By Alexis Cabrera, Staff Writer
INJUSTICE: Even today, gender inequality affects men and women across the globe.
As far back as the 1900s, stereotypes have held men and women to conventional standards. But why does our generation, one so hungry for change, still allow these stereotypes to affect us? The effects of gender inequality reach further than just stereotypes, however. Custody rights, wage gaps, and lack of bodily anatomy are all products of this injustice.
Gender inequality affects men and women across the globe. Among many other reasons, gender equality deserves attention because it would relieve bias from custody battles. In the article, “Why Do Women Get Child Custody In 90 Percent Of All Cases? Isn’t It Gender Discrimination?” statistics show that in 90% of every case, including child custody, mothers are more likely than fathers to earn guardianship because of the common belief that women are better parents. The idea that a mother’s presence is more vital than the fathers is based on the generalization that infants and young children cannot survive without a mother’s care. Although children and infants need to be nursed and fed by their mothers at a young age, the assumption that women are better parents than men has become a baseless stereotype. Dismantling these stereotypes would result in a better world for not only women but also men and children.
Another issue caused by gender inequality is the wage gap closing by only half a cent per year. As claimed by Tamara Phillips, in “The Real-World Impact of Gender Pay Gaps” companies that begin to pay equally now will actually be saving money rather than those who wait to take action based on the average costs to correct wage gaps, that increase $439,000 each year. With an 18.2% percent wage disparity, the United States has a long way to go before the wage gap closes. Making wages equal would be a massive step toward gender equality. Our society, which prides itself on judging people by merit, would be closer to living up to its ideals.
Gender inequality infringes upon women’s bodily autonomy having self-governance over one’s body without external influence. According to Paul Stark, in his article, “My body, my choice? Why bodily autonomy doesn’t justify abortion” the women should have a say and be able to decide what happens to her and her body if she is pregnant rather than the unborn human organism. A woman’s health should be valued without discrimination, because it is her own body. By advocating the message “My Body, My Rights” we are creating a society where women can decide what is best for them.
In a world that follows gender equality, we can create a safe place for everyone. To achieve such a society, we must continue having conversations that were previously untouched. We must embrace other opinions and differences. By supporting gender equality is supporting human rights. Together, we can make the world a more accepting place for everyone.