Gender equality is essential to achieve human rights for all. However, discrimination against women persists all over the globe. As I was exploring this topic earlier in the semester, a recent issue in Japan drew my eye. The Japan Olympic chief was forced to resign over sexist remarks. He was caught saying, “we have to make sure their speaking time is restricted somewhat, they have difficulty finishing.” He felt women talked too much and had too much input during committee meetings. Not so many days later, Japan’s primary party, LDP, invited women to attend critical meetings, but there was a catch. They could only “look, not talk.” As I dug deeper into this gendered discrimination, I found that casual sexism is a familiar tactic within Japanese culture to make women feel inferior. Because of this, Japanese women learn to internalize their views so that men can feel superior. This leaves these women with little input to what is going on within society.
Sexism is not only present abroad. It is also seen here in the United States. The United States is one of the most economically developed countries globally. However, it fails to effectively protect the economic rights of women within the country. Significantly more men than women fill jobs in the top sector. In the top 25 technology companies in the US, female employees account for only 19.6 percent of all employees. Not only are women discriminated against in specific careers, but they are discriminated against in their pay. According to data from the US Census Bureau, there has been about a 21 percent difference between men’s and women’s income for many years. Women will often have the same type of education or degree as their male counterparts, yet they are not treated the same.
The various forms of gender discrimination that persist throughout the globe have caused a hideous pattern of injustice. I see these instances as systemic because this discrimination can be seen throughout society. What makes it injustice is that women are made inferior to their male counterparts. In the graphic novel Persepolis we can see this injustice through Marji. Marji leaves Iran for Austria to escape the oppression women face under the Islamic fundamentalist regime. In Iran, women are forced to cover up with a veil to not “excite” men. Yet when she moves to Austria, sexism is still very prevalent. When Marji gets a job at a local cafe, she has to deal with male customers pinching her bottom.
For these wrongs to be righted, we need to make fundamental changes by confronting gender stereotyping by media, educational practices, and hiring processes. To increase public consciousness on sexism we need to educate individuals and this starts with people acknowledging that women are equal to men.
Additional Information:
Protesters at a rally for equal pay for equal work in Fort Lauderdale, Florida:
I like how you went about talking about the discrimination against woman. Gender inequality has been a fight in the United States for over century and is now finally starting to be addressed. There is so much work to be done. Gender should not determine your ability or your worth. Being a woman should not be a disadvantage but in most cases it is viewed this way. Woman are constantly being underestimated. They are being told what to do with their bodies as if they don’t have their own say. They should be treated equally across all boards including but not limited to, pay, opportunities and input.
Great showcase of gender discrimination here and abroad. I like how it was related to reading of “Persepolis” and the additional information from Pew Research Center is very fascinating.
Hatred of women in USA is a norm and is accepted. I’m assuming it’s the same in other countries. In the USA, hatred of women is not considered a taboo as is racial hatred or gay hate or trans hate. The hatred of women is open, obvious, and expressed without shame. The “b” word is said several times daily in almost every workplace or school or other public setting. Even women hate women, and perhaps are THE biggest haters of women. And sadly even a woman’s own family often have a disdain for daughters and wives. Relative to EEOC protections of others based on race and sexual preference, it’s extremely rare that the EEOC will take actions to provide similar recourse for women those of a protected race or other class count on. Some say that’s because EEOC staffers themselves may harbor their own disdain for females (especially when females asking for help are attractive and being sexually harassed and the EEOC investigator is a jealous female). The pervasiveness of the hatred, at so many levels, even starting in the home, combined with ineffective oversight explains why gender hatred of women is still the most pervasive and normalized hate in human history. I thank the universe every day that I never had a daughter in the USA/this world. I would forever fear for her safety and well being as we women live in a world where being boldly discriminated against is just another day and being raped and murdered means just another promotional opportunity for an investigator who might work on her case or just another episode of forensic files.