Gender equality is a myth -- 2

We need to stop certitudes into the myth about gender equality. It isn’t a reality yet. Today, women make up half of the World workforce, but the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. But unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. Men have to demand that their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters earn more—commensurate with their qualifications and not their gender. Equality will be achieved when men and women are granted equal pay and equal respect. Humanity requires both men and women, and we are equally important and need one another. So why are we viewed as less than equal? These old attitudes are drilled into us from the very beginning. We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect. So, both are required to grow. We have a lot of work to do, but we can get there if we work together. Women are more than 50 percent of the population and more than 50 percent of voters. We must demand that we all receive 100 percent of the opportunities. Here are some reasons why women are not equal to men. With the advent of industrial revolution, the mode of production shifted from fields to industries where modern technological methods are used to maximize production. With this revolution came the chance for women to work in industries because they were cheap labor for the capitalists who desperately reduced their cost. Hence, capitalism had its own economic motives to encourage women emancipation. Two great world wars were a dramatic factor in bringing women out of their four walls, as these wars killed millions of men and there was a shortage of labor. Consequently, the women came out of their homes and began to work in factories. This radical change resulted into some rights to the women such as enfranchisement for women and right to work and own property, but men were still in dominating position. Nevertheless, these radical changes united women for their rights and they launched feminist movements for their rights. They fought for the control over their bodies and choices affecting their sexual and reproductive lives. We can say that although the women made some progress towards their emancipation, gender equality is still a dream. Even in the present world women constitute small part of professional class; the women are not welcomed or discouraged to join some professions, especially in the third world countries. There are hardly a few women in the position of power and do not constitute substantial part of political parties. In most of the Muslim countries, they are at the mercy of their male members of the family and the former are virtually deprived by the latter of their rights to make choices affecting their lives. The problem with gender equality is the mode of production and the role of women in it. Social and religious super structure imposed by the elite is another major hurdle in the way of gender equality. Fixing quotas and legislation to protect women are superficial and temporary solutions to the problem. The real change will come when women will have opportunity to play an important role in the mode of production. Moreover, the women have to challenge the prevalent religious and social discourse, which perpetuates patriarchy and subjugates women. Language is also an instrument of gender discrimination as it constructs reality and inculcates social and religious values. Hence, gender equality will remain a myth unless and until women challenge the core structure, which causes their subordination. It will be wrong to say that genders are equal anywhere in the world. There are several reasons behind it but most important reason why it is a myth is Capitalist System. These types of crisis occur because of mode of production. As world is dominating by free market and it is hard for women to make a commodity which they can sell. So, after all the arguments and reasons we can say that gender equality is a myth.