A recent report by the World Economic Forum projected that it will take 208 years to close major gender gaps in the United States - a country far better than ours when it comes to equal opportunities and human rights. However, no matter how developed and an economically stable a country is, it's not the Utopia where gender equality exists. Talking about a world where when an empowered woman and a man are put side by side with no differences between them feels like wishful thinking. But what if this wishful dream does comes true? What would the world look like then?
Imagine what our society would look like if the differences and power dynamics between a husband and a wife will cease to exist. The world that we live in right now, the managing of a household is solely a woman's work. And even though a woman is who keeps the household running, she's not the one who makes the important decisions because she's not the one earning. The financial dependency of a wife on her husband is what gives the husband more power over his spouse. Woman in toxic marriages can't leave because then they won't have the means to survive and they can't afford to. But in a world where equality would rule, these differences won't exist. Women won't be the only ones taking care of the children and house chores. Men won't be the only breadwinners. There would be a balance then. Not that divorces and unhappy marriages won't exist but a marriage where both partners are equal sounds better and likely to last a long time.
One of the main reasons why marriages are so important is that it's believed a woman needs protection. She's not safe in a society unless she's under the protection of a man. But why is it that she needs protection? Most women in our society have no agency or power over there own bodies. Most times they can't even walk down a street without getting physically or verbally harassed. Women are portrayed as these fragile creatures. But in truth they're not. They're just living in a world where they're constantly being told that they are. In a gender equal world neither would woman will 'need to be protected' nor men would have to step up as prince's in shining armours.
Mere stereotypes like girls play with dolls and boys play with cars have a lot to do with gender inequality. A young girl who's told from the day she was born that certain things aren't for and she can't take part in certain professions, is always likely to be disadvantaged. Then there's the big bad wolf - toxic masculinity. Suicide rates for men are higher and that is because they're constantly being put in a gendered box that doesn't allows them to express their emotions. However, in a society with gender equality men can cry if they feel like crying and no one would undermine their strength. They can wear pink and no one would bully them. Likewise a young girl will be allowed to play with cars. No one would tell her she can't be wrestler just because she's a girl. Now that sounds like a better place.
A recent study suggested that the Asia-Pacific region is losing about $89 billion a year because women are not totally integrated into the economy. Imagine if women participated in the job market the same way as men, so that they erased current gaps in the labour-force, in hours worked and in representation within each sector, how much more will be added to a country's gross domestic product.
Patriarchy is entrenched in the roots of our society and it exists mostly because there's gender inequality. Other than obvious reason of how patriarchy affects a woman's independence, the most sad part of it is that women are against women who stand up for them. And they're also not to blame because they've been brought up in a way that doesn't allows them to see themselves as more than just mothers, daughters, and wives. Their survival depends on the men of their family and they've become complacent with living in an unequal world. However, in an equal world more women will stand up for each other. Actually more people would stand up for each other.
All of these changes may not create a perfect world, but it'll be better than the world we're in living in at the moment. And we all deserve a better world. An equal world.
Read more on gender: Key Initiatives To Improve The Conditions Of The Home-Based Workers Are Not Yet Taken
Marriages would be equal with no power dynamics
Imagine what our society would look like if the differences and power dynamics between a husband and a wife will cease to exist. The world that we live in right now, the managing of a household is solely a woman's work. And even though a woman is who keeps the household running, she's not the one who makes the important decisions because she's not the one earning. The financial dependency of a wife on her husband is what gives the husband more power over his spouse. Woman in toxic marriages can't leave because then they won't have the means to survive and they can't afford to. But in a world where equality would rule, these differences won't exist. Women won't be the only ones taking care of the children and house chores. Men won't be the only breadwinners. There would be a balance then. Not that divorces and unhappy marriages won't exist but a marriage where both partners are equal sounds better and likely to last a long time.
No more damsels in distress
One of the main reasons why marriages are so important is that it's believed a woman needs protection. She's not safe in a society unless she's under the protection of a man. But why is it that she needs protection? Most women in our society have no agency or power over there own bodies. Most times they can't even walk down a street without getting physically or verbally harassed. Women are portrayed as these fragile creatures. But in truth they're not. They're just living in a world where they're constantly being told that they are. In a gender equal world neither would woman will 'need to be protected' nor men would have to step up as prince's in shining armours.
No more gender stereotypes
Mere stereotypes like girls play with dolls and boys play with cars have a lot to do with gender inequality. A young girl who's told from the day she was born that certain things aren't for and she can't take part in certain professions, is always likely to be disadvantaged. Then there's the big bad wolf - toxic masculinity. Suicide rates for men are higher and that is because they're constantly being put in a gendered box that doesn't allows them to express their emotions. However, in a society with gender equality men can cry if they feel like crying and no one would undermine their strength. They can wear pink and no one would bully them. Likewise a young girl will be allowed to play with cars. No one would tell her she can't be wrestler just because she's a girl. Now that sounds like a better place.
No pay gap
A recent study suggested that the Asia-Pacific region is losing about $89 billion a year because women are not totally integrated into the economy. Imagine if women participated in the job market the same way as men, so that they erased current gaps in the labour-force, in hours worked and in representation within each sector, how much more will be added to a country's gross domestic product.
Women won't be each other's enemies anymore
Patriarchy is entrenched in the roots of our society and it exists mostly because there's gender inequality. Other than obvious reason of how patriarchy affects a woman's independence, the most sad part of it is that women are against women who stand up for them. And they're also not to blame because they've been brought up in a way that doesn't allows them to see themselves as more than just mothers, daughters, and wives. Their survival depends on the men of their family and they've become complacent with living in an unequal world. However, in an equal world more women will stand up for each other. Actually more people would stand up for each other.
All of these changes may not create a perfect world, but it'll be better than the world we're in living in at the moment. And we all deserve a better world. An equal world.
Read more on gender: Key Initiatives To Improve The Conditions Of The Home-Based Workers Are Not Yet Taken