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In Saudi Arabia, women aren’t allowed to drive, or even ride bikes, and men aren’t allowed to drive women they’re 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 aren’t 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 Arabia’s 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 weren’t 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.

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Men Control Rights to Travel

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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.

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Canada's gender equality regression is a problem that must be solved.

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Canada's gender equality regression is a problem that must be solved.

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The decline has been gradual, dating from the 2000s, but steady. Today, Nicaragua and Rwanda outrank Canada — indeed, they are in the top 10 in gender equality. Rwandan law requires equal representation of women in parliament.

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Men might work longer hours in the office, but women work the most hours overall thanks to chores and childcare.

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11th Grader Told Her Afro Needed To Be 'Fixed' And Couldn't Be Worn In School

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11th Grader Told Her Afro Needed To Be 'Fixed' And Couldn't Be Worn In School

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Just weeks before summer recess, 17-year-old Jenesis Johnson was told by her teacher at North Florida Christian School in Florida that the afro she'd been wearing for the past seven months needed to be "fixed," WCTV reports.

"She said that my hair needs to be fixed, it was not neat and needs to be put in a style. My hair is fixed," Johnson told WCTV of her teacher's comments. The school district declined to provide comment to HuffPost. Johnson had not provided HuffPost with a comment at the time of publication.

Jenesis said the teacher told her that her hair was a distraction to classmates, despite the fact that she said she sits in the back of the classroom. She said the teacher asked her how long she'd been planning to wear her hair in an afro while in front of other students.

Jenesis' peers then began asking their own questions about her hair.

Johnson told the station she was told to report to the assistant principal's office two days later. View a video of the report above, or head to WCTV.

"[The assistant principal] said: 'Your hair is extreme and faddish and out of control. It's all over the place,'" Johnson said.

According to WCTV, the school's handbook states that hairstyles can be deemed unacceptable by the school.

"No faddish or extreme hairstyles, and hair should be neat and clean at all times," the book is said to read. "The administration will make the decision on any questionable styles."

But Johnson's mom took that to mean something else in her daughter's case.

"You might say that it didn't fit the handbook," Lisa Johnson said. "But what she heard is a woman telling her is that she's not pretty; her hair does not fit society."

According to Ms. Johnson, the school said Jenesis was allowed to finish her last week at the school but the school told her that if her daughter didn't change her hairstyle, they'd be giving Ms. Johnson a refund for the next school semester.

This story comes just weeks after two Massachusetts teens were sent to detention for wearing braids.

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High Schooler Told Her Afro Needs To Be 'Fixed' And Violated School Rules

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Just weeks before summer recess, 17-year-old Jenesis Johnson was told by her teacher at North Florida Christian School in Florida that the afro she'd been wearing for the past seven months needed to be "fixed," WCTV reports. "She said that my hair needs to be fixed, it was not neat and needs to be put in a style.

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Another cop got away with shooting a black man in the back

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Another cop got away with shooting a black man in the back

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Footage was found of a policeman shooting a black man in the back has surfaced after the Salt Lake City district attorney cleared the cop involved, ruling that the use of deadly force was justified.

The Wednesday ruling dropped the charges against the cop who shot 50-year-old Patrick Harmon around 10:05 pm of August 13, after pulling him over on his bike for riding without a light and crossing several lanes of traffic, according to prosecutors

Another white cop, trying to act like doing something as innocent as riding a bike without a light is a crime worth killing for.

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You are Muslim and you wear traditional clothing. You call about an apartment and it is available. When you show up to look at it, the landlord says it is rented, but the “For Rent” ad continues to run in the newspaper.

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How the The Equality Act protects you from ageism

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How the The Equality Act protects you from ageism

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Due to the Equality Act, age discrimination is against the law, in almost all cases.

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How the The Equality Act protects you from ageism | Age UK

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The Equality Act is a law which protects you from discrimination, meaning that discrimination or unfair treatment on the basis of certain personal characteristics, such as age, is against the law in almost all cases.

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we have come a long way from along time ago but there are still many things we can improve on, in revel and riot they give a deeper understanding "Some of the protections and obligations of marriage in the U.S.A. which were denied to married gay couples included: hospital visitations, child custody, adoption, parenting rights, medical decision-making power, automatic inheritance, standing to sue for wrongful death of a spouse, divorce protections, spousal and child support, access to family insurance policies, exemption from property tax upon death of a spouse, immunity from being forced to testify against one’s spouse, domestic violence protections, and more. " they prove that there is much more we are keeping from familys

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SEATTLE - Despite massive progress, women's rights remains a critical issue throughout the world, especially in regions like North Africa and the Middle East. Women are confronted with a systematic denial of rights where legal discrimination leaves them inferior to their male counterparts. Consequently, women globally lack a full realization of their fundamental human rights. Learning about this problem reveals that gender equality is central to sustainable progress. These are ten examples of gender inequality existing in the world today.

1. Lack of Mobility

Women are forbidden to drive in Saudi Arabia, despite numerous protests, and must rely on their fathers or husbands to get from place to place. In countries like Egypt and Bahrain, husbands have the right to stop their wives from leaving the country while other countries require written permission from a husband to travel.
Sources: Discovery, List Verse, Says
Photo: NPR

2. Freedom of Marriage

According to the U.N., 40 percent of young women in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are married by age 18. Child marriage not only increases the chance of complications of giving birth that often prove fatal, but also contravenes the fundamental human right of choice of partnership. In Pakistan, women are expected to accept arranged marriages and refusal can lead to "honor killings" that typically go uncontested by the government.
Sources: Discovery, Says, Advocates for Youth, Girls Not Brides
Photo: NBC News

3. Discriminatory Divorce Rights

Creating a Road Home
In most of the Middle East, countries are governed by religious ideals and gender inequality is pervasive. As men are typically viewed as superior, they can divorce their wives relatively easily and even through mere oral renunciation. Women, on the other hand, face many more challenges. In Lebanon, abused women do not even have the right to file for divorce unless an eyewitness is willing to testify.
Sources: List Verse,
Photo: Bulletin of the Oppression of Women

4. Citizenship

With the exception of Israel, Iran, Tunisia, and parts of Egypt, women in the Middle East do not have the right to pass citizenship on to their children while men have the ability to not only pass it to their children, but also to their non-national wives.
Sources: List Verse, MERIP
Photo: FDI

5. Frontline Combat

While allowed to participate in the army, women are still not permitted to serve in frontline combat in Turkey and Slovakia. As recently as 2016, this gender inequality persisted in the U.K. as well.
Source: Says
Photo: The Spectator

6. Custody Rights

Creating a Road Home
In some countries, the courts automatically grant custody rights to the father, and women are left without any means of financial support. For example, in Bahrain, family laws are not systematized, enabling judges to deny mothers custody of their children.
Sources: List Verse,
Photo: Flickr

7. Violence

Unequal legal rights make women increasingly vulnerable to violence. One of the most obvious forms of violence against women in the world today is that of spousal rape. India's recent ruling that rape laws do not apply to married couples clearly illustrates the sexual subjugation and violence to which women remain exposed.
Sources: List Verse, Advocates for Youth, Borgen Magazine
Photo: Policy Mic

8. Professional Obstacles

Even in developed countries, women are at a disadvantage when it comes to earnings. The highest-paying fields are still dominated by men, and on average, women earn just 77 percent of what men earn for the same amount of work. At this rate, it could take a full 45 years before this gender inequality disappears.
Sources: Discovery, Says, Huffington Post

9. Restricted Land Ownership

In some countries, customary or religious law effectively prohibits the ownership of land by females, even if their constitution claims equal rights. In many countries like North Sudan, Tanzania, and Lesotho, land ownership and control tends to go to the male head of the household. In Zambia, women and men are allowed to acquire a registered land title, but customary land tenure is also recognized making it unlikely for a woman to be allocated land without the approval of her husband.
Sources: Discovery, Says, USAID

10. Access to Education

Women make up more than two-thirds of the world's illiterate adults, and access to education is especially a problem in Afghanistan where groups that oppose female education attack many schools. Female rights are also compromised due to limited awareness of what they should be entitled to, which could only be remedied through greater access to education.
Sources: Discovery, List Verse, Says, Do Something, UN Women 1
Photo: The Guardian
Feature Photo: Intel For Change

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10 Examples of Gender Inequality in the World - BORGEN

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SEATTLE - Despite massive progress, women's rights remains a critical issue throughout the world, especially in regions like North Africa and the Middle East. Women are confronted with a systematic denial of rights where legal discrimination leaves them inferior to their male counterparts. Consequently, women globally lack a full realization of their fundamental human rights.

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Income inequality in OECD countries is at its highest level for the past half century.The average income of the richest 10% of the population is about nine times that of the poorest 10% across the OECD, up from seven times 25 years ago. Only in Turkey, Chile, and Mexico has inequality fallen, but in the latter two countries the incomes of the richest are still more than 25 times those of the poorest. The economic crisis has added urgency to the need to address inequality. Uncertainty and fears of social decline and exclusion have reached the middle classes in many societies. Arresting the trend of rising inequality has become a priority for policy makers in many countries.

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Data and research on social and welfare issues including families and children, gender equality, GINI coefficient, well-being, poverty reduction, human capital and inequality., Inequality is a multi-dimensional challenge, it goes beyond income and it affects the well-being of our people.

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More women are in paid employment than ever. The bad: They’re still not earning equal wages to men 

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More women are in paid employment than ever. The bad: They’re still not earning equal wages to men 

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“Women’s share in the labour force continues to rise and almost everywhere women are working more outside the household,” the study states, “although there has not been a parallel lightening of responsibility for unremunerated work in the household and community.” Economic pressures make dual-income parents or single working parents a necessity, and the load is landing on women’s shoulders.

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Every year in early March, organizations around the world present data on the state of gender equality in each country in honor of International Women's Day.

A very brief history: Begun in 1909 as National Women's Day, the celebration followed a march for women's rights the year prior through New York City, demanding equal economic and political rights. The day went international in 1911, joined by Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Today, International Women's Day (March 8) is an official holiday in countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Russia, and Ukraine. In some cultures, it holds the same significance as Mother's Day.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (U.N. Women, for short) celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action with a global survey, out every five years. The organization looks at three criteria when assessing policy actions and investments, according to the U.N. Women website:

Do they support women's capabilities and their enjoyment of rights?

Do they reduce, rather than increase, women's unpaid care work?

Do they embrace women's equal and meaningful participation as actors, leaders, and decision-makers?

Here's a look at their findings:

The good news: More women are in paid employment than ever. The bad: They're still not earning equal wages to men.

"Women's share in the labour force continues to rise and almost everywhere women are working more outside the household," the study states, "although there has not been a parallel lightening of responsibility for unremunerated work in the household and community." Economic pressures make dual-income parents or single working parents a necessity, and the load is landing on women's shoulders.
Related: 16 U.S. Cities Where Women Actually Earn More Than Men
The good news: More women are making it to senior management. The bad: They still only make up 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs.

"Eliminate occupational segregation" makes the list of actionable goals in this study. Promoting and encouraging women to senior management, career development, and counseling will help get us there, as well as encouraging women to take nontraditional jobs in science and technology sectors.

They're positive numbers, but the top isn't the finish line. We've reported before that women entrepreneurs pay themselves salaries equivalent to 80% of those of their male counterparts.
Related: 6 Ways To Get Women In Leadership Positions And Keep Them There
The good news: More women make headlines. The bad: It's only a small amount more-and they're still stereotyped.

The representation of women in media saw paltry improvement-only up by 24% since 1995. Only 6% of the media's messages about women challenge stereotypes.

"More women are involved in careers in the communications sector, but few have attained positions at the decision-making level or serve on governing boards and bodies that influence media policy," according to the Beijing 20 study. "The lack of gender sensitivity in the media is evidenced by the failure to eliminate the gender-based stereotyping that can be found in public and private local, national and international media organizations."
Related: Meet The Women Challenging The Media And Tech Establishments
The good news: Women are breaking into the political spheres more and more. The bad: They still make up only a fraction of political leadership.

"A worldwide movement towards democratization has opened up the political process in many nations, but the popular participation of women in key decision-making as full and equal partners with men, particularly in politics, has not yet been achieved," the study states. More women are in parliament, for example, but still make up a small minority of the seats there.
Related: How A Nonprofit Is Teaching Women To Run For Office

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The Best And Worst News In Gender Equality Around The World | Fast Company

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Every year in early March, organizations around the world present data on the state of gender equality in each country in honor of International Women's Day. A very brief history: Begun in 1909 as National Women's Day, the celebration followed a march for women's rights the year prior through New York City, demanding equal economic and political rights.

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"Women in Canada earn 28% less than men, and this gap is widening, not closing."

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"Women in Canada earn 28% less than men, and this gap is widening, not closing."

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Awhile back women have been known to stay in the house to cook and clean but now a days females are able to get jobs and work for themselves. But that gender inequality wall is still up and women are not able to earn more money then if a man had the same job.

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March 1, 2016, by Kathy Gregory, 2 Comments

This blog post was originally published on the Realfword.

A couple years ago I took 10 young female managers from my company to a leadership session hosted by WXN ( Women's Executive Network) for female leaders. That year, I had the honour of being awarded one of Canada's top 100 most Powerful Women, and on the day of the gala awards they hosted a symposium for women. I was excited that the team of female managers/leaders I took had the opportunity to listen to successful female leaders on a variety of topics.

One of the sessions had a panel of accomplished women who shared their professional experiences and wisdom from their tremendous success. The room was thick with buzz and excitement. I remember smiling to myself as I looked around the audience at so many hopeful, young women eager to learn about creating their own career paths for success. As well, there were many established women who were equally excited to learn from the successful corporate executives, public servant and an entrepreneurs on this esteemed panel. WXN does an outstanding job in highlighting women and promoting mentorship.

The panel was filled with confident and passionate female leaders who shared their journey, and the audience eagerly jotted notes. But it was the question and answer period when it hit me like a . This is when I learned that not all successful women understand the plight of inequality issues, nor are they equipped to address it. It's important for me to point out that I don't agree with the notion that women are their own worst enemies when it comes to professional support and that women negatively target other women in their career. I have never encountered this and I whole heartedly believe it is total bullshit. Does it happen? Yes. However, what people are actually referring to is the innate competitiveness that exists in the corporate world; where men compete against men, women against women, and women against men. It's just that simple, women are not out to "get" other women. It is a competitive world out there and sometimes we run into unsupportive people, both male and female.

Back to the tsunami, one of the questions posed to the panel was, "What's the one piece of advice you would give women to break the glass ceiling?" One corporate executive, the President of a major corporation, eagerly responded with the following, " You won't like my answer, but stop having babies, I made a choice to not have children and it paid off, you can NOT have both".

What the hell?! Did she just say that? The silence that ensued was one of shock, and it rippled throughout the room. I looked around at the faces of my leadership team, who clearly appeared dumbfounded. I had to hold myself back from running onto the stage and shouting "are you freaking kidding me?!!!" I won't name her personally, LOL...but suffice it to say, she was the head of a cola company in Canada and I immediately switched from drinking Diet Pepsi to Diet Coke! I think I still get pissed off when I see a can of Pepsi.

just when I thought it couldn't get worse, one of the other panelist chimed in and agreed that not having children was the only way to win against gender inequality in the workplace and that we shouldn't be surprised if get stuck in middle management if we choose a career as well as children. I won't name her either LOL...

These women have just set this entire room of female leaders back 30 years in 5 minutes. Fortunately, the other panelists vehemently disagreed. They handled this controversy with much more grace than I would have. One spoke of her three children, and how she managed to successfully raise them to be loving, confident young people, all while becoming the CEO of a giant hydro company. The other panelist an entrepreneur, a brilliant woman who didn't have children, but fully intended to. Yay for them! I didn't have to charge up to the stage after all.

Here's the thing, the two anti-children female panelists are certainly entitled to their opinions, but I can't help but think that their opinions created a tiny bit of doubt in the minds of the many young women that day. Not exactly positive reinforcement. I respect their own personal decisions in not having children - it can't be easy in today's society telling family, colleagues and friends you don't want to be a mother. Good for them for making a personal choice that was right for them, and not bending to what was expected of them because of gender biases. But, they missed the whole point, didn't they?

I've raised two daughters and half a son, (he's only 14, so still lots of work to do), while aggressively focusing on my family, career and company. Was it hard? You're damn right, but hey, life is hard, for most of us. Did I make sacrifice? You bet. Would my children say they missed out on anything or feel that my career got in the way of our family, or feel less loved and nurtured? No freaking way.... and trust me, I've asked them.

So, we will continue to raise our voices and address gender inequality issues, for both men and women. My sense is that many of our existing leaders today are stuck in 1979, and are struggling with even acknowledging that gender inequality exists.

If you still aren't convinced that gender inequality exists, here are a few stats that will intrigue you:

Over 72% of Canadian households are made up of two working parents, up from 35% in 1976. Bottom line is that raising a family is expensive. Both parents generally have to work. Add to this, 20% of working parents are single parents, and 8 out of 10 of these are women.

Women in Canada earn 28% less than men, and this gap is widening, not closing.

Women in Canada are becoming better educated than men with over half of university grads being women and 35% of those are MBA graduates.

Canada doesn't have a viable child care policy program.

Women represent only 10% of seats on board of directors.

Women hold only 5.2 % of the CEO roles at Fortune 500 companies.

Women hold only 8% of top paid jobs in Canada.

21% of single moms are raising their children in poverty in Canada, versus 9.6% of the total Canadian population living below the poverty level.

50% of women in Canada above the age of 18 have experienced sexual or physical assault.

Furthermore, we should ask ourselves, " Is gender bias getting better with the younger generation? " Not necessarily. According to recent studies at top universities, they asked graduating MBA students what their salary expectations after graduating. On average, female students stated their starting salary expectations were 80% of what their male counterparts stated. And guess what? They were right! One year after graduating, they earned 80-90% of their male counterparts. Yes, these are our young people who will lead our businesses and countries going forward. Ugh!

I would add that this issue spills over into our home life. Gone are the days where the male goes out to hunt and kill the food and the female stays home to protect her cubs, some people haven't figured it out yet! When it comes to sharing domestic responsibilities, we seem to be far from equal as there are still many preconceived stereotypes on division of labour in the home. Yes, of course many couples have this figured out, but for every one of them there are others where the woman carries a huge burden. I hear this from so many young women in my travels and they are looking for solutions.

This is a huge societal issue. Why? Heart disease is now the number one killer in women. We are stressing the hell out of our women. Also, 43% of marriages end in divorce! More than 60% of them will divorce again. This can't all be because of damn Ashley Madison can it? Hey you over there... yeah you, the man, it's called a Hoover...try it sometime! Ladies, for god sakes, learn to cut the grass and hand over the oven mitts.

So what can we do? First, we can stop being embarrassed about talking about this issue. It's real, and when feminism become a bad word? Feminists: a range of movements and ideologies that share a common goal to achieve political, economic, cultural, personal and social rights for women. (You know, 50% of the population! Women: white, of colour, educated, uneducated, wealthy, poor, all of them.) We should never tolerate negative feedback and comments that we are whining about equality. We have a responsibility to work towards closing the gap. Why? At the current pace of change, experts estimate the wage gap won't disappear until 2125. That's 110 years from now for God's sake. Apparently we will live on another planet, drive flying cars before we achieve equal pay! That means, if you give birth to a child today, their children will be retired before it exists. Moms, dads, aunts, uncles...are you okay with that? I doubt it.

So, let's acknowledge it exists, because we can't speed up the pace of change until we do. Here are a few things I think we can all take personal responsibility towards and wrap our arms around.

Here's my 3 point program:

Step 1: Parents: walk the walk, talk the talk...

Set an example for the next generation. Talk to your spouses about sharing responsibility. Make a list of every responsibility in the home, agree on an equal distribution. Easier said than done, but vitally important. Categorize by level of time commitment e.g. Category A: making meals daily isn't the same as category C: cutting grass once a week. Teach our sons. Allocate cooking, washing equally. For God's sake teach sons to cook! They eat don't they? Teach our daughters to hang a picture, cut the lawn, etc.

Talk to your children. Tell them how you both feel about gender equality. You don't agree with inequality any more than you agree with racism. Give them examples of gender inequality that they will encounter and how to deal with it. Talk the talk.

Step 2: Attention Managers/Leaders

Take a hard look at your enterprise. Calculate male to female manager ratio. How does it compare? If it is inequitable, put a plan in place to change it. I have heard some people have an issue with this type of planning and state that people should only obtain roles based on their qualifications, not their gender or colour or race. I don't think they have actually figured out that taking this position suggests that there aren't appropriately qualified women? Dumb asses.

Review your compensation for male versus females with the same level of responsibilities and experience. How does it look? Immediately rectify any wage gaps.

Be perfectly transparent about it. Tell your employees that you have conducted an equity review and are making changes. This action alone promotes loyalty and engagement.

Create a mentorship program for both women and men.

Create a company policy prohibiting gender inequality and sexual harassment and distribute it. Include a mediation process for employees to raise issues. Take it seriously, you are in a position to make change.

Step 3: Calling all Women, Young and Old

Before you get married or engage in a long-term relationship: ask your fiancé about how they feel about gender equity.

Make sure you know what their goals are as a parent, career and he knows about yours, and then agree on how you will both manage to support your individual goals. Do not assume. You know what happens when you make assumptions! Agree on specifics around child care and domestic responsibilities. Having the tough conversations before you get married will ensure short term pain and long term gain. If you are married and feel there is some inequality in the relationship, it's time to sit down and have that tough conversation! Go back to step one together, it's never, never too late and it could very well save your marriage and your family.

Step 3A: Speak Up!

Dig deep and find the courage to ask for a promotion, an increase in pay. If you believe you are paid less than a male counterpart, hold your company accountable and ask for an explanation. If you work for a company or boss who isn't open to addressing gender inequality, quit, and find a company that is more supportive and make sure you tell them why you are leaving in your exit interview. Do not work for an asshole (male or female) because they are now your road block to achieving your goals. Terminate them from your life.

Step 3B: Mentorship

Find at least two female mentors whom you respect and who have achieved a level of success that can assist you in your goals. Simply ask, "Can I buy you lunch or a glass of wine?" From here, ask if they are willing to build a protégé/mentor relationship. Women are generally very open to supporting other women, and this doesn't mean you shouldn't have male mentors too. I strongly believe this is an important element towards success. It's the cream in your coffee to a successful career path.

Step 3C: Read

Read, read and then read some more. Find as many books as you can on the topics of professional success, from both women and men. Make sure it's well-rounded, and remember, you may not always agree with everything written, but you will garner something from it. Read, read, and read some more! Learn about professional and personal development. It's a journey, not a destination and we should always be educating ourselves. I'm always reading a book...books actually; one for entertainment and one for personal and professional development and I've been doing it for 30 years.

Step 3D: Help other women

Give back. Mentor others. It takes a village. It is vitally important towards making positive change in other people's lives and very personally rewarding for us individually. I've learned a great deal from the young women and men I've mentored over the years.

Also, check out the Canadian Women's Foundation and find ways to support women in this country.

In closing, this is a real problem, not a figment of our imagination. The numbers and facts don't lie. I clearly have encountered gender inequality throughout my life. Starting with when I was young, I remember my father saying all feminists are just bra burning lesbians (hey, well, it was the late 70s). However, he was also was the guy who encouraged me to be anything I wanted. He said, "Kathy, you can grab the world by the balls, and you will need to because it is run by men. Go do it, you have what it takes." I typically never sweat the small stuff and have learned to forge ahead.

People can be very judgmental and they'll say stupid things, and I generally deal with this with a sense of humour. However, when it is a large issue, I push back, throw it right back at them and hard. Of course this approach comes with some personal and professional risk. Life is full of risks. Garner the courage to ignore the risk. This is an issue we have to fix today to pave the way for our daughters and our sons. They all deserve to live in a world together with less conflict. The only way we can make change is for us to work together: women and men, bosses, and parents to ensure we are creating an equitable life. We need to speak up, be passionate about change, and ensure our country is the very best at empowering women and girls.

Join me.

Learn More

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Gender Inequality? This is Still a Thing? You Bet Your Ass It Is

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March 1, 2016, by Kathy Gregory, 2 Comments This blog post was originally published on the Realfword . A couple years ago I took 10 young female managers from my company to a leadership session hosted by WXN ( Women's Executive Network) for female leaders.

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Inequality is a cancer on society, here in the U.S. and across the globe. It keeps growing. But humanity seems helpless against it, as if it's an alien force that no one understands, even as the life is being gradually drained from its victims.

The recent Oxfam report on global wealth inequality reveals some of the ugly extremes that have divided our world. It also directs our attention to the Global Wealth Report compiled by Credit Suisse, and the companion Databook, which offer a shocking testament to the severity of U.S. and global inequality.

1. The 30 Richest Americans Own as much as Half of the U.S. Population

The Oxfam report tells us that 85 individuals own as much as half the world. The U.S. is the biggest reason for that, with 5% of the world's population and 30% of the wealth. China, India, and Africa, on the other hand, combine for about half the world's population and just 12% of the wealth.

In the U.S., the richest 30 individuals own about $792 billion, while the bottom half of Americans own 1.1% of our country's wealth, also about $792 billion. That's 30 people owning as much as 157,000,000 people.

This information is derived from the Global Wealth Databook and the Forbes 400 List. More details are provided at Us Against Greed.

2. The Bottom Half of America Owns a Smaller Percentage of National Wealth than Almost All Other Countries and Continents

The 1.1% of America's wealth owned by the poorest half is less than the poorest halves of Asia (1.3% of the region's wealth), Africa (2.1%), Latin America (3.2%), India (4.5%), the United Kingdom (7.6%), and China (9.6%).

It goes beyond the poorest half. The upper-middle class of America (roughly $50,000 to $200,000 in wealth) own a smaller percentage of wealth than the corresponding upper-middle classes of China and India. Of course, America's lower and middle classes have more moneyin absolute terms than corresponding classes in China and India. But that leads to the next topic.

3. Less Mobility: North America's Bottom Half Has Less Chance to MOVE UP than Any Other Region of the World

Conservatives argue that individuals should be able to improve their economic positions with personal initiative and hard work. But economic mobility is lower in the U.S. than in most developed countries. And lower than in many undeveloped countries.

The results of a Credit Suisse wealth mobility simulation are given in the Global Wealth Databook: "North America is...less mobile than other regions, especially over longer time horizons. Europe is next in line, followed by the middle group of Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa. The most mobile regions are China and India."

4. America's MIDDLE CLASS is Further from the Top than in All Other Developed Countries

As noted above, it's not just the bottom half being battered by inequality -- it's most of the rest of us. The U.S. median of $44,911 is only 15% of the $301,140 mean (which is greatly skewed by the wealth of the richest 10%). That ratio is less than any other of the 27 developed countries listed by Credit Suisse, and much less than the average OECD ratio of 35%.

For the world as a whole, the median is only 8% of the mean, reflecting the fact that half the world's adults average less than $500 in wealth.

The Greatest Shock: How Little is Needed to Restore Some Sanity

Extreme inequality means that people without homes are freezing to death in America. On a winter day in 2012 over 633,000 people were homeless in the United States. Based on an annual single room occupancy (SRO) cost of $558 per month, a little over $4 billion would provide shelter for every homeless person for the entire year.

The stock market grew by $4.7 trillion in 2013. A wealth tax of just a one-tenth of 1 percent (one dollar out of every thousand) would have provided the $4 billion needed to shelter every homeless American for 365 days.

But we have no wealth tax. And the wealth just keeps growing for the wealthiest Americans.

Paul Buchheit is a college teacher, a writer for progressive publications, and the founder and developer of social justice and educational websites (UsAgainstGreed.org, PayUpNow.org, RappingHistory.org)

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4 Shocking Examples of American Inequality

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America's middle class is further from the top than in all other developed countries. Inequality is a cancer on society, here in the U.S. and across the globe. It keeps growing.

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While allowed to participate in the army, women are still not permitted to serve in frontline combat in Turkey and Slovakia. As recently as 2016, this gender inequality persisted in the U.K. as well.

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SEATTLE - Despite massive progress, women's rights remains a critical issue throughout the world, especially in regions like North Africa and the Middle East. Women are confronted with a systematic denial of rights where legal discrimination leaves them inferior to their male counterparts. Consequently, women globally lack a full realization of their fundamental human rights. Learning about this problem reveals that gender equality is central to sustainable progress. These are ten examples of gender inequality existing in the world today.

1. Lack of Mobility

Women are forbidden to drive in Saudi Arabia, despite numerous protests, and must rely on their fathers or husbands to get from place to place. In countries like Egypt and Bahrain, husbands have the right to stop their wives from leaving the country while other countries require written permission from a husband to travel.
Sources: Discovery, List Verse, Says
Photo: NPR

2. Freedom of Marriage

According to the U.N., 40 percent of young women in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are married by age 18. Child marriage not only increases the chance of complications of giving birth that often prove fatal, but also contravenes the fundamental human right of choice of partnership. In Pakistan, women are expected to accept arranged marriages and refusal can lead to "honor killings" that typically go uncontested by the government.
Sources: Discovery, Says, Advocates for Youth, Girls Not Brides
Photo: NBC News

3. Discriminatory Divorce Rights

Creating a Road Home
In most of the Middle East, countries are governed by religious ideals and gender inequality is pervasive. As men are typically viewed as superior, they can divorce their wives relatively easily and even through mere oral renunciation. Women, on the other hand, face many more challenges. In Lebanon, abused women do not even have the right to file for divorce unless an eyewitness is willing to testify.
Sources: List Verse,
Photo: Bulletin of the Oppression of Women

4. Citizenship

With the exception of Israel, Iran, Tunisia, and parts of Egypt, women in the Middle East do not have the right to pass citizenship on to their children while men have the ability to not only pass it to their children, but also to their non-national wives.
Sources: List Verse, MERIP
Photo: FDI

5. Frontline Combat

While allowed to participate in the army, women are still not permitted to serve in frontline combat in Turkey and Slovakia. As recently as 2016, this gender inequality persisted in the U.K. as well.
Source: Says
Photo: The Spectator

6. Custody Rights

Creating a Road Home
In some countries, the courts automatically grant custody rights to the father, and women are left without any means of financial support. For example, in Bahrain, family laws are not systematized, enabling judges to deny mothers custody of their children.
Sources: List Verse,
Photo: Flickr

7. Violence

Unequal legal rights make women increasingly vulnerable to violence. One of the most obvious forms of violence against women in the world today is that of spousal rape. India's recent ruling that rape laws do not apply to married couples clearly illustrates the sexual subjugation and violence to which women remain exposed.
Sources: List Verse, Advocates for Youth, Borgen Magazine
Photo: Policy Mic

8. Professional Obstacles

Even in developed countries, women are at a disadvantage when it comes to earnings. The highest-paying fields are still dominated by men, and on average, women earn just 77 percent of what men earn for the same amount of work. At this rate, it could take a full 45 years before this gender inequality disappears.
Sources: Discovery, Says, Huffington Post

9. Restricted Land Ownership

In some countries, customary or religious law effectively prohibits the ownership of land by females, even if their constitution claims equal rights. In many countries like North Sudan, Tanzania, and Lesotho, land ownership and control tends to go to the male head of the household. In Zambia, women and men are allowed to acquire a registered land title, but customary land tenure is also recognized making it unlikely for a woman to be allocated land without the approval of her husband.
Sources: Discovery, Says, USAID

10. Access to Education

Women make up more than two-thirds of the world's illiterate adults, and access to education is especially a problem in Afghanistan where groups that oppose female education attack many schools. Female rights are also compromised due to limited awareness of what they should be entitled to, which could only be remedied through greater access to education.
Sources: Discovery, List Verse, Says, Do Something, UN Women 1
Photo: The Guardian
Feature Photo: Intel For Change

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10 Examples of Gender Inequality in the World - BORGEN

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SEATTLE - Despite massive progress, women's rights remains a critical issue throughout the world, especially in regions like North Africa and the Middle East. Women are confronted with a systematic denial of rights where legal discrimination leaves them inferior to their male counterparts. Consequently, women globally lack a full realization of their fundamental human rights.

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Canada is much more gender equal than the rest if the world.
One of the points this article states is that "woman who left abusive relationships rely on food banks almost 20x as much as the average Canadian woman." This article has many sources and helps clarify what gender equality ACTUALLY is.

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July 2014

What is it?

Gender Equality means that women and men enjoy the same status and have equal opportunity to realize their full human rights and potential to contribute to national, political, economic, social and cultural development, and to benefit from the results.

Gender Equality is NOT...

a competition between men and women

male bashing

about giving women jobs they are not qualified to perform

maintaining gender inequality but giving women the advantage instead of men

Why is it important?

Gender Equality is a part of human rights, including the right to be free from coercion, intimidation, and violence at work and at home.
Inequalities that exclude or disadvantage women in decision-making and access to economic and social resources (e.g., education, health services) are linked to historical patterns of gender inequality, including the devaluing of women.
Gendered violence is rooted in gender inequalities and other systems of oppression. Intimate partner and sexual violence are disproportionately perpetrated against women and violate their right to live free from abuse and violence.
Patterns of gender inequality constrain the progress of a society by limiting the opportunities available to fully one- half of its population ± that is, women and girls. When women are constrained from reaching their full potential, this potential is lost to the society as a whole, resulting in decreased levels of education, lower economic/workforce participation, and lower gross domestic product (GDP). This loss affects every member of society. For instance, estimates indicate ªviolence against women costs Canada more than $9.3 billion a year and if the gap between men's and women's employment continues at its present rate, Canada could lose as much as 8% in GDP growth over the next twenty years.

Consider Kate McInturff's analysis using Canadian data:

Yet, our investment as a society to prevent violence against women and support victims is only a fraction of the costs of this violence in Canada. The federal government spending in the 2011/12 fiscal year on programs and services related to spousal violence and sexual assault was approximately $80 million:
Why is Gender Equality Important in plain text PDF
How does Gender Equality differ from Gender Equity?

Gender Equity is the process of being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, strategies and measures must often be available to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages that have kept women from enjoying equal opportunity. Equity contributes to equality.

Learn more about complimentary gender equality approaches:

Intersectionality...Gender Mainstreaming...Social Exclusion...Anti-Oppression

Since 2005, the World Economic Forum has used measures in the above areas to rank countries on gender equality. Canada's rankings out of 136 countries in 2013 are below:

Let's take a closer look at some of the gender gaps that still exist in Canada...

A gap continues to exist in women's political participation.

As of January 1, 2014, women held a minority of positions in Canadian parliament:
A Gap Continues to Exist in Women Political Participation in plain text PDF
The health and well-being of women in Canada are negatively affected by the disproportionate levels of intimate partner and sexual violence they experience. Violence against women erodes safety, limits where women choose to work, live, travel or spend their time, and undermine women's opportunities and health.

Personal security, such as safety from harassment, sexual violence and intimate partner violence, is also an important measure of equality that is notably absent in all of the current indices of gender equality conducted internationally.

Violence reported to the police in 2011 shows the gendered nature of the following violence:

The violence experienced by women may compromise their participation and productivity in the workforce. For example, experiencing intimate partner or sexual violence may lead to distractibility, absenteeism, mental health concerns, and safety issues that impact functioning at work. Workplaces that are informed about violence and its impacts increase employee safety, and foster productivity in employees who are abusive or abused. These workplaces not only support their employees, but in doing so, they also take steps to improve their bottom line.

While women experience more threats to their security and safety within their homes and intimate relationships, men are disproportionately affected by violence outside of the home and relationships. Women and men have the right to personal security and safety.

Economic instability or dependence keeps women in abusive relationships. The loss of belongings, home, salary, health and dental benefits are examples of the burden a woman must carry with her the moment she leaves.
Health & Well-being of Canadian Women in plain text PDF Economic Instability or Dependence Keeping Women in Abusive Relationships in plain text PDF
Ensuring women's economic security is a key step toward ensuring women's personal security and overall well-being. It is also important to the economic well-being of the country. Yet, women's economic well-being continues to lag behind their male peers despite advances for women in education and training.

It's true that working part-time can be a personal preference, however, over the past 5 years, almost double the number of women (compared to men) state the reason they are working part-time is because of a lack of full-time jobs or business conditions.

Gender gaps that disadvantage women during their working years compromise their economic security in older age. For instance, older women have less income and a higher percentage of their income comes from government transfers (e.g., old age security, CPP, social assistance) than from market income (salaries, retirement income). Sources of retirement income for older women in 2008:
Women's Economic Well-being Continues to Lag Behind Male Peers in plain text PDF
There's more to this story...

Greater gaps in equality are experienced by women belonging to communities affected by historical disadvantages, discrimination, and systemic barriers.

For instance, women living with disabilities, Aboriginal women, or women living in remote communities may experience more barriers to equality compared to men living in the same situations; or to other groups of women. Belonging to more than one community may act as a protective factor and increase opportunities, or it may reinforce conditions of inequality and reduce opportunities.

Women living with disabilities for 6 years or more earn an average hourly rate that is:

The above differences in earning gaps decline when accounting for demographic and labor market characteristics but remain significant.
Over 200 years - The length of time to close the gender gap in Canada at the current rate of progress⁽²⁶⁾.
What can we do to foster gender equality?
As a parent...

be a role model for gender equality through your relationships with your children, partner, family, friends, co-workers, and the general public

engage youth in discussions about healthy, equal relationships and the meaning of consent in intimate relationships

acknowledge the connections between gender inequality and violence against women and talk about these connections with your children (e.g., when you see these connections on TV, in books, in movies, and other media)

support girls' and boys' participation in activities traditionally associated with the opposite gender

look for teachable moments that highlight gender equality such as Malala Yousafzai's call for universal education and girls' rights

involve girls and boys in similar household and outdoor chores

As an educator...

engage students in discussions about healthy, equal relationships and teach them conflict resolution in a respectful, non-violent manner

encourage girls in the areas of math and sciences and offer them opportunities to learn about non-traditional occupations

review the numbers of women and men in local, provincial and federal levels of government and discuss the impacts of gender inequality on policy and decision making

allow students to explore the impacts of traditional gender identities on men and women

avoid using gender-biased language (e.g., tomboy, macho)

showcase the role women have played in various fields (e.g., history, science, education, politics, healthcare)

As an employer/employee...

offer mandatory gender equality and diversity training

provide domestic and sexual violence education to all employees

establish a zero tolerance policy for workplace sexual harassment and discrimination

ensure workplace policies on violence include domestic violence

develop a comprehensive and proactive program for responding to and preventing violence against women in the workplace

provide support for parents such as on-site childcare or childcare benefits

provide the same pay for a job regardless of gender

increase women's access to jobs that allow for professional development and promotion

As a member of the community...

speak out against violence against women and gender discrimination

support events and campaigns to raise awareness and challenge social norms that foster gender inequality

support organizations that promote gender equality

challenge other community members who say or do things that are disrespectful to women and girls

learn to recognize warning signs of domestic violence and sexual violence and where to get help

The Learning Network Team

LINDA BAKER, Director
MARCIE CAMPBELL, Research Associate
ANNA-LEE STRAATMAN, Research Associate
ELSA BARRETO, Multi-media Specialist
The Learning Network Team is grateful for the valuable contributions from the reviewers of this Newsletter:
PETER JAFFE, Academic Director, Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children, Western University
NICOLE PIETSCH, Coordinator, Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres
RANIA SALEM, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto
MARSHA SFEIR, Director, Springtide Resources
KATHERINE VINK, Doctoral Student, University of Alberta

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Footnotes

1. Status of Women Canada, Terminology, An Integrated Approach to Gender-Based Analysis: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/SW21-124-2004E-2.pdf

2. United Nations Population Fund, Promoting Gender Equality, Frequently Asked Questions about Gender: http://www.unfpa.org/gender/resources_faq.htm#5

3. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Gender Equality, Striking a Better Balance: Alternative Federal Budget 2014, p. 85: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/afb2014chapters/Gender_Equality.pdf

4. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (July 2013), The Gap in the Gender Gap: Violence Against Women in Canada, p. 7, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2013/07/Gap_in_Gender_Gap_VAW.pdf

5. Comité québécois femmes et développement, (2011), Promoting Gender Equality: From Theory to Practice, p. 163: http://www.aqoci.qc.ca/IMG/pdf/trousse_efh_vang.pdf

6. Comité québécois femmes et développement, (2011), Promoting Gender Equality: From Theory to Practice, pp. 20-22: http://www.aqoci.qc.ca/IMG/pdf/trousse_efh_vang.pdf

7. World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report 2013, p.4: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2013.pdf

8. World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report 2013, pp.160-161: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2013.pdf

9. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Women in Politics 2014: http://www.ipu.org/pdf/publications/wmnmap14_en.pdf

10. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Closing Canada's Gender Gap: Year 2240 Here We Come! Behind the Numbers/April 2013, p.5: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2013/04/Closing_Canadas_Gender_Gap_0.pdf

11. World Health Organization, Global and Regional Estimates of Violence Against Women: Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence, p.20: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85239/1/9789241564625_eng.pdf?ua=1

12. Statistics Canada, 2013, Juristat Article (ISSN 1209-6393), Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends, pp. 20, 29, 32: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2013001/article/11766-eng.pdf

13. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (2014), Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: A National Operational Overview, pp. 19 & 20: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/mmaw-faapd-eng.pdf

14. Department of Justice Canada, An Estimation of the Economic Impact of Spousal Violence in Canada, 2009, p.2: http://justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/fv-vf/rr12_7/p1.html

15. Zhang, T., Hoddenbagh, J., McDonald, S., & Scrim, K. (2012). An Estimation of the Economic Impact of Spousal Violence in Canada, 2009. Department of Justice Canada, p. 50: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/fv-vf/rr12_7/rr12_7.pdf

16. Horrill, K. E. & Berman, H. (2004). Getting Out and Staying Out: Issues Surrounding a Woman's Ability to Remain Out of an Abusive Relationship. Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children, University of Western Ontario, p.3: http://www.learningtoendabuse.ca/sites/default/files/Final-GettingOutandStayingOutIssuesSurroundingaWomansAbilitytoRemainOutofanAbusiveRelati_000.pdf

17. Varcoe, C., Hankivsky, O., Ford-Gilboe, M., Wuest, J., Wilk, P., Hammerton, J. & Campbell J. (2011). Attributing Selected Costs to Intimate Partner Violence in a Sample of Women Who Have Left Abusive Partners: A Social Determinants of Health Approach. Canadian Public Policy, 37(3), p. 372: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/canadian_public_policy/v037/37.3.varcoe.html

18. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Gender Equality, Striking a Better Balance: Alternative Federal Budget 2014, p. 88: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/afb2014chapters/Gender_Equality.pdf

19. Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0102. Average earnings by sex and work pattern: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/labor01a-eng.htm

20. Statistics Canada, CANSIM table 282-0002. Labour force, employment and unemployment, levels and rates: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/labor07b-eng.htm

21. Statistics Canada CANSIM Table 282-0014, Labour force survey estimates, part-time employment by reason for part-time work, sex and age group: http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a05?lang=eng&id=2820014

22. Statistics Canada (2011). Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report, p. 337: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/89-503-x2010001-eng.pdf

23. Data from National Household Survey 2011 as presented in Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Gender Equality, Striking a Better Balance: Alternative Federal Budget 2014, Table 10, p. 86: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/afb2014chapters/Gender_Equality.pdf

24. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Gender Equality, Striking a Better Balance: Alternative Federal Budget 2014, Table 11, p. 87: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/afb2014chapters/Gender_Equality.pdf

25. Galarneau, D., Radalescu, M. (2009). Employment among the disabled, p. 12: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2009105/pdf/10865-eng.pdf

26. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Gender Equality, Striking a Better Balance: Alternative Federal Budget 2014 (2014), p.85: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2014/02/AFB2014_MainDocument.pdf

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Gender Equality means that women and men enjoy the same status and have equal opportunity to realize their full human rights and potential to contribute to national, political, economic, social and cultural development, and to benefit from the results.

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We proud Indians of 21st century rejoice in celebrations when a boy is born, and if it is a girl, a muted or no celebrations is the norm. Love for a male child is so much so that from the times immemorial we are killing our daughters at birth or before birth, and if, fortunately, she is not killed we find various ways to discriminate against her throughout her life.

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Gender Inequality

We proud Indians of 21 st century rejoice in celebrations when a boy is born, and if it is a girl, a muted or no celebrations is the norm. Love for a male child is so much so that from the times immemorial we are killing our daughters at birth or before birth, and if, fortunately, she is not killed we find various ways to discriminate against her throughout her life. Though our religious beliefs make women a goddess but we fail to recognize her as a human being first; we worship goddesses but we exploit girls. We are a society of people with double-standards as far as our attitude towards women is concerned; our thoughts and preaching are different than our actions. Let's try to understand the phenomenon of gender inequality and search for some solutions.

Definition and Concept of Gender Inequality

'Gender' is a socio-cultural term referring socially defined roles and behaviors assigned to 'males' and 'females' in a given society; whereas, the term 'sex' is a biological and physiological phenomenon which defines man and woman. In its social, historical and cultural aspects, gender is a function of power relationship between men and women where men are considered superior to women. Therefore, gender may be understood as a man-made concept, while 'sex' is natural or biological characteristics of human beings.

Gender Inequality, in simple words, may be defined as discrimination against women based on their sex. Women are traditionally considered by the society as weaker sex. She has been accorded a subordinate position to men. She is exploited, degraded, violated and discriminated both in our homes and in outside world. This peculiar type of discrimination against women is prevalent everywhere in the world and more so in Indian society.

Causes and Types of Gender Inequality in India

The root cause of gender inequality in Indian society lies in its patriarchy system. According to the famous sociologists Sylvia Walby, patriarchy is "a system of social structure and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women". Women's exploitation is an age old cultural phenomenon of Indian society. The system of patriarchy finds its validity and sanction in our religious beliefs, whether it is Hindu, Muslim or any other religion.

For instance, as per ancient Hindu law giver Manu: "Women are supposed to be in the custody of their father when they are children, they must be under the custody of their husband when married and under the custody of her son in old age or as widows. In no circumstances she should be allowed to assert herself independently".

The above described position of women as per Manu is still the case in present modern day social structure. Barring few exceptions here and there, women have no power to take independent decisions either inside their homes or in outside world.

In Muslims also the situation is same and there too sanction for discrimination or subordination is provided by religious texts and Islamic traditions. Similarly in other religious beliefs also women are being discriminated against in one way or other.

The unfortunate part of gender inequality in our society is that the women too, through, continued socio-cultural conditioning, have accepted their subordinate position to men. And they are also part and parcel of same patriarchal system.

Extreme poverty and lack of education are also some of the reasons for women's low status in society. Poverty and lack of education derives countless women to work in low paying domestic service, organized prostitution or as migrant laborers. Women are not only getting unequal pay for equal or more work but also they are being offered only low skill jobs for which lower wages are paid. This has become a major form of inequality on the basis of gender.

Educating girl child is still seen as a bad investment because she is bound to get married and leave her paternal home one day. Thus, without having good education women are found lacking in present day's demanding job skills; whereas, each year's High School and 10+2 standard results show that girls are always doing better than boys. This shows that parents are not spending much after 10+2 standard on girl child and that's why they lack in job market.

Not only in education, in case of family food habits, it is the male child who gets all the nutritious and choicest foods while the girl child gets whatever is left behind after the male members have taken their meals or the food which is low in both quality and nutrition. And this becomes a major health issue in her later years. One of the main reasons for the high incidences of difficult births and anemia in women is the poor quality of food which a girl always gets either in her paternal home or in her in-laws as also is the excessive workload that they are made to bear from their early childhood.

So the inequality or discrimination against women is at various levels in the society, either in home or outside home.

Gender Inequality in India: Important Data
Global Indices:
Gender Inequality is also reflected in India's poor ranking in various global gender indices.

UNDP's Gender Inequality Index- 2014: India's ranking is 127 out of 152 countries in the List. This ranking is only above Afghanistan as far as SAARC countries are concerned.

World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index- 2014: India's ranks at 114 in the list of 142 countries of the world. This Index examines gender gap in four major areas:

Economic participation and opportunity.

Educational achievements.

Health and life expectancy.

Political empowerment.

India's position on these indicators was as follows:

These two important Global Indices show the sorry state of affairs in India as far as gender equality is concerned. Only in case of 'Political Empowerment' India is doing fine which is a welcome sign. But other indices are very poor and a lot need to be done to improve the same.

Gender Inequality Statistics

Gender inequality manifests in varied ways. And as far as India is concerned the major indicators are as follows:

Female Foeticide

Female Infanticide

Child (0 to 6 age group) Sex Ratio: 919

Sex Ratio: 943

Female literacy:46%

Maternal Mortality Rate: 178 deaths per 100000 live births.

These above mentioned indicators are some of the important indices which show the status of women in our country.

Female foeticide and female infanticide are most inhuman of acts. And it is a shame that in India these practices are prevailing at large scale.

The data shows that despite the law in place viz Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 sex selective abortion is still on the rise. One estimate done by MacPherson shows that more than 100000 illegal abortions are being performed every year in India mainly for the reason that the featus is of girl child.

Due to this, there is an alarming trend which has come to the notice in 2011 census report; the report shows Child Sex-Ratio (i.e sex-ratio of children between the age group 0 to 6) at 919 which is 8 points lesser than the 2001 data of 927. The data indicates that sex-selective abortion is increasing in our country.

As far as overall sex-ratio is concerned, it's 943 in 2011 report as compared to 933 of 2001 which is 10 points increase. Though it is a good sign that overall sex ratio is increasing but it's still tilted against females.

Female literacy is at 65.46% in 2011 as against 82.14% of male literacy. This gap indicates a wide gender disparity in India that Indians do not give enough importance to the education of girls.

All these indicators points towards the sorry state of affairs in India regarding gender justice and women's human right. Though every year government starts various schemes and programs apart from existing ones for the benefit and empowerment of women but on the ground there are not enough visible changes. The change will appear only when the mind set of Indian society would change; when the society would start treating male and female on equal footing and when a girl would not be considered as a burden.

Legal and Constitutional Safeguards against Gender Inequality

Indian Constitution provides for positive efforts to eliminate gender inequality; the Preamble to the Constitution talks about goals of achieving social, economic and political justice to everyone and to provide equality of status and of opportunity to all its citizens. Further, women have equal right to vote in our political system. Article 15 of the Constitution provides for prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sex also apart from other grounds such as religion, race, caste or place of birth. Article 15(3) authorizes the Sate to make any special provision for women and children. Moreover, the Directive Principles of State Policy also provides various provisions which are for the benefit of women and provides safeguards against discrimination.

Other than these Constitutional safeguards, various protective Legislations have also been passed by the Parliament to eliminate exploitation of women and to give them equal status in society. For instance, the Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987 was enacted to abolish and make punishable the inhuman custom of Sati; the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 to eliminate the practice of dowry; the Special Marriage Act, 1954 to give rightful status to married couples who marry inter-caste or inter-religion; Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Bill (introduced in Parliament in 1991, passed in 1994 to stop female infanticide and many more such Acts. Furthermore, the Parliament time to time brings out amendments to existing laws in order to give protection to women according to the changing needs of the society, for instance, Section 304-B was added to the Indian Penal Code, 1860 to make dowry-death or bride-burning a specific offence punishable with maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

So there are varied legislative safeguards and protection mechanisms for women but the ground reality is very different. Despite all these provisions women are still being treated as second rate citizens in our country; men are treating them as an object to fulfill their carnal desires; crimes against women are at alarming stage; the practice of dowry is still widely prevalent; female infanticide is a norm in our homes.

How we can Eliminate Gender Inequality

The list of legislations as well as types of discriminations or inequalities may go on but the real change will only come when the mentality of men will change; when the male species of human beings would start treating women as equal and not subordinate or weaker to them. In fact not only men but women also need to change their mindset as through cultural conditioning they have also become part of the same exploitative system of patriarchy and are playing a supportive role in furthering men's agenda of dominating women.

Therefore, what is needed is the movement for Women's empowerment where women can become economically independent and self-reliant; where they can fight their own fears and go out in the world fearless; where they can snatch their rights from the clutches of men and they don't have to ask for them; where women have good education, good career, ownership of property and above all where they have freedom of choice and also the freedom to make their own decisions without the bondages of age old saying of Manu.

Let's hope and wish that our participative democracy, in times to come, and with the efforts of both women and men, would be able to found solutions to the problem of gender inequality and would take us all towards our cherished dream of a truly modern society in both thought and action.
Related Information: Social Reformers of India For Students: Women Empowerment Women Empowerment Essay

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what are legal and constitutional safeguards against gender inequality

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suggestions to eliminate gender inequality

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Gender Inequality in India - Concept, Causes and Types

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We proud Indians of 21 st century rejoice in celebrations when a boy is born, and if it is a girl, a muted or no celebrations is the norm. Love for a male child is so much so that from the times immemorial we are killing our daughters at birth or before birth, and if, fortunately, she is not killed we find various ways to discriminate against her throughout her life.

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"In Pakistan, women are expected to accept arranged marriages and refusal can lead to “honor killings” that typically go uncontested by the government."

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SEATTLE - Despite massive progress, women's rights remains a critical issue throughout the world, especially in regions like North Africa and the Middle East. Women are confronted with a systematic denial of rights where legal discrimination leaves them inferior to their male counterparts. Consequently, women globally lack a full realization of their fundamental human rights. Learning about this problem reveals that gender equality is central to sustainable progress. These are ten examples of gender inequality existing in the world today.

1. Lack of Mobility

Women are forbidden to drive in Saudi Arabia, despite numerous protests, and must rely on their fathers or husbands to get from place to place. In countries like Egypt and Bahrain, husbands have the right to stop their wives from leaving the country while other countries require written permission from a husband to travel.
Sources: Discovery, List Verse, Says
Photo: NPR

2. Freedom of Marriage

According to the U.N., 40 percent of young women in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are married by age 18. Child marriage not only increases the chance of complications of giving birth that often prove fatal, but also contravenes the fundamental human right of choice of partnership. In Pakistan, women are expected to accept arranged marriages and refusal can lead to "honor killings" that typically go uncontested by the government.
Sources: Discovery, Says, Advocates for Youth, Girls Not Brides
Photo: NBC News

3. Discriminatory Divorce Rights

Creating a Road Home
In most of the Middle East, countries are governed by religious ideals and gender inequality is pervasive. As men are typically viewed as superior, they can divorce their wives relatively easily and even through mere oral renunciation. Women, on the other hand, face many more challenges. In Lebanon, abused women do not even have the right to file for divorce unless an eyewitness is willing to testify.
Sources: List Verse,
Photo: Bulletin of the Oppression of Women

4. Citizenship

With the exception of Israel, Iran, Tunisia, and parts of Egypt, women in the Middle East do not have the right to pass citizenship on to their children while men have the ability to not only pass it to their children, but also to their non-national wives.
Sources: List Verse, MERIP
Photo: FDI

5. Frontline Combat

While allowed to participate in the army, women are still not permitted to serve in frontline combat in Turkey and Slovakia. As recently as 2016, this gender inequality persisted in the U.K. as well.
Source: Says
Photo: The Spectator

6. Custody Rights

Creating a Road Home
In some countries, the courts automatically grant custody rights to the father, and women are left without any means of financial support. For example, in Bahrain, family laws are not systematized, enabling judges to deny mothers custody of their children.
Sources: List Verse,
Photo: Flickr

7. Violence

Unequal legal rights make women increasingly vulnerable to violence. One of the most obvious forms of violence against women in the world today is that of spousal rape. India's recent ruling that rape laws do not apply to married couples clearly illustrates the sexual subjugation and violence to which women remain exposed.
Sources: List Verse, Advocates for Youth, Borgen Magazine
Photo: Policy Mic

8. Professional Obstacles

Even in developed countries, women are at a disadvantage when it comes to earnings. The highest-paying fields are still dominated by men, and on average, women earn just 77 percent of what men earn for the same amount of work. At this rate, it could take a full 45 years before this gender inequality disappears.
Sources: Discovery, Says, Huffington Post

9. Restricted Land Ownership

In some countries, customary or religious law effectively prohibits the ownership of land by females, even if their constitution claims equal rights. In many countries like North Sudan, Tanzania, and Lesotho, land ownership and control tends to go to the male head of the household. In Zambia, women and men are allowed to acquire a registered land title, but customary land tenure is also recognized making it unlikely for a woman to be allocated land without the approval of her husband.
Sources: Discovery, Says, USAID

10. Access to Education

Women make up more than two-thirds of the world's illiterate adults, and access to education is especially a problem in Afghanistan where groups that oppose female education attack many schools. Female rights are also compromised due to limited awareness of what they should be entitled to, which could only be remedied through greater access to education.
Sources: Discovery, List Verse, Says, Do Something, UN Women 1
Photo: The Guardian
Feature Photo: Intel For Change

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10 Examples of Gender Inequality in the World - BORGEN

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SEATTLE - Despite massive progress, women's rights remains a critical issue throughout the world, especially in regions like North Africa and the Middle East. Women are confronted with a systematic denial of rights where legal discrimination leaves them inferior to their male counterparts. Consequently, women globally lack a full realization of their fundamental human rights.

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Stanford researcher, Carol Dweck found that, "[a]fter studying children's coping and resilience mechanisms for over 40 years, she says too much praise may lead to less resilient children." 

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Stanford researcher, Carol Dweck found that, "[a]fter studying children's coping and resilience mechanisms for over 40 years, she says too much praise may lead to less resilient children." 

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The written and visual texts highlight the absurdities of too much equality.  Vonnegut uses satire when the news announcer is supposed to read a news bulletin. He has to hand it to a nearby ballerina because he has a speech impediment, and the ballerina then alters her voice to a "grackle squawk" because it would be "unfair" to use her natural voice, described as a "warm, luminous, timeless melody". The article is highlighting how absurd it is for children to be praised for every little things in today's society.

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The singer and activist Harry Belafonte confesses in his new autobiography, "My Song," that he learned a thing or two about raising kids. "I wanted to give my children all they wanted, all I hadn't had. In so doing I may have deprived them of what they needed most: the grit and the tools, to take on the world and make their own way." Surely, Belafonte, like most parents, wanted the best for his kids. But he rightly asks if it is best to reward them for just showing up.

I have been thinking of this issue, since Michael Coren, host of Canada's national news program Arena asked me to comment on his country's new approach to kids' sports. He told me that instead of awarding first, second and third place winners, all participants would soon be receiving trophies- win or lose.

Convinced this change stemmed from overly protective and narcissistic parents (or trophy makers who would win big by such a move), I answered, "I'm not sure this is good for Canadian kids or, for that matter, kids anywhere." I went on to talk about the pros and cons; awards can intensify competition, impact self-esteem, get parents too involved and add tension among coaches, but they also teach kids about winning and losing, about success and failure. I left the interview reflecting upon the general trend toward over-praising children-and the real world they will eventually face as young adults.

In New York Magazine's cover story "The Kids Are Actually Sort of Alright," Noreen Malone writes how today's 20-somethings are struggling in the cold world after enjoying childhoods filled with warmth and support. A Millennial herself, Malone writes, "our parents tried to see how much self- confidence they could pack into us, like so many overstuffed microfiber love seats, and accordingly we were awarded clip-art certificates of participation just for showing up." Outside of collecting dust and decorating childhood rooms, have these plaques and trophies served any real purpose?

Malone believes these awards have had some long term value. "Self-esteem among young people in America has reportedly been rising since the seventies," she writes, and "it's now so dramatically high that social scientists are considering whether they need to find a different measurement system-we've broken the scale. Clearly, all that praise we got growing up, win or lose, must have really sunk in." For me, the problem isn't the profusion of positive reinforcement kids get nowadays, but rather the failure to distinguish the accomplishments that deserve it, from those that don't. And whose responsibility is it to provide the endless high fives-coaches, schools or parents?

Stanford researcher, Carol Dweck offered her thoughts about this issue in the New York Times piece, "Too Much Praise is No Good for Toddlers." After studying children's coping and resilience mechanisms for over 40 years, she says too much praise may lead to less resilient children. Acknowledging children's every day achievements, she says, will likely have negative repercussions on their motivation to work toward them. "Parents should take away the fact that they are not giving their children a gift when they tell them how brilliant and talented they are." Dweck doesn't discourage praising kids altogether, but suggests focusing it more on their approach to difficult tasks, their ability to strategize and concentrate-the kinds of skills Belafonte wished he had emphasized while raising his own children.

Perhaps if we offered the gold, silver and bronze for actual achievements, kids would learn lessons that better served their needs as adults. Perhaps if we let them lose and teach them to congratulate those who win, we would help them build the motivation and endurance needed to face real life challenges-e.g. sustaining a long-term marriage or securing employment-two very elusive trophies in today's world.

I'm sure having once been a professional ballet dancer-now a psychologist, 58 and long retired- has skewed my point of view. Competition and rejection were daily experiences-not at home, that is, but in the world of professional dance. By age 10, critiques were commonplace. "That pirouette was terrible," I was told by my teachers. "Practice until you get it right," was the mantra of choreographers. By the time I was a teen, I knew that having talent was not a guarantee for success. Discipline and repetition were equally important. I lost roles. I earned others. I eventually toured with a dance company. My parents enjoyed watching when they could and clapped along with the rest of the audience. But I did not grow up constantly hearing I was the best-not at ballet, finger-painting or anything else. The result? A fierce determination to do my best at whatever I chose to do.

Thinking about this issue, I am reminded of those "11 Rules of Life" that made the rounds a while ago. Credited to Bill Gates in a speech he gave to highschoolers, but more likely originating from Charles Sykes, author of "Dumbing Down Our Kids," these rules address how our feel-good, politically correct teachings are creating a generation of kids set up for failure.

Instead of trophies for all, perhaps handing participants a copy of a these life lessons would have more long lasting value. The ones I would include are:

1. Life is not fair-get used to it!

2. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.

3. You won't be a vice president with a car phone until you earn both.

4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

5. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping-they called it opportunity.

6. Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you are.

7. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.

8. Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

9. Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

10. Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not.

We need look no further than the just-finished World Series for the value of earning trophies for true achievements. The St. Louis Cardinals were unlikely candidates to even get to the playoffs: 10 and a half games out in August, they were down to their last strike-twice-in the sixth game of the World Series. But with grit and grace, they hung in to eventually defeat the Texas Rangers. No doubt the championship trophy meant a lot to the team and the fans. But, it makes me wonder: had these players been awarded medals as kids-win or lose-would they have had what it took to earn the huge one in the end?

What do you think about awarding trophies for kids sports?

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Do We All Deserve Gold? Setting Kids Up To Fail

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The singer and activist Harry Belafonte confesses in his new autobiography, "My Song," that he learned a thing or two about raising kids. "I wanted to give my children all they wanted, all I hadn't had. In so doing I may have deprived them of what they needed most: the grit and the tools, to take on the world and make their own way."