Gender issues

Gender: the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural
differences rather than biological ones)

Sex: either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living
things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions.

The differences between females and males:

1. Neurologically, females are more emotionally-centred while males tend to be more task-
oriented.
This is inherent in our system and therefore, cannot be changed.
2. Biologically, females have the ability to provide for their infants while males do not.
This can be resolved by the Breast Milk Bank in SG.

Evaluate the claim that equality of opportunity for females is a desirable, but
unrealistic, goal.

Gender is no longer a helpful concept. Do you agree?

Posted on 08/09/2012 by ZW

Adapted from: http://gpessays.com/gender/gender-is-no-longer-a-helpful-concept-do-you-agree

One of the most noticeable revolutions in this century is the Feminist movement. The first wave
which began in 1854 was a fight for womens rights to education and to voting by the
Suffragettes. Conventional wisdom has it that the feminist movement is the rise of the female
and the start of the road to equality of the sexes. However, on deeper analysis, it is actually
the shift in attitudes of females that fuelled this revolt. Sex is not the issue here. Rather,
gender takes the limelight. Gender is the behavioural traits and attitudes of the sexes, not the
biological characteristics of what defines us as male or female. This statement implies that
attitudes of the sexes are absolutely not useful, nor is it beneficial. I do not agree with this totally.
While gender may not be helpful in certain situations, it is definitely helpful in others.

The idea of gender not being helpful is exemplified in situations where women take on
leadership roles and have responsibilities to fulfil. Traditionally, women are perceived to be
reliant on their male counterparts and are expected to be subservient to them in all
circumstances. If this is not the case, they will be deemed as defiant and are likely to be outcast.
However, in the modern era women are not tied to their traditionally expected gender behaviour.
Just look at the increase in the number of females having an active role in the political arena. In
the recent issue of Forbes Magazine, Ms Wu Yi, the vice premier of China, is ranked as the most
powerful woman in Asia. Ms Wu Yi has shown her credibility and abilities when she skillfully
handled the SARS scare in China, outshining the previous male health minister. The latter tried
to hide the burgeoning number of SARS victims under the proverbial carpet, much to the worlds
disgust. Hence, the concept of women being less capable than men, and always playing a less
important role than men so as to be seen as submissive, is not useful in the political arena as it
prevents a level playing field for men and women.
Secondly, gender is not useful in defining roles for both male and female in the family unit.
In the past, women were always stay-at-home mothers while men were the breadwinner,
bringing home the bread and butter. Women played the role of mental support and care while
men took on the role of financial support and discipline. Yet, now we witness a shift in roles a
growing proportion of fathers as homemakers and an exponential increase in the number of
mothers who enter the workforce. The concept of gender is not helpful here because it imposes a
restriction on men and women and on how they should carry themselves in order to fit the
roles already defined for them, In fact, a liquidification of roles allows fathers to establish a
closer bond with their children and participate in their development in a more holistic
manner.

However, gender can be a helpful concept when it benefits the individual. For a company that
produces products, gender may be an essential concept. It gives the company some directions
or some clues as to how they can better package or promote their products to cater to
consumers demands. Take for example a beauty salon may wish to target primarily women
since being image-conscious is a much acknowledged mentality of the female species. The cult
of youth, especially emphasized by the media, is almost deep rooted in women due to their
attitudes towards physical beauty and perfection. Beauty salons target womens consumeristic
nature and idealistic aims of reaching artificial perfection to help them yield profits. Of course
there is now an increasing number of males who are image-conscious, but it is not a widespread
phenomenon yet. Hence, how can anyone say that the concept of gender, which includes
attitudes and behaviour, is not helpful at all?

To sum it up, gender can still be a helpful concept in situations where ones aims can be
achieved. In fact, it promotes awareness of the general behaviour of the sexes. However, the
concept of gender is not as helpful as it used to be in the past as seen from the shift in the roles
of male and female, and the increasing difference in the needs of the past and present societies.
One thing we all know is that the helpfulness of this concept will diminish as time goes, and this
is necessary for the progress of the world.

Categories: Essay, Gender | Leave a comment

Women still do more housework and it stresses

them out
Posted on 01/07/2012 by ZW

Adapted from: http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/13/12208646-women-

still-do-more-housework-and-it-stresses-them-out?lite
By Jennifer Welsh

LiveScience
While women are doing less housework than they used to, they still take on the brunt of the
household cleaning chores. New research indicates that this extra work stresses them out, and
that stress worsens when there is salary or gender inequality present in the relationship.

The findings match up well with previous studies regarding changes in the division of housework
in the last decade. Though both men and women spend less time spent on domestic duties
thanks to time-saving technologies, women still take on a large amount of the work, past studies
show.
In this study, women were in the majority (85 percent) in the combination of having more than
half of the responsibility for domestic work and an equal socioeconomic position to the partner,
the researchers write in their research detailed today, June 13, in the journal PLoS ONE.

The researchers studied data from 371 women and 352 men from the Northern Swedish Cohort,
collected in 1986 and 2007, when the participants were on average 21 and 42, respectively. At
42, all participants analyzed were living with children.
The participants answered questionnaires about their relationships, housework responsibilities,
socioeconomic status of themselves and partners, and psychological distress level gauged by
the number of times theyve felt restless, unable to concentrate, or worried and nervous, in the
last year.
Domestic work is a highly gendered activity as women tend to have a greater and men a smaller
responsibility, the researchers write. Inequality in domestic work, in combination with
experiencing the couple relationship as gender-unequal, were associated with psychological
distress.
At 42, more women than men were psychologically distressed, the study found at 21, distress
levels were equal. They also found that women did more housework, and women were more
likely to have jobs lower on the socioeconomic scale, and get paid less than men at the same job
position: all signs of gender inequality.
For instance, more than 56 percent of women indicated they did more than half of the
housework, compared with slightly less than 10 percent of men saying the same. Fourteen
percent and 9 percent of women and men, respectively, indicated they did all of the housework.
The amount of extra housework women do, and the stress that comes from it, depends on
multiple factors in the relationship. If inequalities permeate the relationship, the researchers
found, they will trickle down into housework, too.

When partners were on equal footing job-wise, the partner doing more than half of the
housework responsibilitiesindicated more stress than those not taking on the brunt of housework.
Most of the participants in these lower-paying positions were women, which could be why they
are more distressed than men, the researchers said.
Categories: Gender, News Article | Leave a comment

10 Cases of Natural Gender Inequality

Posted on 01/07/2012 by ZW

Adapted from: http://listverse.com/2010/08/02/10-cases-of-natural-gender-inequality/

A gender gap is a difference between women and men, besides the obvious anatomy, especially
as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural or economic achievements or attitudes.
However this list will focus on some of the biological aspects concerned with both sexes, such as
the now well-known fact that men can hold their alcohol better than women, because women
have a higher proportion of body fat and less stomach enzymes to metabolize the alcohol,
causing 30% more of it to hit her bloodstream than a man who took the same drink.

Firstly, I apologize beforehand if any of my writing style comes off favoring either gender. I will
also warn you to act as an adult concerning some of the entries on this list. Secondly, dont let
this list define you, some of these only concern either gender on average, not as an individual.

Navigation and Awareness

The way we get around is different to each gender, but it has been demonstrated that men are
developmentally ahead in spatial awareness. Men are more abstract and Euclidian, using
kilometers/miles and cardinal directions, while women often base their directions on landmarks
and left-right directions. The lobule, which controls the perception of speed and the mental ability
to rotate 3-D objects, is larger in men as well.
This all comes back to the hunter-gatherer days, when men led the hunt for meat and needed to
have all of these perceptive tools handy for a successful hunt. On three-dimensional video tests,
boys beat girls in spatial ability by a ratio of 4: 1, and the best girls were often outclassed by the
lowest scoring boys.
Male brains are also programmed to concentrate efficiently on one thing at a time, while female
brains are geared to be able to multitask. The reason behind this could be that neuron fibers that
connect the left and right hemispheres are more plentiful in women. However some studies have
shown the opposite to be true.
Intelligence

The male brain is larger than the females, having about 4% more cells and weighing 100 grams
more than female brains. While this may be, each sex has equal brain weight to body weight
ratio. The female brain is also more compact and more densely packed with neurons. In females,
the region associated with language and social interaction is significantly larger than males, and
located in both cerebral hemispheres, not just the left (as in males). While men exceed women at
spatial navigation and geometry, women are exceeding at language even more. A study of 8th
grade girls and boys (9th year for UK) showed the girls exceeding the boys 6: 1.
Because language centers are smaller, and only located in one hemisphere, this puts males
more at risk for language disorders like dyslexia. Stuttering and speech defects appear almost
exclusively in boys. But, even though they are more at risk, they average 3-4 IQ points more than
women.

Interestingly enough, Dr. Louann Brizendine claims that every brain begins as a female brain,
only becoming male 8 weeks after conception, when there is a surge in testosterone which
reduces the language center and grows more cells in the aggression centers.

Health

Women live longer than men in most countries. This could be due to safer life practices, or the
fact that the jobs with the highest on-the-job death rate are all, predominantly, male. While both
men and women are just as susceptible to mental illness, women are less vulnerable to
developmental difficulties and chronic illnesses, with this possibly being due to having two X
chromosomes, and therefore becoming a carrier of a disease before showing symptoms, and it
could also be due to reduced exposure to testosterone. Remember, males will show symptoms
of the disease if their only X chromosome is defective.
For this reason, some conditions are far more common in males than in females. Examples of X-
linked recessive diseases are hemophilia and color blindness (see number 4). There is a
possibility that Aspergers Syndrome is a genetic disease as well, as it appears in 4 times as
many males as females.

Aging

Women, unfortunately, do not age the same as men. Men, the same goes for you. Women have
particularly denser neurons that deteriorate differently, which can lead to dementia quicker than a
mans brain would, simply because he has more of them. But women generally have faster blood
flow to their brains, causing them to lose less brain tissue as they age.

Mens skin also ages better, getting wrinkles later than women because the collagen levels dont
deteriorate as fast as they do in women. However, baldness is another X-linked recessive trait;
you inherit it from your mother. This is because androgen receptors, a key hormone in the
process of balding, are on the X chromosome. This means there is some truth that to see how
your hair will go in the near future, look to your mothers father, the person who gave her one of
her X chromosomes. Chronic conditions are also showing a trend in being more prevalent in
older women than men (conditions such as hypertension and arthritis).
Smell

Women have a greater ability to detect smells than men, and this may be linked to estrogen
hormones. The structure of the nose is the same in women as men, and they dont have any
more receptors in the nose, but studies have shown smells activate a greater region in the brain
in women than men. In one study, they were able to do better than men in differentiating between
odors and picking up faint and slight odors. The study was repeated with younger participants
with similar results.
In another unrelated study, men were given clean cotton t-shirts to sleep in for two nights. The t-
shirts were subsequently sealed in plastic bags and then sent to women to smell and rate how
attractive they thought the t-shirt wearer was. The most striking find of the study was that the
women often picked the men who had the strongest immune systems.
Pain Tolerance

Ever thought your girlfriend or wife was overreacting to a crushed finger or stubbed toe? Well,
she might not have been overreacting at all, as women have more nerve receptors, which cause
them to feel pain more intensely than men. Women average 34 nerve fibers per square
centimeter of facial skin, while men only average 17 nerve fibers. Youre not being tougher than
her by charismatically surviving a bee sting; youre just not feeling it at her intensity.

This has far-reaching effects, as in the treatment of chronic pain sufferers may need higher
dosages of painkillers. About 70% of chronic pain sufferers are women, as well. Their being
sensitive and tolerant to pain is different though. Let me repeat: they are sensitive, yet tolerant to
pain. They have more coping mechanisms than men do to deal with pain (i.e. more complex
endorphin and oxytocin responses), and can therefore get through much more arduous parts of
life, such as childbirth.

Sight

When it comes to the sense of sight, there are some big differences between men and women.
While men can read finer print and are better at night vision and discerning movement, women
can sense colors better, have a wider periphery of vision and have more of a chance of being a
tetrachromat.
A tetrachromat has another type of cone in between the red and green (somewhere in the
orange range) and its 100 shades, theoretically, would allow a woman to see 100 million different
colors. Only a woman can be a tetrachromat. This is because the genes for the pigments in
green and red cones lie on the X chromosome, and only women have two X chromosomes,
creating the opportunity for one type of red cone to be activated on one X chromosome and the
other type of red cone on the other one. In a few cases, women may have two distinct green
cones on either X chromosome.
Unfortunately, it doesnt work the same for men, as most of the color deficient men inherit two
red or two green cones along with the standard blue cone, making it impossible for them to
distinguish between red and green. 8 percent of men in the world have a color deficiency as
compared to 0.5% of women. 2-3% of women in the world may have a fourth cone and are a
tetrachromat.

Communication

Everybody knows that women and men communicate differently, and here are some
observations from the scientific community that will enlighten you as to how and why.

Women are able to more adequately manipulate their facial expressions than men. However, the
results are flipped when it comes to expressing and communicating anger. Women have a
tendency to catch others emotions, also known as emotional contagion, although men can inhibit
their expressions better than females, when cued to do so.

Women are more inclined to face each other and make eye contact when talking. Men are more
likely to look away from each other. Women will tend to communicate more affection and
prioritize communication more than the masculine side of the equation. When in a discussion,
men are likely to debate and talk about a range of topics while the ladies may talk at length about
one topic. There are a lot more tendencies each sex has when it comes to communicating, and it
helps to understand this because some phrases mean something different to each gender,
phrases such as Talking about us.
Friendships

The way friendships are forged and maintained also differs between male and female. Men
expect competition in companionship. They avoid communicating weakness and vulnerability as
well as personal and emotional concerns. For women there is little to no problems with
communicating weakness and vulnerability, even seeking out friendships during hardships. For
this reason one could say that women are emotionally closer to their friends than men are.

Women tend to value and bond with their friends for listening and responding non-critically,
showing support and offering comfort. On the other hand, men grow closer to each other by
doing activities with each other, or doing each other favors. Young boys at school will play more
vigorously, and occupy more space in their play area, than girls. Girls will opt for more sedentary
games, and girls are more likely to accept a new classmate to their group, whereas a new boy
will have to demonstrate his usefulness to the group.
Orgasm

During orgasm, both female and male genitals swell with blood, their pulse races and muscles
contract involuntarily at intervals of 0.8 seconds (approximately). Some peoples mouths open.
Others faces contort. The feet may arch and shake. A warm glow envelopes the body. It is during
orgasm in both men and women that oxytocin floods through our bloodstream. Oxytocin,
released by female orgasm, helps women lie still for a while afterwards. This further increases
the likelihood of conception.
However, the difference here is the time to reach orgasm, and the functionality of each.
According to sexologist Alfred Kinsley for 75% of all males, orgasm is possible to be attained
within the first four minutes after initiation of sexual intercourse. For women the average time to
reach orgasm is between 10 and 20 minutes. The swiftness of the male system virtually
guarantees climactic orgasms for males, but is usually too quick for the female. Self stimulation is
also quicker for both sexes, significantly for women.
It has also been proposed that due to the physiological similarity of men and womens genitals
that the female orgasm is an echo of the male orgasm. As better stated by evolutionary
biologist Stephen Jay Gould: The clitoris is the homologue of the penis it is the same organ,
endowed with the same anatomical organization and capacity of response.
On the plus side though, both sexes may experience a burst of creative thought, since orgasm
produces activity in the right, creative-thinking side of the brain.
Categories: Gender, News Article | Leave a comment

10 Extreme Examples of Gender Inequality

Posted on 01/07/2012 by ZW

Adapted from: http://listverse.com/2008/11/20/10-extreme-examples-of-gender-inequality/

The human rights of women throughout the Middle East and North Africa are systematically
denied by each of the countries in the region, despite the diversity of their political systems. Many
governments routinely suppress civil society by restricting freedom of the press, expression, and
assembly. These restrictions adversely affect both men and women; however, women are
subject to a host of additional gender-specific human rights violations. For example, family,
penal, and citizenship laws throughout the region relegate women to a subordinate status
compared to their male counterparts. This legal discrimination undermines womens full
personhood and equal participation in society and puts women at an increased risk for violence.

Family matters in countries as diverse as Iran, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia are
governed by religion-based personal status codes. Many of these laws treat women essentially
as legal minors under the eternal guardianship of their male family members. Family decision-
making is thought to be the exclusive domain of men, who enjoy by default the legal status of
head of household. These notions are supported by family courts in the region that often
reinforce the primacy of male decision-making power.
Here are ten of the most extreme examples of gender inequality you can find currently practiced,
often state-sanctioned, in the world today.
Forbidden from driving

In Saudi Arabia, women arent allowed to drive, or even ride bikes, and men arent allowed to
drive women theyre not closely related to. The kingdom is currently dealing with the dilemma of
how to get 367,000 girls to school on buses that can only be driven by men. The logical question
at this point is this: If no men are allowed to come in contact with schoolgirls, and women arent
allowed to drive, who will be driving the school buses? The Ministry of Education is currently
recruiting Al-Ameen or trustworthy men for this initiative. It may be hard for some to take this
term seriously considering the way Saudi Arabias religious police infamously broke the trust of
15 girls parents in 2002 when a girls school was on fire. The police forbade them from leaving
the building, and in some cases beat them to keep them from leaving, because the girls heads
werent properly veiled. The girls all died in the fire. One has to wonder how the Ministry of
Education plans to handle school-bus breakdowns near similarly inclined men.
Clothing requirements

In 2001 a militant group called Lashkar-e-Jabar demanded that Muslim women in Kashmir wear
burqas, head to toe garments that cover their clothes, or risk being attacked. Men threw acid in
the faces of two women for not covering up in public. The group also demanded that Hindu and
Sikh women dress so as to identify themselves: they said that Hindu women should wear a bindi
(the traditional colored dot) on their foreheads, and Sikh women should cover their heads with
saffron-colored cloth.
Right to divorce

In many countries, while husbands can divorce their spouses easily (often instantaneously
through oral repudiation), wives access to divorce is often extremely limited, and they frequently
confront near insurmountable legal and financial obstacles. In Lebanon, battered women cannot
file for divorce on the basis of abuse without the testimony of an eyewitness. A medical certificate
from a doctor documenting physical abuse is simply not good enough. Although women in Egypt
can now legally initiate a divorce without cause, they must agree not only to renounce all rights to
the couples finances, but must also repay their dowries. Essentially, they have to buy their
freedom. In Israel, a man must grant his wife a get, a Jewish divorce writ that can only be given
by a man to his wife never the other way around.

Access to education

In many areas of Afghanistan, girls are often taken out of school when they hit puberty. Cultural
factors related to the correctness of sending girls to school, reluctance to send girls and boys to
the same school after third grade, as well as the perceived and real security threats related to
girls walking to school and attending classes all contribute to slowing down the enrollment of girls
in schools. Likewise, the enormous lack of female teachers, who are fundamental in a country
where girls cannot be taught by a man after a certain age, is having a negative impact on girls
education. While progress has been made since the fall of the Taliban, women are still struggling
to see their rights fulfilled. Literacy rates among young Afghan women are disturbingly low: only
18 per cent of women between 15 and 24 can read. While the total number of children enrolled in
primary schools is increasing tremendously, the percentage of female students is not.

Right to travel

Husbands in Egypt and Bahrain can file an official complaint at the airport to forbid their wives
from leaving the country for any reason. In Syria, a husband can prevent his wife from leaving
the country. In Iraq, Libya, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and Yemen, married women must have their
husbands written permission to travel abroad, and they may be prevented from doing so for any
reason. In Saudi Arabia, women must obtain written permission from their closest male relative to
leave the country or travel on public transportation between different parts of the kingdom.
Victims of violence

Womens unequal legal rights increase their vulnerability to violence. In many countries in the
region, no specific laws or provisions exist to penalize domestic violence, even though domestic
violence is a widespread problem. Domestic violence is generally considered to be a private
matter outside the states jurisdiction. Battered women are told to go home if they attempt to file a
complaint with the police. Few shelters exist to protect women who fear for their lives. Spousal
rape has not been criminalized; husbands have an absolute right to their wives bodies at all
times. Penal codes in several countries in the region also contain provisions that authorize the
police and judges to drop charges against a rapist if he agrees to marry his victim.
Custody rights

In Bahrain, where family law is not codified, judges have complete power to deny women custody
of their children for the most arbitrary reasons. Bahraini women who have been courageous
enough to expose and challenge these violations in 2003 were sued for slander by eleven family
court judges.

Citizenship

Most countries in the region-with the exception of Iran, Tunisia, Israel, and to a limited extent
Egypt-have permitted only fathers to pass citizenship on to their children. Women married to non-
nationals are denied this fundamental right.

Sexual subjugation

Many countries criminalize adult, consensual sex outside of marriage. In Morocco, women are
much more likely to be charged with having violated penal code prohibitions on sexual relations
outside of marriage than men. Unmarried pregnant women are particularly at risk of prosecution.
The Moroccan penal code also considers the rape of a virgin as an aggravating circumstance of
assault. The message is clear: the degree of punishment of the perpetrator is determined by the
sexual experience of the victim.
Female infanticide

Chinas one child policy has heightened the disdain for female infants; abortion, neglect,
abandonment, and infanticide have been known to occur to female infants. The result of such
family planning has been the disparate ratio of 114 males for every 100 females among babies
from birth through children four years of age. Normally, 105 males are naturally born for every
100 females.

Similarly, the number of girls born and surviving in India is significantly less compared with the
number of boys, due to the disproportionate numbers of female fetuses being aborted and baby
girls deliberately neglected and left to die. The normal ratio of births should be 950 girls for every
1000 boys, however in some regions the number is as low as 300.

Categories: Gender | Leave a comment

How far do you agree that men are more

discriminated against than women in
modern society?
Posted on 30/06/2012 by ZW

Modern society is one that emphasizes meritocracy and equal rights for all. Today, women in
many parts of the world enjoy much parity in treatment and opportunities. Women, now, have the
right to vote, and the right to be educated. It is also common to have highly-educated women
taking up senior executive positions in corporations. And women, too, are increasingly becoming
a force to be reckoned with in politics. All these, some people would have us believe, have been
achieved at the expense of mens rights. The sad reality is that all women, even those in
developed societies, still suffer from discrimination, though obviously in varying degrees, which
most men conveniently ignore.
It is undeniable that men do indeed suffer some forms of discrimination. For example, in a
divorce case, the judge would most likely grant the mother the custody of the child unless the
mother is a criminal or is mentally unstable. The justification for this is that it is in the best
interest of the child as mothers are considered better at bringing up children, especially the
younger ones. This is a gross generalization, and is one obvious example of discrimination
against males. After all, a mother-headed family is often far from ideal. One of the main causes
of child abuse is the presence in the home of a boyfriend or stepfather. Fathers can be good
parents too.
Worldwide, as more women are choosing to postpone childbearing, many governments in Asia,
Europe and America are giving out longer maternity leave to encourage more mothers to give
birth. In Singapore, for example, mothers are entitled to longer maternity leave, but what about
the fathers? Many fathers want to be involved in family affairs too. Should they not be given
paternity leave so that they can take care of their children too? In Norway, fathers are entitled to
9-months paternity leave, but in most countries, fathers are not entitled to such benefit. And yet,
they have to take care of their families.
In addition, well-groomed males are described somewhat derisively as metro-sexuals, and
fathers who choose to stay at home to take care of their children are often badmouthed. Where
are their rights to groom themselves, to make choices? After all, no one laughs at mothers who
choose not to work. No one laughs at women who go to spas or seek beauty treatment.

Indeed, men do suffer some forms of discrimination in todays society. However, in my opinion,
these are only minor forms of discrimination found only in developed countries. In many
developing countries, women continue to be suppressed. Even in developed countries, the lot of
a woman is less enviable compared to that of the male archaic social expectations of women and
the existence of a glass ceiling are common forms of discrimination that continue to plague
women.

Although much parity has been achieved in our modern society, women are still expected by
society to adhere to the traditional roles of women. In Singapore, for example, society still
expects women to aspire to get married, give birth and be mothers. Even as more women enter
the workforce, married women who choose not to give birth are often criticized and pressured to
reverse their decisions by society.
Even in democratic America, First Ladies are expected to fit into the traditional molds and abstain
from any involvement in politics. Hillary Clinton, the former US First Lady, was lambasted for
heading the National Health Care Task Force. She and Eleanor Roosevelt, before her, were
criticized for expressing their views and taking part in politics. Where are their rights to freedom
of speech? Even Tipper Gore, the wife of former vice-president Al Gore, was lambasted for
speaking out against violence and pornographic music lyrics in 1985.

Politically, although women make up more than half of the population, women are still under-
represented. Presently, women only make up 21.7% of all legislative seats globally. Indeed,
influential women politicians like Margaret Thatcher, Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Gloria
Arroyo do exist, but they only make up a minority. And many, like Gloria Arroyo and Sonia
Gandhi are able to hold so much power merely because of their families who were previously
active in politics. It is heartening to see developing countries like Afghanistan making headways
in granting women equal rights. Afghanistan, for example, voted for their first female provincial
governor in the recent polls. The new Cabinet even has three female ministers. Sadly, such
cases are merely isolated ones. Domestically, while we have ten female Members of Parliament,
only two are Ministers of State, and none are full ministers. Clearly, women are still seen as less
competent politicians by society even when women have the same or high educational
qualifications.
Economically, while equal rights to pay and work have been largely achieved in the developed
world, women still earn much less than men even if they have the same qualifications.
In Singapore, for example, 2003 statistics show that women earned an annual income of
US$15,322, while men earned an annual income of US$31,927. In addition, although women are
becoming increasingly highly-educated, the presence of glass-ceilings denies women the right to
attain higher positions. In Singapore, for example, only 6% of the top local companies have at
least one female director. In comparison, 60% of the top 1000 companies in USA have at least 1
female director. In many countries too, granting of flexible working arrangements and maternity
leave is given lip service and many women continue to be sacked when they are pregnant.
Needless to say, in developing countries, the situation is worse. Women are often confined to the
house and denied the right to work. Hence, women often make up more than half of those living
in extreme poverty.
In todays modern society where the emphasis is on equality for all, society has made much
improvement in terms of granting equal rights to women. In this rush to achieve sexual parity, it is
undeniable that this improvement has been achieved sometimes at the expense of
men. However, discrimination against men is relatively insignificant. Women, worldwide, continue
to suffer far greater forms of discrimination socially, politically and economically. To claim
therefore that men are more discriminated against than women in modern society is therefore
nothing short of ludicrous.

Categories: Gender | Leave a comment

The fight for gender equality is no longer important

in todays society. Discuss.
Posted on 30/06/2012 by ZW
Gender equality has evolved from an ideology during the time of the famed Rosa Parks to a
massive human rights movement today. The movement that took the world by storm has borne
many fruits, and society has made clear progress in this aspect. The significant achievements in
this field and the widespread acknowledgement of gender equality have led to a slowing down of
the once fervent race. The reducing number of protests, placard marches and campaigns has
raised doubts in the minds of many. Perhaps, today, in a world as developed as the one we live
in, gender equality and the fight for it is no longer important. They are wrong. Gender equality,
and the fight for it, is still, if not more, important today, than it was in the past.
Indeed, the fight for gender equality has won many battles. The suffrage movement won rights
for women all across the globe. It had not only increased the value of women in society, it did the
same to a womans sense of self-worth. The suffrage movement revealed many injustices and
sought rectification and compensation. It demanded equal playing fields for both sexes, sending
ripples through the many patriarchal societies, brought education to women, a right now largely
recognized, and allowed women to contribute to society. It raised a womans status, esteem and
notion of self-worth.
The fight also showed considerable results in the working world, which was largely dominated by
males. The fight for gender equality has decimated glass ceilings in jobs across the spectrum,
allowing women to take on higher societal or organizational positions. It awarded women equal
opportunities, with many companies now functioning on the system of meritocracy. Today, more
than 30% of high position jobs are occupied by women, compared to less than 2% in the 80s.
In the political arena, a once largely male-dominated as well, Condoleezza Rice and Hilary
Clinton are among the few women charging head-on into a once foreign field. Hilary Clinton ran
against Barack Obama in the Democratic elections in 2008, matching him state-to-state until the
end. Clinton is a stellar example of how women can contribute more than their two cents worth.
Despite losing to Obama, Clinton continues to stay in the political game, aiding the Democratic
representative in the Presidential Elections against John McCain. The fight for gender equality
has opened up many doors, managing to even allow women to take a slice of the political pie.

The success of the fight is apparent. However, today, many are questioning if maybe enough
doors have been opened for women, and whether the importance of the fight has disappeared.
This may ring true for developed countries, but for developing countries which are still far lacking
in resources, and the courage to take on an idea seen as absurd to some, or dangerous to
others, women are still at the losing end. It is only because the developed countries refuse to
acknowledge this fact that it appears as if the fight for gender equality has outlived its welcome.
In strict Muslim societies such as Afghanistan and Iran, backward traditions and mentalities
hinder the countries growth. In the former, statistics have shown that less than 10% of the
reported cases of rape have received justice. Ridiculous clauses, such as requiring at least two
adult male witnesses willing to support the rape claim, prevent many cases from even gaining
access to a court hearing. This injustice has long plagued the country, with little being done to
rectify it. However, this problem is also the reason for Afghanistans uncivilized laws, which
prevent it from gaining a good standing on the international level. This could lead to a stagnant
economy, or even worse, a stagnant economy trapped in the dogmatic principles of the past.
In the economic domain, developed countries are no exceptions. The perception that a male has
more value than a female runs deep in countries like India and China. Both countries are, today,
facing an imbalanced sex ratio, that of China being one female to every 1.6 males. In Chinas
case, the one-child policy is the main culprit. Set during revolutionary days, the one-child policy
allows each family to have onlyone child, or two, in special cases. While this was done to combat
the problem of a population growing faster than its country could support, it has brought along
with it many problems. In both countries, infanticide ranks high on the causes of infant deaths.
The desire for a more valuable male offspring has led to increased abortion rates and cases of
baby girls being abandoned. The imbalance in the sex ratio also has many serious
repercussions. It has been linked to increased crime rates, with men unable to find a bride,
resorting to kidnapping, buying or trafficking women to fulfill their needs for companionships or
carnal desires. A largely unmarried society could ironically lead to the downfall of the family unit,
a component of society valued by Asians. High migration rates could lead to a drastic fall in the
working population, in turn resulting in a weakened economy.
It is age-old out-dated views, captured in equally old saying such as Eighteen goddess-like
daughters are not equal to one son with a hump, that still call for the fight for gender equality to
continue. Statistics like that fact that women make up 60%of South Korean graduates but
constitute less than 25% of the working force only compound the problem. Crusaders of this
mission have yet to fully spread their message, with only larger communities benefiting. Besides
the fact that the cease-fire could bring repercussions such as the ones faced by China and
India, the fight for gender equality is also, above all, a stunning example of human spirit. Just like
the heart-warming stories of Chinese natives who went out of their way to help their fellow men
after the Sichuan earthquake, the fight for gender equality tore social theories, such as social
Darwinism, to bits. It displays human compassion in a dog-eat-dog world, where the more
fortunate gives to their less fortunate counterparts. Philosophers like Charles Darwin believed
that Man is born selfish. The continued fight for gender equality proves otherwise.

In conclusion, gender equality, and the fight for it, is still very important today. It will help to level
unequal playing fields, giving women a voice and a place in society. It will display the full capacity
of the human spirit, with both men and women, spanning the various races, jobs and social
standing, joining in the biggest human rights movement of all time.

Categories: Essay, Gender | Leave a comment

Men and women were never meant to be equal. Do

you agree?
Posted on 30/06/2012 by ZW

Almost a century ago, the first feminist movement took off, where women fought for equal
opportunities, respect, recognition and rights as men. Today, there are numerous prominent
female figures who have taken up the roles that were traditionally dominated by men the
present Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, former President of Indonesia, Megawati
Sukarnoputri, and present Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, are just a few examples
suggesting that the pursuit of equality of the sexes is very much feasible and realistic. However,
it remains that there are certain intrinsic qualities of men and women that perhaps point to the
disconcerting fact that men and women were never meant to be equal, and hence, the pursuit for
equality of men and women is futile.
The intrinsic and biological sexual dimorphism between the male and the female genders are
numerous. Research has shown that men tend to have greater aggressive tendencies, greater
muscle mass, better spatial skills and quick arousal in response to sexual images. Furthermore,
it is also interesting to note that an overwhelming majority of serial killers, psychopaths and
criminals in maximum-security prisons are males. On the other hand, women tend to have
weaker visualization skills, better skills of communication, verbalization and emotional empathy
it is no wonder that over 50% of the teaching workforce is composed of women.
These intrinsic and biological differences between men and women ultimately lead to seemingly
logical differences in the social roles of each gender. Women, who sacrifice a lot more nutrients
in their bodies to bear a baby as compared to men, might naturally be inclined to play a greater
role in the nurturing of the child in the family and in being homemakers. On the other hand, men,
who are blessed with better spatial skills, greater muscle mass and strength, naturally take on
the role of hunting food for the family. This structure of the human family, men as hunters and
women as gatherers, has been passed on for numerous generations and over thousands of
years. Overtime, this has resulted in men taking on far more dominant position in the societies of
the world than women do. Additionally, women have a biological clock that prevents them from
bearing a child after a little after the age of 40, when they hit menopause. This acts as the single
strongest deterrent against any women who aspires to climb the corporate ladder even half a
year of maternity leave can be sufficient to disqualify a woman from a promotion. Indeed, these
realities of the intrinsic differences between men and women are clear evidence that men and
women were never meant to be equal in the first place, and it is perhaps foolish to consider the
idea of gender equality.

With all the above arguments supporting that gender equality is an impossible task, it would be
hard to image any country, which enjoys full equality of the sexes in the workplace and not suffer
the detrimental consequences of falling birth rates. Yet, such countries do exist Scandinavian
countries such as Sweden, not only have among the largest labour participation of women, they
also have among the highest fertility rates in the developed world. How is this even possible?
In todays world, technological advances have allowed many women to take up jobs that would
previously require a mans intrinsic powers of raw strength. Labour-intensive industries, such as
the manufacturing or mining industries, may now be done completely automatically by robots and
machinery. Hence this has rendered mans intrinsic powers of strength useless in an increasingly
technologically-advanced society. Furthermore, womens innate skills of
communication, verbalization and empathy, may become increasingly attractive in the
modern workplace. As economies of the world move from manufacturing-based to more
knowledge-and-service-based, the skills and abilities needed in the workplace also gradually
move in the direction of abilities that are not exclusive to men or women. Additionally, the modern
female, equipped with an equal amount of education as the modern male, is no longer the
disadvantaged sex. Education has allowed men and women to attain equal opportunities and
qualifications, creating a fairer playing field between men and women. Lastly, the government
may also play a key role in ensuring gender equality. Government-funded childcare centres,
policies on maternity leave, economic incentives to bear children, all play a part to ensuring
women do not lose out in the workplace.
Swedens example of the possibility of gender equality is a promising sign for the rest of the
world. It reflects the highly possible scenario for men and women to have equal opportunities in
the workplace or public sphere, without having disastrous effects infertility rates or changing any
societal expectations. Indeed, men and women can aspire to be equal after all, and the pursuit
for gender equality is not only possible, but also feasible and practical.
Categories: Essay, Gender | Leave a comment

Women should never rule a country. Is this a

fair statement?
Posted on 30/06/2012 by ZW

This is the link to the reference

article: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/should-women-rule/7061/
While no woman has been president of Singapore nor has any woman run for presidency, it does
not mean that a woman is incapable of ruling a country. There are many notable female leaders
in big organizations, whom have stood up to run for presidency in countries like US and
Indonesia. In fact, human history reveals that the world does have many years worth of
experience with female rulers. All of us must acknowledge the fact that women are indeed
worthy of leading and developing any territory.

Notable female leaders such as Cleopatra of Egypt, Empress Wu Zetian of Tang Dynasty, China
and Queen Elizabeth I of England had indeed contributed much to their ruling societies.
Cleopatra succeeded in overthrowing her brothers reign and concentrated the power in her own
hands. She was scheming, capable, ambitious and absolutely remarkable, and made great
contributions to protect her kingdom. Empress Wu, though the last ruler of the Tang Dynasty,
brought the empire to greater heights. Many inventions were made during her reign and material
wealth of the country was at one of its highest peaks. Elizabeth I was endowed with immense
courage and handled problems like religious strife and foreign debt very well. She garnered
support from the masses and many respected her even after her death. Renowned cases of
female leaders are highly commendable and we must not forget their efforts in protecting and
contributing to their empires.
Many have argued that womens rule over men would be an utter disgrace to not only men, but
the society as well. Men define women as weak, meek and incompetent human beings, only
capable of reproducing and taking care of minor chores. Whatever happens outside the home
must only be controlled and maintained by men, otherwise all have to face the dire
consequences brought about by female interference. Men have always argued that female
leadership is synonymous to inept leadership, but they have neglected the fact that women are
also equally smart and capable of handling major tasks. As quoted from the article, In a highly
competitive and increasingly fractious world, women possess the kind of critical problem-solving
skills that are urgently needed to break down barriers, build understanding, and create the best
conditions for peace, which certainly proves to us that men could not solve all problems and
women interference is a must. Men are aggressive in their approach in handling matters, such as
staging war against other territories in the case of US-Iraq War , and often resulted in
unconcluded agreements. On the other hand, women are calm-minded and gentle when tackling
huge matters. According to research, majority of the females believe that all matters must be
treated with care, like how they take care of kids, and that they tend to excel more in consensus-
building and other skills in leadership. With all these in mind, women have the potential to resolve
conflicts between territories through peaceful means.
All in all, it is unfair to say that women are incompetent when taking over leadership roles. They
definitely would not disgrace the society and in fact, they may potentially bring about progress to
the community. Female political leaders are portrayed so much less impressive in this
democratic era due to mediocre positions given to them or even not well-addressed in
developing countries, where highest number of records of female presidents are found. Women
can be great leaders and should be given the chance to outshine the men. It is timely that we
need to address this issue of gender inequality in leadership positions in any group, community
or country.
Categories: Gender | Leave a comment

The fight for gender equality has gone too far. Do

you agree?
Posted on 30/06/2012 by ZW

Written by Tay Ang Chun, Thomas:

If I asked a man to name a feminist, the majority would name famous women like Gloria Steinem.
How many of them would name men like Barack Obama or John Lennon, who fought hard for
the feminist movement? A feminist is someone who believes that both genders should be equal;
men can be feminists too. The fact that most feminist programmes are targeted at women has
created the misconception that feminists must be women, and some even view it as a movement
that wants the absolute dominance of women.

I would like to clarify this misconception, as I believe that the fight for gender equality has not
gone too far. In this essay, I shall limit going too far to inequality towards men.
Firstly, the fight for gender equality has brought about equal rights. For instance, women could
rarely attend formal education in the past. However, the rise of the feminist movement in the
1960s soon led to a law in 1972 passed to punish schools which discriminated against gender,
and now 57% of all college graduates in the USA are women. Therefore, we can see that the
gender inequality in education has decreased, which in turn is due to the feminist movements
and other struggles for gender equality. Thus, we cannot say that it has gone too far.

Nevertheless, there are still some who say that men are the ones being trodden upon by the
feminist movements. For example, they point fingers at Hollywood, which recently portrayed men
as psychopaths and bullies hurting intelligent women in box-office films such as Silence of the
Lambs. However, there have also been numerous examples of recent movies that also portray
men in a positive light while patronising women; In Transformers the main characters were males
and any female characters were placed there as eye candy. Moreover, men have been cast in a
negative light long before the feminist movements, in movies such as Strangers on a Train
(1951). Hence, we can see that the mistreatment of men due to the feminist movement is
nonsense, as the perception towards men has not changed greatly.

Furthermore, we must not forget that despite all the efforts to promote gender equality, we are
still a far cry away from complete gender equality. For example, 90% of all billionaires are
men.People still use derogatory terms such as womens work to refer to secretarial positions. In
London, 79% of women claim that they feel discriminated against. If we cannot even grant
women a fair voice in the workplace, how can we even claim that men are being discriminated
against?

In essence, the outcome of the fight for gender equality is simply equality. Due to
misunderstandings, people may inadvertently view it as a fight for the superiority of women, but it
is simply about letting everybody achieve their highest potential. Let us hope that the world can
soon awaken to this, and understand this quote: [A woman] is not better, wiser, stronger, more
intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less.