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Impacts of Gender Inequality in Societies

Jennifer Lopez

AP Literature

Mr. Janosch

November 28, 2017

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“The gender pay gap knows no borders, so whether you’re a farmer in Kenya or an

actress in Hollywood, it’s likely you’ll only be paid two-thirds as much as your male counterpart

(womankind.org)”.​Throughout time, many ideas and traditions have changed, or evolved.

However, an idea that is still around till today since the beginning of time, is the idea that

genders must be treated differently. That women and men cannot be equal no matter what. This

idea exists all around the world in many societies. Gender inequality has brought a significant

impact upon many societies, affecting both men and women, today some societies are acting on

it, fighting for a world full of equality.

Gender inequality is the idea that women and men aren't treated equally. It can be most

viewed in differences of power, prestige, and status men and women each hold. Some examples

of gender inequality are the pay gap that exists between men and women, gender roles, and

raising boys and girls differently. Being treated different on whether one was born male or

female has always existed, though now more people are becoming aware of it and speaking out

on it.

The impacts of gender inequality in societies are many. For example, in American society

we can clearly see the impact of gender inequality in how women and men are perceived.

Women are usually perceived as the weaker gender, while men are looked at as the stronger

gender. This has created what is known today as gender roles. A gender role is “​a set of societal

norms dictating the types of behaviors which are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or

desirable f​or people based on their actual or perceived sex or sexuality (Google definition)”.

Gender inequality has created these gender roles in our societies which tend to affect us

negatively. For example in the article “Gender Roles in American Society”, written by Pitlane
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Magazine it states, “Women in America usually still fulfill the role of “homemaker.” The woman

is still regarded as the caretaker of children, the party responsible for meals and cleanliness and

the nurturer...Conversely, American men still enjoy considerable power and affluence in society.

They hold the highest paying and most prestigious jobs and are regarded as the primary

providers and sustainers of the family.” This shows obvious inequality between men and women,

women are to be in charge of the house and children while men are in charge of the income and

occupy better and higher paying jobs than women do. Gender roles such as, women being in

charge of the house and men in charge of the economic stability of their family is a major effect

of gender inequality in our society.

Another effect that gender inequality has had in our society shortly mentioned before is

that men hold better paying and more prestigious jobs than women do. This is further discussed

in the article titled, “America is Falling Behind Other Countries in Gender Equality”, in which it

states, “ Globally, women hold on average only 24% of the ministerial positions that men hold,

and only 27% of the parliamentary ​positions (S​aadia Zahidi​)”​ this shows how women make up

less than half of ministerial and parliamentary positions. Also, in the same article it states,

“women do not make it into senior, higher paid roles in the same proportion, with only 43%

making it into legislator, senior official and manager positions. (S​aadia Zahidi​)”. This shows that

only 43% of women make it to higher paying positions. Social inequality has created a gap

between what women and men can accomplish in the workplace, creating it more difficult for

women to reach positions or higher salaries that men already have.

Gender inequality is alive in many societies, one of many societies affected are Asian

societies. In these societies like in many others, women are looked at as less than men, this puts
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women at a lower level in which they are exposed to violence, arranged marriages, and public

shame​. In “Violence Against Women in Asian Societies: Gender Inequality and Technologies of

Violence”, Sunera Thobani ​describes the unfair treatment that women are subjected to, some

mentioned are, “​violence as a continuum, from teasing to rape to murder; men's coercive

assertion of authority in premarital relationships continuing into married life; and, not

surprisingly, the application of notions of chastity, honour and virtue primarily to women, not

men”. This shows how low women are viewed, and treated in this society, they are abused in

many ways, physically, sexually, and emotionally. In situations like these men are the most

common abusers, abusing women throughout premarital relationships and onto marriage. This is

an example of how active gender ​inequality is in Asian societies, how women are looked at and

treated less than men.

Another example, of gender inequality in Asian societies is in​ the same article by

Sunera Thobani,​ where she speaks about the economic dependency and public shame that forces

women to stay with abusive partners. In the article it states, “The authors find that economic

dependency and family ties keep women in violent relationships; and that fear of the shame

associated with being socially cast as unchaste exposes women to increased violence.”, this

shows how women have little to no chances of being economically independent in these

societies, while men are, which gives women no choice but remaining in violent relationships.

This quote also shows how women who leave their partners are socially casted as “unchaste”,

which exposes them to even more frequent violence in these societies. Social inequality has

impacted Asian societies by creating the idea that women are weak, that they must depend on a

male partner even if it involves remaining in a violent relationship. Due to social inequality,
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women cannot leave violent relationships in these societies, for if they do they are socially casted

leading to more violent acts towards them, this shows that women have no escape of the affects

social inequality has had in their societies.

In most situations dealing with gender inequality women usually receive the short end,

however, gender inequality affects men as well. Men are taught from a very young age that their

gender requires them to be strong, not only physically but emotionally too. This obviously leads

to high expectations on them and problems in which men cannot express themselves and their

feelings. In the article, “STRUGGLING TO BE A REAL MAN: YOUNG PEOPLE’S

PERSPECTIVES OF GENDER INEQUALITY AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE”, written

by Alice Clarfelt, She speaks about the great deal of pressure men face trying to live up to the

standards that societies have created for them in order to be considered “Real” men. For example

in the article it states, “The pressure on men to be financial providers in relationships and

families can also lead to situations of violence. Facing the realities of poverty and

unemployment, many young men experience feelings of disempowerment and frustration.” This

quote explains how men are expected to support their families, and when they can't they become

emotionally frustrated and sometimes even abusive towards others. ​To support this claim,

Clarfelt interviewed a male participant who stated, “You feel useless,​ like you cannot fulfil your

role as a man. That can turn into violence. You get frustrated, you get stressed, and then you can

be very abusive emotionally.” This shows how the expectations put on men by society due to

gender inequality becomes overwhelming to the point where they become emotionally frustrated

and feel disempowered. This shows how social inequality affects men as well causing emotional

frustration that can sometimes even lead to violent behavior. Another way in which men are
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affected by social inequality is that are restricted to expressing themselves or showing any kind

of vulnerability. For example, some topics that are considered taboos for men to talk about are,

“Men are abused by their women partners, but this is not understood to be a reality. In general it

is difficult for men to speak out about sexual and other forms of abuse because the attitude is that

men are tough and invulnerable, and that they do not express their pain o​r suffering (Clarfelt)”.

This shows how physical, emotional, and sexual abuse towards men is disregarded or sometimes

not even spoken of. This effect is due to social inequality, the believe that men are too strong and

tough to show vulnerability even if it involves something major like physical or sexual abuse.

The belief that men must be tough and cannot show vulnerability was created by societies

affected by gender inequality. This effect impacts men massively, as mentioned before because

of this idea that men cannot be hurt or defeated there are many abuses that go unreported. For

example, in the article, “SILENT SUFFERING: SUPPORTING THE MALE SURVIVORS OF

SEXUAL ASSAULT”, the author Kemi Badenoch discusses the many reasons why men do not

report sexual assaults they include, “ fears that their sexuality could become the focus of any

investigation. Also because of its perceived masculine nature, the very act of reporting to the

police is another barrier men have to contend with.”. This shows how society has created it a

taboo for men to talk about abuse towards them even more if it involves sexual abuse. Also, it

states “societal attitudes which question masculinity assume that victims should have been able

to fight off the individual who sexually assaulted them, especially if the perpetrator was

female.(Kemi Badenoch), this shows how societies tends to question a victim's sexuality instead

of focusing on the crime. This effect is caused by social inequality in their societies, the belief

that men cannot be hurt and that they cannot show any kind of vulnerability.
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Although gender inequality still exists today in a large part of the world, some societies

are working hard towards fighting against it .In the U.S, the new generations in its society seem

to become more and more open to female leaders. For example, U.S Congress “has a record

number of women, with 104 female House members and 21 female Senators, including the

chamber's first Latina, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (​Susan Milligan​)” This shows how

newer generations in American society are becoming more open minded and finding ways to

fight gender inequality by selecting female leaders. Another way that societies are fighting

toward a gender equality world is by protesting for equal rights for all genders. For example, in

the article, “Women's Marches Go Global: Postcards From Protests Around The World”, images

of protests fighting for gender equality are shown, these protests occur all over the United States,

and all around the world. This shows how societies are making efforts towards gender equality

and more people are becoming aware of it due to protests.

Those who have improved gender equality in their societies have demonstrated to the

world the positive effects that gender equality creates. For example, in the magazine article,

“Social Responsibilities: Promoting Equality”, it is mentioned that, “​Gender equality is critical

for the development of any country. Removing barriers that prevent women from having the

same access as men to education, economic opportunities and productive inputs have led to

board productivity gains, which are all the more important in a more competitive and globalised

world toda​y(​Infotrac Newsstand).” This proves that gender equality helps increase productivity

in many areas, this helps countries become better competitors and helps their development,

which shows that gender equality impacts societies in many positive ways. Another article that

mentions the benefits of gender equality is “America is falling behind other countries in gender
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equality” written by Saadia Zahidi in which it is mentioned that the positive impacts of gender

equality among societies includes, “ ​First, the “role model” effect, which is felt by both women

and men, changes biases, aspirations and it has been shown that in countries where there are

women in political leadership, economic inequality is low, both between income groups and

between gender”, this shows that when both genders are given the same opportunities, it affects

the society in positive ways, such as inspiring others to succeed and decreasing economic

inequality between gender. These two examples are a few of many ways that gender inequality

causes positive effects among societies.

Gender inequality is the idea that genders must be treated differently. We are exposed to

these differences since birth and while growing up since, social norms dictate that girls and boys

are to be “raised differently”. Gender inequality has affected both men and women since the

beginning of time, and although many ideas have evolved gender inequality remains. Today,

many societies are still affected, the effects on women vary from abusive relationships to

possessing lower pay and less prestigious jobs than men. While men are affected because of the

expectations they are to meet while not being able to show any kind of vulnerability. While more

and more people become aware of gender inequality all around the world, many societies are

making efforts towards a gender equality world. As part of a society we must help raise

awareness about this topic and recognize we still have a long way to go towards a world full of

equality.
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Works Cited

"Social Responsibilities: Promoting Equality." ​ASSOCHAM Bulletin​, 25 Oct. 2017. ​Infotrac

Newsstand​,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=nysl_me_73_shb&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA

511370100&it=r&asid=0a93746d1ec876c6777a463c7ec6b818. Accessed 27 Nov. 2017.

Thobani, Sunera. "Violence Against Women in Asian Societies: Gender Inequality and

Technologies of Violence." ​Pacific Affairs​, vol. 77, no. 2, 2004, p. 308+. ​General

OneFile​,go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=nysl_me_73_shb&v=2.1&id=GA

LE%7CA126076080&it=r&asid=a0ec42a202e478b8100a53012799899a. Accessed 26

Nov. 2017.

Saadia Zahidi, Head of Education, Gender and Work System Initiative, Member of Executive

Committee, World Economic Forum Geneva. “America Is Falling behind Other

Countries in Gender Equality. The next President Must Fix That.” ​World Economic

Forum​, 36 Oct. 2017,

www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/global-gender-gap-2016-usa-saadia-zahidi/.

“Struggling to Be a Real Man: Gender Inequality and Gender-Based Violence | Restless

Development.” ​Restless Development - The Youth Led Development Agency​, 2 Jan. 2015,

restlessdevelopment.org/news/2015/01/02/boys-don-t-cry-how-sexual-based-violence-aff

ects-young-men-in-south-africa.
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Milligan, Susan. “Stepping Through History.” ​U.S. News & World Report​, U.S. News & World

Report, 20 Jan. 2017,

www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-01-20/timeline-the-womens-rights-move

ment-in-the-us.

Dwyer, Colin, et al. “Women's Marches Go Global: Postcards From Protests Around The

World.” ​NPR​, NPR, 21 Jan. 2017,

www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/21/510940708/womens-march-on-washingto

n-goes-worldwide-snapshots-from-around-the-globe.

Badenoch, Kemi. ​Silent Suffering Supporting the Male Survivors of Sexual Assault​. 15 Nov.

2015, glaconservatives.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Silent-Suffering.pdf.

“Pitlane Magazine.” ​Pitlane Magazine RSS​, 2017,

www.pitlanemagazine.com/ethnicity-and-gender/gender-roles-in-american-society.html.