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Females are generally expected to act quiet, respectful, and ‘ladylike’. They must be able to cook, clean, raise children, and have time to serve their families. Decades ago, women weren’t even allowed to work, but thankfully, that has changed in most countries. Some women aren’t allowed to voice their opinions due to their minimalist role in society and are generally oppressed by most of the world.
Because of the increasing influence of social media, women are expected to have perfect, flawless bodies, and are put down when they do not achieve that. This causes much emotional turmoil for women and girls, as they fear that they will not be accepted by the rest of the world if they don’t possess bodies with a photo-shopped level of perfection. It must be understood that all girls are beautiful, no matter their size, weight, height, or color.
Males, on the other hand, are expected to provide for their families, be loud, bold, and aggressive. Society pressures them to always hide and restrict their emotions, which could cause them to lapse into depression and anxiety.
Girls and boys are also raised differently from each other. From a young age, girls grow up with dolls and dresses, while boys grow up with toy cars and action figures. Because of this difference in the raising of boys and girls, many people are unaccepting when boys wear dresses and makeup, or when girls show ‘masculine’ inclinations.
Defeating gender inequality isn’t only for female benefit; it also allows men to show emotion and vulnerability without being held back by the chains of society.
Apart from other elements of gender inequality, women have systemic discrimination built in against them. For example, the wage gap is an endemic issue that has prevailed in society for an extremely long time. Around the world, for every dollar a man earns, the average woman earns only 77 cents. According to experts, the wage gap will only close in 2059. That is almost 40 years from now!
Another issue pertaining to gender inequality is unequal education. Especially in poorer countries, many girls are forbidden to go to school, and are expected to stay at home and help around the house.
All of this leads to high poverty rates for women. In the USA, 56% of those living in poverty are women. Because of the wage gap and unequal education present in society, they are not paid as much as men during adulthood.
Wrapping Up
Gender inequality is one of the worst issues in society today. Leading to violence, poverty, and overall systemic oppression, it is in fact hurting the world’s economy, not to mention the tremendous impact it has on both the mental and physical health of girls and women around the world.
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