10 Causes
of Gender Inequality
Over the
years, the world has gotten closer to achieving gender equality. There is
better representation of women in politics, more economic opportunities, and
better healthcare in many places of the world. However, the World Economic
Forum estimates it will take another century before true gender equality
becomes a reality. What drives the gap between genders? Here are 10 causes of
gender inequality:
#1.
Uneven access to education
Around
the world, women still have less access to education than men. ¼ of young women
between 15-24 will not finish primary school. That group makes up 58% of the
people not completing that basic education. Of all the illiterate people in the
world, ⅔ are women. When girls are not educated on the same level as boys, it
has a huge effect on their future and the kinds of opportunities they’ll get.
#2. Lack
of employment equality
Only 6
countries in the world give women the same legal work rights as men. In fact,
most economies give women only ¾ the rights of men. Studies show that if
employment became a more even playing field, it has a positive domino effect on
other areas prone to gender inequality.
#3. 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. Women also take on the
primary responsibility for unpaid labor, so even as they participate in the
paid workforce, they have extra work that never gets recognized financially.
#4. Lack
of legal protections
According
to research from the World Bank, over one billion women don’t have legal
protection against domestic sexual violence or domestic economic violence. Both
have a significant impact on women’s ability to thrive and live in freedom. 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.
#5. Lack
of bodily autonomy
Many
women around the world do not have authority over their own bodies or when they
become parents. Accessing birth control is frequently very difficult. According
to the World Health Organization, 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.
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#6. Poor
medical care
In
addition to limited access to contraception, women overall 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. There’s also been less research into diseases that affect women
more than men, such as autoimmune disorders and chronic pain conditions. Many
women also experience discrimination and dismissal from their doctors,
broadening the gender gap in healthcare quality.
#7. Lack
of religious freedom
When
religious freedom is attacked, women suffer the most. According to the World
Economic Forum, when extremist ideologies (such as ISIS) come into a community
and restrict religious freedom, gender inequality gets worse. In a study
performed by Georgetown University and Brigham Young University, researchers
were also able to connect religious intolerance with women’s ability to
participate in the economy. When there’s more religious freedom, an economy
becomes more stable thanks to women’s participation.
#8. Lack
of political representation
Of all
national parliaments at the beginning of 2019, only 24.3% of seats were filled
by women. As of June of 2019, 11 Heads of State were women. Despite progress in
this area over the years, women are still grossly underrepresented in
government and the political process. This means that certain issues that
female politicians tend to bring up – such as parental leave and childcare,
pensions, gender equality laws and gender-based violence – are often neglected.
#9.
Racism
It would
be impossible to talk about gender inequality without talking about racism. It
affects what jobs women of color are able to get and how much they’re paid, as
well as how they are viewed by legal and healthcare systems. Gender inequality
and racism have been closely-linked for a long time. According to Sally Kitch,
a professor and author, European settlers in Virginia decided what work could
be taxed based on the race of the woman performing the work. African women’s
work was “labor,” so it was taxable, while work performed by English women was
“domestic” and not taxable. The pay gaps between white women and women of color
continues that legacy of discrimination and contributes to gender inequality.
#10.
Societal mindsets
It’s less
tangible than some of the other causes on this list, but the overall mindset of
a society has a significant impact on gender inequality. How society determines
the differences and value of men vs. women plays a starring role in every
arena, whether it’s employment or the legal system or healthcare. Beliefs about
gender run deep and even though progress can be made through laws and
structural changes, there’s often a pushback following times of major change.
It’s also common for everyone (men and women) to ignore other areas of gender
inequality when there’s progress, such as better representation for women in
leadership. These types of mindsets prop up gender inequality and delay
significant change.
Related:
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What is
gender discrimination?
Gender
discrimination is the act of giving unequal rights, treatment and opportunities
to a person or a group based on their gender. Anyone can be the target of
gender discrimination, but girls and women are primarily affected. As the
“inferior sex,” the needs and interests of girls and women have been
systematically oppressed and dismissed for centuries. Entrenched prejudices,
restrictive gender norms and institutionalized discrimination have led to
widespread gender inequality.
Gender
discrimination impacts every area of society. According to the UN, there are
122 women aged 25-34 living in extreme poverty, compared to every 100 men from
the same age group. In power and leadership, there are wide gaps. The next
generation of women will spend, on average, 2.3 more hours every day on unpaid
work and domestic work compared to men. On a global level, women hold only
26.7% of seats in parliament, 35.5% in local government and 28.2% in management
positions. Without increased investments and commitment to gender equality, it
could take the world about 300 years to achieve gender parity.
What can
gender discrimination look like?
Gender
discrimination is a multifaceted system of oppression touching every area of
society. Here are seven examples of what it can look like:
Paying
someone less because of their gender
Around
the world, women are paid less than men for doing comparable work. In the
United States, the gender pay gap has changed very little even as the problem
gets increased attention. According to Pew Research, women earned about 80% as
much as men in 2002, while in 2022, they earned 82%. That same year, the World
Bank found that out of 178 countries, just 95 protect equal pay for equal work.
Gender discrimination also factors into how certain types of work are
undervalued. Returning to the United States as an example, research from the
Economic Policy Institute found that 2.2 million domestic workers are
underpaid, three times as likely to live in poverty than other workers and
unprotected by labor laws. 90.2% of those domestic workers were women,
specifically Black, Hispanic, or Asian American and Pacific Islander women.
Segregating
types of work based on gender
The
prevalence of women in underpaid and unprotected domestic work is an example of
gendered job segregation. Job segregation leads to male domination in fields
like engineering and construction, while women tend to fill jobs in domestic
work, nursing, teaching and other “feminine” careers. Employers rarely say they
only want men or women applying to certain jobs, but discrimination takes many
forms. In a report on the “glass ceilings” women encounter in business, the
International Labour Organization describes how gender bias, which affects how
women and men are viewed, leads to men getting more responsibility and
promotions over women. This applies even when men and women have similar skills
and experience. According to the Center for American Progress, when a
marginalized group – like women – is overrepresented in a job field, it leads
to reduced wages and worse working conditions for everyone in that field.
Purposely
misgendering someone
Cisgender
women and girls aren’t the only people affected by gender discrimination. Trans
people, which includes trans women, trans men, non-binary people and others,
are often targeted. Intentional misgendering is just one form of
discrimination. What does it mean? Misgendering is when a person uses the wrong
pronoun for someone, e.g. calling someone “she” when they use “he/him”
pronouns. When someone is repeatedly corrected and still insists on using the
wrong pronoun, that’s discrimination. Whether or not misgendering breaks a law
depends on where you live. In Canada, the Ontario Human Rights Code added
protection for gender identity and expression in 2012. The law now recognizes
misgendering as a form of discrimination, especially in areas covered by the
Code, like employment, housing and educational services.
Discriminating
against someone for becoming pregnant
According
to global data from 2021, 38 out of 190 economies don’t protect women from
being fired for being pregnant. Even in places that do provide legal remedies,
the discrimination continues, but it’s more subtle. The United States has three
federal laws that protect job applicants and employees, but in a 2019 New York
Times article, journalists found that some of the country’s biggest companies
were engaging in discrimination. Pregnant women were passed over for promotions
and raises, and fired when they complained. In jobs that included physical
labor, like lifting heavy boxes, pregnant women were not given reasonable
accommodations like rest or extra water. Because pregnancy primarily impacts
women, pregnancy discrimination is a form of gender discrimination that limits
job opportunities, access to justice and so on.
Sexually
harassing someone in the workplace
Everyone
deserves a safe workplace free from discrimination. Unfortunately, work is
often a place where people’s rights are threatened. According to a global
analysis, almost 23% of people experience physical, psychological or sexual
violence and harassment at work. Women are more likely to share their
experiences than men and more likely to report sexual harassment, but
regardless of a person’s gender, harassment in the workplace is discrimination.
Because many people never report the harassment they’ve faced, the true numbers
are likely much higher. Protections vary by country, but in the United States,
harassment can include requests for sexual favors, making unwanted sexual
remarks and making unwelcome sexual advances. The law also defines harassment
as “offensive remarks about a person’s sex.” It doesn’t need to be overtly
sexual. Sexual harassment can involve anyone, including two people of the same
gender.
Limiting
educational opportunities because of gender
Whether
or not someone gets a good education has a huge impact on the rest of their
life. According to the World Bank, every extra year of schooling results in a
9% increase in hourly earnings, while it also improves economic growth,
innovation and social cohesion. Girls have historically been restricted from
educational opportunities, but while there’s been significant progress, the gap
isn’t closed yet. UNICEF estimates that about 129 million girls aren’t in
school. Strict gender norms about girls, motherhood, and work factor into why
many girls aren’t educated, but conflict, poor hygiene and sanitation at
schools, and poverty are responsible, too. Discrimination isn’t always
intentional, but when girls and women are the ones primarily not getting an education,
it still counts.
Inflicting
violence based on gender
Gender-based
violence is the most deadly form of gender discrimination. According to the
World Health Organization, 1 in 3 women around the world experience physical
and/or sexual violence, usually inflicted by an intimate partner. The
intentional murder of women and girls, known as “femicide,” is prevalent
globally. 2022 marked the highest number of total intentional femicides.
Transgender and gender-nonconforming people are also targeted. In 2023, the
Human Rights Campaign Foundation reported yet another year of disproportionate
killings of trans people. Most victims were young people of color,
How can
you take action against gender discrimination?
Gender
discrimination may feel embedded in society, but we can take action against it.
Here are three ways:
Create
safe spaces where people can talk about gender discrimination
It’s
difficult to get a full picture of gender discrimination because talking about
it is still so stigmatized. In some places, talking about topics like workplace
harassment, sexual assault and intimate partner violence can put people’s jobs
and even physical safety in jeopardy. One of the best things you can do is
create and protect spaces where it’s safe to talk about discrimination. These
spaces empower people to share their stories, support each other, collaborate
and build networks that make real change in their communities. Spaces like
survivor groups, internet safety classes, self-defense classes and so on can be
good forums.
Support
women’s organizations
Many
governments are working to improve gender equality, but their current efforts
aren’t enough. There are many NGOs around the world addressing poverty,
children’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights and other issues that connect
to gender discrimination. You can support these organizations by donating
money, volunteering your time, sharing campaigns or applying for jobs. If
you’re interested in establishing your own NGO focused on gender
discrimination, here’s our article on how to start an NGO.
Increase
leadership and economic opportunities for women
The gap
between male and female leadership, economic and political opportunities is
still quite wide. You can take action by focusing your efforts on things that
empower girls and women, such as education, healthcare, mentorship and
training, childcare, workplace protections and so on. When women are empowered,
everyone benefits, including men, families and children. To learn more about
women’s empowerment, check out this list of eight classes available online.
What are
ways to take action against gender inequality?
Gender
inequality spreads its roots across areas like work, household
responsibilities, healthcare, education, and more. Here are four ways to take
action:
#1.
Increase funding for education and social services
While
education equality has seen significant victories, it’s still being threatened
in many places. Increasing funds to areas like teacher salaries, operating
expenses, and programs for girls are vital, but you can also help education
access by supporting communities. Girls often leave school because their labor
fills in gaps in social services, but when communities have the social services
they need, girls are more likely to stay in school. School needs to be a safe
place, too, so action can be taken in areas like building safety, clean water
and sanitation, policies on harassment and bullying, and teacher training.
#2. Fight
for reproductive rights
Reproductive
rights have suffered in recent years. Every year, millions of people don’t
receive quality care for menstruation, pregnancy, abortion, and other
reproductive health needs. People can take action by advocating for increased
healthcare access and legal protections, and by donating time or money to
organizations that provide essential health supplies and services. Gender
equality is closely linked to reproductive freedom, so it’s essential people
have the right to have or not have children.
#3.
Advocate for increased economic protections and equal pay
The link
between economic inequality and gender inequality is one of the toughest to
address. When people can’t participate equally in the economy because of their
gender, it ignites a trail of consequences that can affect the healthcare,
housing, education, and wealth of generations to come. Economic protections
like inheritance reform and land rights are essential, while equal pay for
equal work, flexible work arrangements, and support for unpaid work matter,
too.
#4. Speak
out against discriminatory policies and behavior
Gender
inequality is an economic and political reality, but it has social and cultural
effects, as well. People can take action by calling out discriminatory
policies. Some may not mention gender, but if the outcomes contribute to
historical gender inequality or harmful discrimination, they need to be
addressed. Discriminatory behavior and language should be called out, as well.
While jokes may seem harmless, they hurt individuals and strengthen the
mindsets that help gender inequality endure.
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