Gender Equality, Discrimination, and Issues: Contemporary Challenges

This article discusses the contemporary challenges of gender equality, discrimination, and issues. It explores the factors responsible for gender inequality, such as illiteracy, child marriage, and lack of legal protection. It also examines the types of gender inequality, including inequality in family, natality inequality, professional or employment inequality, ownership inequality, and household inequality. The article highlights the effects of gender discrimination on mental health, physical health, and overall well-being. Additionally, it discusses the sustainable development goals aimed at addressing these challenges.

Gender Equality, Gender
Discrimination, Gender Issues:
Contemporary Challenges
Prepared by
Dr. Khwairakpam Sharmila
Assistant Professor
Dept. of HDFS

Gender Equality
 The view that both men and women should receive equal treatment and
not be discriminated against based on their gender.
 Also known as sex equality , gender equalitarianism, sexual equality or
equality of the genders.
 The process of being fair to women and men.
 Requires equal enjoyment by women and men of socially valued- goods,
opportunities, resources and rewards.
 It doesn’t mean men and women being the same.

Cont…..

Factors
responsible
Illiteracy
Child
marriage
Social evil
Job
segration
Unemployment
Lack of
bodily
autonomy
Discriminatio
n against the
girls child
Lack of
legal
protection
Poor
medical
care
Factors responsible
for Gender In-
equality

Factors responsible for gender inequality
Illiteracy
Illiteracy is one of the factors responsible for gender inequality. According to 2011 census
of India., the literacy level in India is 74.04% in which the male literacy level is 82.14%
and female literacy level is only 65.46%.
Child Marriage
Children specially the girls are married at a very young age. This proves fatal for their
overall development and have a negative impact on their health, too.
Social evils
Social evils like dowry system, sati system, are also responsible for the low status of
women.
Discrimination against the girl child
The girl child is not treated properly in the family. People still prefer the birth of a boy
rather than a girl. The girl child is basically trained for household work only. Even today,
female infanticide is a common social evil.

Cont.
Lack of employment equality
The current global labor force participation rate for women is close to 49%. For men, it’s
75%. That’s a difference of 26 percentage points, with some regions facing a gap of more
than 50 percentage points.
Job segregation
One of the causes for gender inequality within employment is the division of jobs. In most
societies, there’s an inherent belief that men are simply better equipped to handle certain
jobs. Most of the time, those are the jobs that pay the best. This discrimination results in
lower income for women.
Lack of legal protections
In many countries, there’s also a lack of legal protections against harassment in the
workplace, at school, and in public. These places become unsafe and without protection,
women frequently have to make decisions that compromise and limit their goals.

Cont….
Lack of bodily autonomy
According to the WHO, over 200 million women who don’t want to get pregnant are not
using contraception. There are various reasons for this such as a lack of options, limited
access, and cultural/religious opposition. On a global scale, about 40% of pregnancies are
not planned and while 50% of them do end in abortion, 38% result in births. These mothers
often become financially dependent on another person or the state, losing their freedom.
Poor medical care
women receive lower-quality medical care than men. This is linked to other gender
inequality reasons such as a lack of education and job opportunities, which results in more
women being in poverty. They are less likely to be able to afford good healthcare.

Types of Gender Inequality
There are many kinds of gender inequality or gender disparity which are as follows: Inequality in Family Natality inequality Professional or Employment inequality Ownership inequality Household inequality

Inequality in Family The divorce proceedings have been equal for men and women since 1976. Divorce by
mutual consent is legal but in reality, any woman who initiates a divorce is condemned
by the public opinion. For that reason, divorces are very rare. The old Hindu traditions favored men in matters of inheritance: only sons – not
daughters - could inherit their parents. After independence, however, these traditions
were abolished by law. But in the North, nothing has really changed and women are still
deprived of inheritance.

Natality inequality
In this type of inequality a preference is given for boys over girls that many male-
dominated societies have, gender inequality can manifest itself in the form of the
parents wanting the newborn to be a boy rather than a girl. There was a time when
this could be no more than a wish (a daydream or a nightmare, depending on one's
perspective), but with the availability of modern techniques to determine the
gender of the fetus, sex-selective abortion has become common in many countries.
It is particularly prevalent in East Asia, in China and South Korea in particular, but
also in Singapore and Taiwan, and it is beginning to emerge as a statistically
significant phenomenon in India and South Asia as well.

Professional or Employment inequality
In terms of employment as well as promotion
in work and occupation, women often face
greater handicap than men. A country like
Japan and India may be quite egalitarian in
matters of demography or basic facilities, and
even, to a great extent, in higher education,
and yet progress to elevated levels of
employment and occupation seems to be
much more problematic for women than for
men. The example includes unequal pay at
work, unpaid care work.

Ownership inequality
In many societies the ownership of property can also be very
unequal. Even basic assets such as homes and land may be very
asymmetrically shared. The absence of claims to property can not
only reduce the voice of women, but also make it harder for women
to enter and flourish in commercial, economic and even some social
activities. This type of inequality has existed in most parts of the
world, though there are also local variations.

Household Inequality
It is, quite common in many societies to take it for granted that while men will naturally
work outside the home, women could do it if and only if they could combine it with
various inescapable and unequally shared household duties. This is sometimes called
"division of labor," though women could be forgiven for seeing it as "accumulation of
labor.“
The reach of this inequality includes not only unequal relations within the family, but
also derivative inequalities in employment and recognition in the outside world. Also,
the established fixity of this type of "division" or "accumulation" of labor can also have
far-reaching effects on the knowledge and understanding of different types of work in
professional circles.

Gender Discrimination In Indian Society In India, discriminatory attitude towards men and women have existed for
generations and effect the lives of both genders. Although the constitution of
India has granted men and women equal rights, gender disparity still remains. Gender discrimination violates human rights. These are mostly seen in family land sharing among sisters and brothers. Everyday, women and girls around the world face violence and discrimination. 1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime,
regardless of age, background or country, and every country in the world has
laws that treat women and girls as second-class citizens. Sexual exploitation, violence, harmful cultural practices and systemic
inequalities violate their human rights and prevent them from reaching their
potential

Discrimination Where ?
In the workplace
Deciding not to hire or promote someone, treating
employees differently, or paying them less based on their
gender are all examples of workplace discrimination.
In schools
Preventing or discouraging girls and young women
from participating in traditionally male-dominated fields,
such as science, math, and sports, is an example of
gender discrimination. Schools may also enforce
gendered dress codes, punish those who do not conform
to gender norms, or fail to punish bad behavior on the
basis that “Boys will be boys.”

Cont….
In public
Sexual harassment and catcalling are unwanted, and they are forms of discrimination. These
behaviors can make people feel unsafe, and they can restrict how people use public spaces.
This limits a person’s freedom.
In institutions
Organizations, governments, and legal and healthcare systems can enact policies that
discriminate against certain genders, either intentionally or unintentionally.
In relationships
People who prevent their partners from doing things on the basis of their gender are also
acting in a discriminatory way. This might include stopping women from working, managing
their money, and driving.

Effect of Gender Discrimination
Depression
Anxiety
PTSD
Eating Disorder
Illness
Low self stream
Poor Health
Injury and death
Suicide
Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder
Women are also 1.5 times
more likely to attempt
suicide than men.
Effect of Gender
Discrimination

Gender Issues
Gender
Issues
Unequal
education
Child sex
Ratio
Unequal
Pay
Sexual
harassment
Racism
Less
Promotion
Health
Nutrition
Violence
Gender issues include all
aspects and concerns
related to women’s and
men’s lives and situation
in society, to the way they
interrelate, their
differences in access to
and use of resources, their
activities, and how they
react to changes,
interventions and policies.

Unequal Education
India’s education landscape is extremely unequal. These inequalities manifest themselves
in the form of differences based on caste, class and in some case of gender.
Achievement, earnings, health status, and political participation also contribute to
educational inequality within the United States and other countries.
Child sex Ratio
The Child Sex Ratio is defined as the number of females per 1000 males in the age group
0–6 years.
As per Census 2011, the Gender ratio of India is 943 females per 1000 males. There are
949 females to 1000 men in rural areas, while in an urban area, there are 929 females to
1000 males.

Unequal pay
Gender pay gap in India refers to the difference in
earnings between women and men in the paid
employment and labor market.
The Indian Constitution recognized the principle
of 'Equal Pay for Equal Work' for both men and
women, and 'Right to Work' through Article 39(d)
and 41.
Racism
Races are the physical qualities that one inherits
biologically and serves as a way of self-
identification from the other groups. Racism is a
theory that one race is superior that the other
based on the physical attributes, caste, creed,
ethnicity or origin.
ARTICLE 15(1) says that there should be no
discrimination on the grounds of religion, race,
caste, sex or place of birth

Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment involves inappropriate promises,
rewards in exchange for sexual favors or
unwelcome sexual behavior that is offensive,
humiliating, or intimidating, or use of explicit or
implicit sexual overtones, etc. A woman is sexually
harassed every twelve minutes.
Harmonizing our Indian law, sexual harassment
violates the fundamental right of gender equality
and life with dignity under Article 14 and Article 21
of the Indian Constitution respectively.
Less Promoted
85% of Indian women say they have missed out on
a raise, promotion or work offer because of their
gender. This is markedly higher than the region’s
average of 60%.

Health
Indian women have high mortality rates, particularly during childhood and in their productive
years. The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in society. The women
in India belong to various socio-economic backgrounds and are sometimes marginalized or
neglected when it comes to basic healthcare.
Nutrition
In India and in South Asia, gender discrimination is one of the most significant
underlying factors for poor nutrition. Poverty that itself underlies conditions like limited
ability to access nutritious food, limited time and control over time and access to
sanitation are important determinants.
Violence
Violence occurs in about 35 per cent of women globally in their lifetime. on about 10000
women, 26 per cent reported having experienced physical violence from spouses
during their lifetime. The prevalence could be as high as 45 per cent as indicated by data
from Uttar Pradesh.

STATISTICAL DATA OF GENDER ISSUES
INDIA

Contemporary Challenges of Gender
equality, Discrimination, Issues Poverty Gender based Violence Family Violence Lack of Girls Friendly school environment Child Marriage & Early Pregnancy Body Shaming killing girl in fetus Psychological violence Physical violence Verbal violence Unequal seats (Only 33% seats reserve for women in politics)

Sustainable
Development
Goal to
overcome
these
problems

References
• https://twitter.com/oxfamindia/status/926016030891130880
• https://iesl.lk/SLEN/48/SDG5.php
• https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/gender-equality-
sdg-5/
• https://www.sonata-software.com/sustainability/gender-equality
• https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/causes-gender-inequality/
• https://www.slideshare.net/ShubhamGupta128/gender-inequality-
28198656?next_slideshow=2
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/effects-of-gender-
discrimination#effects-on-healthcare
• https://statisticstimes.com/demographics/country/india-sex-ratio.php
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4216486/#:~:text=Violence%
20occurs%20in%20about%2035,data%20from%20Uttar%20Pradesh3.