How Equal Are We Really?

Equality is a topic which never quite seems to be resolved, and despite many improvements throughout the last centuries, there still appears to be many gender equality issues. So equal are we really?

It is true that many things have indeed changed and today, women are treated much like men. An increasing number of women now continue their education and pursue successful careers; in fact, women outnumber men at university and they consistently achieve more during lower school.

Furthermore, women are also beginning to have a larger role in more important positions and are gaining influence on society. Much of this would have been unimaginable just a hundred years ago, where we could not even vote. Things have advanced greatly, so why are people still unsatisfied?

Though women now have access to the same education, they are more likely than men to abandon their careers once they have become parents. Furthermore they are still a minority in certain areas which continue to be male dominated, such as politics, law and medicine, where a woman is more likely to become a nurse than a surgeon, though these statistics are slowly shifting.

On top of this, it is believed that as the percentage of females increases in certain fields, the prestige of the job decreases and becomes less valued. Even though women are just as qualified for the job, their gender means that the position is seen as less important or challenging. Women also continue to fight for equal salaries, even in countries like Switzerland.

Developed countries are still facing these types of issues, but in certain parts of the world things are worse still. Poverty may mean that parents will not be able to afford schooling for all their children, and stories about boys being sent to school instead of the girls are not uncommon. We have also heard of the brutal crimes committed against girls who refuse to give up their education, making it not that surprising that people feel the need to protest for their rights.

We live in a place where gender equality is progressing, yet there are still many problems that have yet to be tackled. Despite everything, women do not always receive the same pay, the same jobs and are much more likely to stay at home once they have children. In other parts of the world, women are still not treated equally and continue fighting for their rights on a daily basis. This is why we are not completely satisfied.