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Sex and Gender Inequalities

Introduction

Although there have been significant strides towards sex/gender equality

around the globe, a wide gap remains and could still be widening further. The

progress towards gender equality is measured through factors such as economic

participation, health, educational attainment, and political empowerment. A recent

survey of these factors by the World Economic Forum (WEF) paints a bleak picture

as the gender gap in terms of economic participation and health has actually been

widening instead of improving. The report adds that the gender gap will not be closed

for the next 100 years and the situation is worse for the economic gap which will take

217 years (Hazel 2). The current paper will examine the issue of sex and gender

inequalities based on the aforementioned four factors identified by the WEF.

Analysis of the Issue

Research shows that men are less likely, compared to women, to be living

at or below the poverty line. These differences in poverty and income levels are

caused by gender inequalities in economic participation and opportunities. In different

parts of the world, many women are still economically dependent on men. The

unemployment rate is high among women as compared to women as the latter are

more likely to be working non paying jobs such as taking care of children and the

home. Even when they are employed, women are likely to be working in jobs with

low wages, long working hours, and without social protections. According to UN
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Statistics Division (28), women are paid 70-90% of what men earn around the world.

Different factors explain the economic gap between men and women such as the glass

ceiling, leadership stereotyping, the motherhood penalty, workplace climate, and

discrimination in hiring. According to Blau and Kahn (794), the gains made in

educational attainment and union representation for women are eroded by industry

segregation, which is responsible for 50% of the gender wage gap.

Access to and uptake of contraceptives, family planning, and

reproductive health has improved greatly around the world. However, women still

face adverse health outcomes such as sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted

pregnancies, and unsafe abortions due to lack of decision making power and poor

access to information (UN Statistics Division, 14). In the United States, one of the

most industrialized countries in the world, teen pregnancy is still high, especially

among black and Hispanic teenagers. This shows that there is a discrepancy in access

to information and decision making power in some sections of the society, especially

the less economically empowered. Violence against women is also another factor that

affects their health and survival. It occurs in different forms such as femicide, rape,

domestic violence, and human trafficking. In the United States, 50% of all female

homicides are related to domestic violence. In 35% of the female homicides that are

not related to intimate partner violence can be linked to the individual's friends,

family members, and acquaintances (Hazel et al. 7). Unfortunately, the options are

limited for women who find themselves in violent situations. In addition to economic

dependence, there are too many other barriers for women who wish to escape from

violence, and those who finally seek help cannot get it.

One of the major reasons that women are underrepresented in the most

lucrative economic sectors is because they do not have equal opportunities in the
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Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs that have traditionally been

dominated by men. Research shows that in both secondary ad tertiary educational

levels, women remain sidelined to the CTE programs that pay lower and those that are

traditionally for women. Furthermore, even though STEM programs are some of the

most lucrative and in-demand in the 21st century, women are unrepresented and are

less likely to pursue these fields in higher education (Yatskiv 83). some barriers that

limit educational attainment for women include stereotypes and bias in education and

a potentially hostile climate in some academic institutions.

All around the world, women are dominated by men when it comes to

political and institutional decision-making. Although the number of states being led

by women has increased in the recent past, only 38% of the world’s nations have had

a female head of state (Hazel et al. 6). women are by far outnumbered by men in other

powerful positions such as cabinet secretaries and ministers, as well as in the

judiciary. In the United States, for instance, white men make up only 31% of the total

population yet they represent 65% of all elected officials in the country (Hazel et al.

6). On the other hand, women represent 71% of the population but only hold 19% of

the seats in congress, and 21% of those in the senate (Hazel et al. 4). Community

interventions that change traditional beliefs about gender are needed to increase

political efficacy as well as the levels of agency among women. It is a strategy that

liberates women psychologically and encourages higher levels of political

participation and decision making.

Future of the Issue

The topic of sex and gender inequalities is no longer a men versus

women issue but includes the persistent and pervasive discrimination of the LGBTQ

community. In addition to the four gender inequality issues identified in this paper,
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this group faces inequalities in the areas of housing, denial of basic human rights such

as marriage, violence, and workplace discrimination (Friedman et al., 12). As per Ng,

and Rumens (116), this is another level of discrimination that often leads to mental

and physical health distress and strained relationships with family members and

friends. Research shows that LGBTQ individuals who are accepted by their family

and friends have greater self-esteem and health, and are less affected by depression,

self-harm, and suicide (Ng, and Rumens 112). The issue of LGBTQ is currently one

of the most debated issues in the modern society and significant gains have been made

towards equal treatment and acceptance of these individuals. However, more still

needs to be done to ensure that the gains made so far are no eroded.

Conclusion

It is clear that there is still much to be done in terms of personal, social,

community, and political change, for the complete eradication of sex and gender

inequalities. The current paper has examined this issue along the dimensions of

economic, educational, health, and political participation disparities between men and

women. It shows that even though some progress has been made in some of the

identified areas, there is still a wide gap before gender equality can be attained in

others. Health and economic participation are some of the areas where the gap is

widening rather than reducing. At the same time, the issue of LGBTQ is likely to

become even more prominent in the discourse about sex and gender inequalities in the

future. This is a group that can be said to be facing more prejudices and

discrimination as compared to women and a serious discussion is needed about this

topic.
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Works Cited

Blau, Francine D., and Lawrence M. Kahn. "The gender wage gap: Extent, trends, and

explanations." Journal of Economic Literature 55.3 (2017): 789-865.

Friedman, Samantha, et al. "An estimate of housing discrimination against same-sex couples."

Available at SSRN 2284243 (2013).

Hazel, Kelly L., and Kerry S. Kleyman. "Gender and sex inequalities: Implications and

resistance." Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community (2019): 1-12.

Ng, Eddy S., and Nick Rumens. "Diversity and inclusion for LGBT workers: current issues and

new horizons for research." Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue

Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration 34.2 (2017): 109-120.

United Nations Statistics Division. “The world’s women 2015: Trends and statistics.” United

Nations Statistics Division. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/downloads/WorldsWomen2015_report.pdf

Yatskiv, Irina. "Why don't women choose stem? Gender equality in stem careers in Latvia."

International Journal on Information Technologies & Security 1 (2017): 79-88.