In this contemporary world where human rights have received due attention everywhere, why does gender equality seem like a faraway dream these days? Undeniably, women and girls have been facing life-threatening risks because of a lack of empowerment and resources in many places. This fashion has to be prettily addressed to make the world an earthly heaven as life without women is tantamount to a stew devoid of spices.
Keeping this hard fact in mind, The Ethiopian Herald approached Tigist Yibeltal, a Gender Specialist who graduated from Addis Ababa University in gender studies, to solicit a piece of information on how gender inequality can be bridged to make a difference via utilizing women and girls’ capacity in all aspects.
She said, “Before directly going to gender equality, I would like to say something about equality. Equality means that all people enjoy the same status. All people have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights and potential to contribute to national, political, economic, social, and cultural development thereby fairly benefiting from the outcomes.”
She also stated that equity is also quite important as it is a process of being fair. It refers to steps being taken to achieve fairness and justice in the distribution of benefits and responsibilities to both genders. It often requires programs and policies to end existing inequalities. Equity leads to equality, indeed!
Since gender equity is the process of being fair to disadvantaged men or women through specific interventions and actions such as balancing past or current differences that have had a negative impact on a woman or man’s ability to participate fully and equally in employment and other opportunities, it has to be the concern of the day in the contemporary world.
Gender inequality means that why a man or a woman does not have equal values, rights, or opportunities. As women everywhere have been facing a range of discrimination, gender equality has to be ensured via making certain, for instance, equality at home. Yes, here gender equality in this example would look like splitting up at-home work as evenly as possible between both genders of a household so that the burden of taking care of the home and family is not solely on women.
“Equal pay for equal work has to also be secured, too. Here, the pay gap between men and women remains strong in almost all nations of the world, especially for women who are mothers and caregivers. Gender equality in the workforce means, being paid the same salary for equal work, regardless of gender. It also means that if a woman takes time off from work to take maternity leave, for example, she will not be punished when she returns to work,” she added.
Whether in the workplace, within a religious group, at a community center or any other group setting, people of all genders deserve to feel safe and be free of bullying and micro-aggressions, sexual harassment, and prejudice based on gender. A society that appreciates and upholds gender equality does not allow for offensive comments, harassment, etc., to be tolerated in any form, Tigist underscored.
As to her, gender equality makes communities safer, healthier and happier. Besides, it attracts economic equality, and when all genders receive equal job opportunities, society benefits. When equal job opportunity is given to both genders, poverty rates are reduced, communities are uplifted and a nation’s GDP is significantly improved.
Tigist said gender equality also promotes inclusive policies and focuses on increasing the power of the excluded, women and the poor. It is an approach intended to eliminate existing barriers in order to increase access and enable decision-making and participation of marginalized populations. It also helps improve access to goods and services for all including the excluded, women, and those less economically stable.
The marginalized groups may be excluded not only through legal systems, land, and labor markets, but also through discriminatory or stigmatizing attitudes, beliefs, or perceptions. The disadvantage is often based on social identity, which may be across dimensions of gender, age, location, occupation, race, ethnicity, religion, citizenship status, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity, among other factors. This kind of social exclusion robs individuals of dignity, security, and the opportunity to lead a better life. Unless the root causes of structural exclusion and discrimination are addressed and rooted out, it will be challenging to support sustainable inclusive growth and rapid poverty reduction, she firmly elucidated.
“Gender determines health responses, care practices, health behaviors, and essentially outcomes. There is a link between social norms and biological factors that affect health status. Despite gender equality being a basic human right, it continues to be a leading determinant of health inequality, too. Discrimination is when decisions are made based on a person’s social attributes such as gender, race or ethnic origin, religion, association, physical characteristics, and/or other differentiations,” Tigist added.
Gender equity is the realization of equal rights, responsibilities, opportunities, and respect for men, women, and sexual and gender minorities. It is the process of being fair to women, men, and sexual and gender minorities—involves using strategies and measures to compensate for women’s historical and social disadvantages. It is also used as a process that leads to gender equality as an outcome.
Gender equality, equally, requires equal enjoyment by women and men of socially valued goods, opportunities, resources, and rewards. Where gender inequality exists, it is generally women who are excluded or disadvantaged in relation to decision-making and access to economic and social resources, she stated.
She said, “Gender equality isn’t just about fairness; it’s the foundation for a thriving society. When we empower everyone, regardless of gender, we unlock stronger economies, healthier communities, and a safer world. It empowers individuals to break free from harmful stereotypes and pursue their dreams, regardless of societal expectations. It also fosters an environment where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued, and where diverse perspectives and talents contribute to innovation and progress. By embracing gender equality, we pave the way for a brighter future for generations to come.”
Gender inequality manifests in various aspects of life and can take many forms. First, gender pay gap, women are often paid less than men for the same work or work of equal value. Second, access to education, in some parts of the world, girls may experience gender inequality while accessing education, limiting their opportunities for personal and professional growth. Additionally, certain industries and professions are dominated by one gender, limiting opportunities for the underrepresented gender. Third, domestic violence—women are disproportionately affected by domestic violence, with higher rates of physical and emotional abuse. Hence gender equality is highly needed, she said.
“Gender equality in education for instance benefits every child within the school system, and so does the health aspect. This, in turn, contributes to a stronger economy that benefits all genders and leads to better health within a community. When health systems are transformed to provide equal access to health care for both genders, equality can be secured,” she underlined.
She said, “There are many ways to promote gender equality in daily life, from splitting up household chores equally to fighting gender stereotypes. There are also many groups and nonprofits promoting equity in their communities across the nation, Ethiopia, the continent, and even globally.”
She further stated that some of the actions people can take in their respective communities to promote gender equality include advocating for inclusive policies by encouraging local organizations and businesses, supporting women-owned businesses to contribute to economic empowerment, sharing information about gender equality through discussions, workshops, or social media, volunteering time with organizations focusing on gender equality as well as speaking up against gender stereotypes and biases for a more open-minded community.
As to Tigist, Ethiopia has come a long way in improving the situation of women and children. The country achieved six of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and is trying to address the remaining challenges within the framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Women living in rural areas are less likely to be empowered across all domains compared to women in urban areas. Programs aimed at empowering girls and women should therefore prioritize rural areas. Particular attention should be dedicated to the three or four states in particular when tackling empowerment across its different domains, especially in some like Afar and Oromia where women are disadvantaged in several domains at the same time,” she added.
Women’s empowerment is positively associated with improving children’s well-being across outcomes such as nutrition, health-related knowledge and education. Investing in women is therefore an effective complementary strategy for improving children’s well-being, as to her.
Household wealth, residence in urban areas, fewer children in the household, and the father’s attainment of higher education are some of the factors that are positively associated with children’s well-being across different dimensions. Thus such a positive trend needs to be well reinvigorated.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER 2024
