Gender equality
This topic reveals what gender equality means and how gender roles are projected to our social reality
What causes gender inequality
Masculinity and Femininity are not perceived equally in western society.
The disparagement of one sex (more often women) or rejecting anything other than stereotypical perceptions of masculinity and femininity is called sexism.
Just like racism, sexism is also the manifestation of intolerance. However, while racism means the disparaging of people because of their race or ethnicity, sexism means the disparaging of people because of their sex.
The inequivalence of masculinity and femininity may not be declared directly. More often, masculinity is equated with humanity – it represents a human standard and femininity is derived from it, or supplementary to it. If we look at books, we find that images depicting humans are those of men. They are the main representatives of humanity (in addition to that they are white men, healthy ones - we do not find men with glasses, if they represent human beings in general).
Traditional Gender Stereotypes
| Feminine | Masculine |
|---|---|
| Not aggressive. Dependent. Easily influenced. Submissive. Passive. Home-oriented. Easily hurt emotionally. Indecisive. Talkative. Gentle. Sensitive to others' feelings. Very desirous of security. Cries a lot. Emotional. Verbal. Kind. Tactful. Nurturing. |
Aggressive. Independent. Not easily influenced. Dominant. Active. Worldly. Not easily hurt emotionally. Decisive. Not at all talkative. Tough. Less sensitive to others' feelings. Not very desirous of security. Rarely cries. Logical. Analytical. Cruel. Blunt. Not nurturing. |
Strictly defined and restrictive expectations and norms in relation to Gender form the basis for Gender discrimination, but the stereotypes themselves also contain it - assume and necessarily require it. They confine men and women within boundaries, restricting the choices of freedom of self-realization, development of individual interests and abilities. Without the loosening up of these boundaries, the emphasis on individual development is not possible.
For comparison children´s uncensored statements about what is "typically male" and "typically female" may also provide an example:
| Girls’ statements: | Boys’ statements: | |
|---|---|---|
| (14 years old) |
Woman - elegance, dignity, sensitivity, skills Man – pugnacity (aggression), dynamism, gumption |
|
| (13 years old) |
Man – Macho, swollen head Woman - dedication, gossiping |
Typical for a man to sleep with a woman and when the woman finds out she is pregnant after some time and tells the man, he walks out and goes to another one! For a woman it is typical to seduce a man and when she finds out she is pregnant, she accuses the man of it. |
| (12 years old) |
Women – mostly clean up mess and cook. Do household chores. Men – earn money, go to work, repair the car, repair things at home, watch TV, drink beer and read newspapers. |
|
| (11 years old) |
Man - sits in the pub, reads newspapers, watches TV Woman - cooks, washes clothes, squawks, gives birth |
Sources
Bosá, 2002
Questions to reflect on
- Think about what the girls and boys, in what you have read, accuse their spouses and partners of?
- How can one build an equivalent relationship based on partnership?
- How will they participate in decision-making in their relationships?
- What are the risks to the relationship which may arise from such notions of femininity and masculinity?
- What would you, if you were a partner consultant or advisor, consult a couple who is facing a crisis and a partner presents similar views in the sessions?