Kevin Hart’s role in the movie “Fatherhood” where he took on the role of single-handedly raising his daughter after her mother died while birthing her, helped to put some of the usual roadblocks women often face in their life into perspective for a significant audience.
Passing on promotions, leaving work to attend to emergencies or maybe just the usual bring your child along to board meetings just because there is no one to babysit are some of the highlights. Someone has got to do it you say… Why not Men?
Gender inequality refers to an uneven treatment or perception of a particular gender. Gender-based discrimination occurs when one sex or gender is frequently advantaged or given preference over the other, resulting in an imbalance. Inequality between men and women is a social phenomenon that occurs when men and women are treated differently.
While it has nothing to do with the biological makeup, it has everything to do with the societal views and perception of the two genders. It is no news that the more favoured gender is the male and this has caused gender imbalance in society.
Parents oftentimes promote gender inequality by training a girl child on how to do chores and the boys allowed to go to school or play with friends, this sets a precedent for the girl child to believe all she can achieve should be around the kitchen or home. It shouldn’t have to be that way.
Every year a girl stays in school increases her income by up to 20 percent.
UN Women says
Men should be able to spend time with their children, not leaving the job for their female counterparts alone. Raising a child is a duty of both the man and woman and shouldn’t be left for the women alone.
Gender Inequality also resurfaces in the workplace and in all walks of life when men are stereotyped for particular roles or positions in society. For instance, believing that some jobs are better handled by men and most times these jobs are lucrative. Instances when women are not allowed to participate in some political positions of the nation or given supportive roles also help to crystallize this injustice.
Do women have to do every job? Maybe not, but their gender should not get in the way as a delimiter should they choose to. Women are not permitted to express themselves freely for fear of being judged by society.
There has been a global call for gender equality across the board. According to the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, every dollar invested in women and children’s health can generate a $20 return.
A McKinsey Global Institute study also revealed that pursuing women’s equality could add up to $28 trillion to global annual growth by 2025. To change the way society sees things, we have to start from the smallest unit of society which is the family, parents should treat their children equally, share the house chores between the male and female gender, make them understand they are both important and none is higher than the other.
Parents also have a role to play in educating their children that women have equal rights and should be given the same opportunities as men. Girls should be given equal access to education, education is for both genders, there should be no disparity on who to give and who not to give.
Women should be given platforms to express themselves and achieve economic success. There should be an end to violence and sexual assault against women. By ensuring that women are being provided health-wise, they are under cared for because of a lack of knowledge and education on their part. Child marriage should be discontinued as it is violence against the girl child.
