is affecting each and every one of their futures. Inequality
is taking away opportunities from people, leaving many families unhappy. The world is
forgetting that by enforcing inequality, their own families are suffering from it.
The ideal of masculinity hurts women economically too, by casting us as the weaker,
less valuable counterparts to men, which serves to justify the gender pay gap. It bars us from
access to higher education and jobs, by framing us as less worthy of the time and consideration
of those in positions of power (Cole).
Families could become wealthier by eliminating this mentality and producing more
equal opportunities. Women are held back which makes the amount of money provided in the
house to be held back too. Nicki Lisa Cole, author of The Dangerous Cocktail of Masculinity
and Rejection journal, explains that masculinity is the view of a male dominating a women
(Cole). Then she argues that, If a male fails to demonstrate this relationship to females, he fails
to achieve what is considered a normative, and preferred masculine identity (Cole, 3). The
thought of what society believes of each other, take an impacts on the action and decisions we
take. Inequality is not limited to gender, it is also prevalent in the LGBTQ community. Because
society has judged these people they are unable to be free and to be whom they want to be.
Chauvinism is a way of discrimination and inequality toward society in which men are
viewed as superior, and women are less. It is a way of manipulation to control women and also
homosexuals. Chauvinism is a tool used to keep the minority under the apparent superiors
control even if that includes aggression from the superiors. Weaver conducted an experiment in
where he found that the links between masculinity threats and two kinds of beliefs that

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functionally justify and maintain existing social inequality: acceptance of group-based inequality
and denial of others experiences of discrimination (523). Chauvinism has not only been toward
women but as recent time homosexuals too. Threats to a mans masculine status have been
found to affect aggression and negative attitudes toward gay men and women, who both embody
the characteristics that men are expected to reject (Weaver, 532). This type of behavior in men
and women are an offense towards the ones that believe in chauvinism. Men are not accepted in
society because they are different or have different sexual orientation. Men that are homosexuals
are viewed as a bad image of the male population. Weaver author of The Justification of Social
Inequality in Response to Masculinity Threats, argues that Men are required to constantly
prove that they embody the core components of masculinity (522). In some countries men are
put through test to prove their masculinity, starting when they are boys. Weaver and his team
suggest that men may respond to masculinity threats by attempting to regain their status as good
men in ways that justify, reinforce, and maintain social inequalities(523).The belief of
chauvinism is a way to enforce people to keep social inequality around the world. This belief is a
mental block for equality.
However, Gender Equality has been difficult to accomplish because finding a solution to
this problem is complicated for the government and societies ideologies. To accomplish equality
we should first accept that we are all equal. Gender equality in the world of work does not
suggest that all women should participate in the workforce instead of staying home to take care
of the house, children, or elderly family members. Rather, it signifies that women and men
should have an equal range of choices (Klugman, 134). Accomplishing equality at work,
women do not need to be the strongest independent women but the most intelligent and open
minded. When it comes to the work place, accepting that everyone is equal will permit us to
work together and keep the world going forward. Overcoming gender inequality involves

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understanding local contexts and developing bold, coordinated actions to address multiple
constraints.(Klugman, 145). Changing the mindset is what will determine whether society
makes these changes and rids the world of gender inequality. It can help remove constraints
faced by women employees and entrepreneurs in two ways: by improving working conditions
and access to job opportunities within firms and by helping women entrepreneurs grow their
business and gain access to financial services.(Klugman, 147). Inequality can increase even
more if, women are paid equally as men and are placed in good work conditions. When
performing these changes, they would feel confident making it one step closer to equality.
All the problems of gender inequality in society have a solution. This is a global problem
that has to be resolved if we want to achieve peace and freedom for all people. Social inequality
takes place in our everyday life. It has been a problem for many years and has never been
resolved. It time to open our eyes and drive to a better future. Gender inequality will only drive
society to a dark and unhappy places. The world should open their arms to a new modern future.
Solving this problem will get the world to keep going forward and achieve success. The only
way to solve any problem is believing in the solution. It is a hard problem to solve but if we all
come together, it can be achieved. Lets change the old ideology to the modern one. The past has
mark societies life to certain extreme that now, they are not capable to see what right and wrong
means.

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Work cited
Cole, Nicki Lisa. "Full Transcript of Emma Watson's Speech on Gender Equality at the UN."
About.comEducation.AboutEducation,25Sept.2015.Web.6Apr.2016.
http://sociology.about.com/od/Current-Events-in-Sociological-Context/fl/Full-Transcriptof-Emma-Watsons-Speech-on-Gender-Equality-at-the-UN.htm
Crossman, Ashley. "Understanding Feminist Sociology." About.com

Education. About

Education, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

<http://sociology.about.com/od/Sociological-Theory/a/Feminist-Theory.htm>.
Dorius, Shaw F., and Glenn Firebaugh. "Trends in Global Gender Inequality." Project MUSE.
The University of North Carolina Press, July 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
< https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/social_forces/v088/88.5.dorius.html>
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Relative Income, Support Fo." R Traditional Gender Roles, and Perceived Entitlement.
Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014, 9 Aug. 2014. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
<http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12147-014-9126-x>.
Gauchat, Gordon, Maura Kelly, and Michael Wallace. "Occupational Gender Segregation,
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N.p., Oct. 210. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
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Klugman, Jeni,Henriette Kolb, and Matthew Morton. "Persistent Gender Inequality in the World
of Work." The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs 38.2 (2014): 133-52.ProQuest. 5 Apr.2016
<http://argo.library.okstate.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1565808435?
accountid=4117>

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Weaver, Kevin S., and Theresa K. Vescio. "The Justification of Social Inequality in Response to
Masculinity Threats." Springer Links. N.p., 30 May 2015. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
<http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-015-0484-y/fulltext.html>.