Gender equality
This topic reveals what gender equality means and how gender roles are projected to our social reality
What causes gender inequality
Story
(Inspired by the text A Room of Her Own - V. Woolf)
Little Will Shakespeare has a sister Wilma – the twin. They are equally talented, both love books and are also trying to write.
While the parents encourage Will, he can daydream, think and write all day long, Wilma is told to focus more on her duties (who has ever seen a girl just sitting around and scribbling?)
Wilma must help – has household duties, must learn how to be a good wife and mother.
Will dreams in his room and tries rhymes. Wilma has no room, no time to test what she knows.
She just secretly writes something on paper slips, but it is taken away by the morning breeze.
They both have talents, desires and dreams. But only one of them has an opportunity for fulfilment.
The causes of gender inequality are perceptions of masculinity and femininity, which confine individuals to restrictive borders and create a basis for an imbalance of power – different values for male and female.
For example, in our (western) society masculinity is associated with power and rationality, therefore, on the labour market, in politics, in science or anywhere where power and rationality determine value, women are perceived as less suitable or even less valuable. On the other hand, femininity is associated more with emotionality, care and dedication, which means that men are perceived as 'second-class' parents. The impression prevails that fathers are not equally well able to take care of a child, as mothers. Structures that produce such perceptions are Gender roles, norms and stereotypes.
More about what gender role, gender norms and gender stereotypes are in: Annex 3