Gender Equality
Discrimination Based on Gender is Widespread
Gender discrimination is a problem in British society, although the situation’s gradually improving
Fixed ideas about men’s and women’s roles are slowly giving way to an acceptance that you shouldn’t define people by gender, and that the idea of certain roles is unnecessary and bad for both genders:
Gender stereotypes - e.g. women being more emotional or men being more confident - are now seen by many people as false and damaging to both genders. For example, many people think it’s bad that men might feel less able to show or express their emotions because it’s thought not be ‘manly’ to do so.
Some people argue there is still a long way to go before women are treated equally to men, e.g. well below half of MPs are women. Others think the genders are treated more or less equally
There have been shifts in gender balance in some areas, e.g. women are now more likely than men to go to university
Religious views on gender roles have shifted over time as well
Men and Women Often Have Different Roles in the Home
Taking care of the family and home has often been seen as the ‘woman’s role’, with the man’s role being to earn money to support the family. Having different roles doesn’t necessarily mean either are unequal, but these fixed ideas make it hard for either gender to do the opposite role
These traditional roles were, and often still are, supported by Christianity and Judaism
Some of the key issues that affect men and women today are given below:
Traditionally, family care is seen as a ‘woman’s role’. This can disadvantage both parents though - for women, it may mean they have to sacrifice their career or other parts of their life to raise children, while for men, working as the ‘breadwinner’ may mean that they can’t spend as much time as they’d like with their family. This is slowly changing - shared parental leave, introduced in the UK in 2015, gives parents the option to share the time off work to look after their child in its first year
However, if the parents don’t choose to take shared parental leave, which involves the women giving up part of her maternity leave, men are only entitled to 2 weeks’ paid paternity leave. Women are entitled to 52 weeks’ maternity leave, with 39 weeks being paid. This reflects the fact that women give birth and many women breastfeed, but some men feel 2 weeks are too little.
Women may encounter problems in the workplace after taking time off to have children - many find their male colleagues have been promoted in the meantime, or struggle to afford childcare to allow them to return to work. Many women still do more housework than men, even if they’re working
There are Problems with Equality in the Workplace
Contrary to what many people believe, women have always worked. However, in the past women were prevented from doing many jobs, by law or by other people. Some had to stop work when they married.
Women were often paid less than men for the same job or only offered jobs with less responsibility and lower pay. This is still the case, although less common now in the UK because it’s been illegal.
The Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 made gender discrimination illegal
The Equality Act 2010 brought all the legislation together in one act. It also made positive action legal. Positive action is action to help a group who’s underrepresented in a profession or organisation. For example, if a male-dominated company has two equally-qualified candidates for a job, it is legal for them to pick the female candidate to help women become better represented in the company
The Act allows for ‘occupational requirements’. This means it’s legal to only offer a job to a certain group if there’s an objective reason why they’re best for it, e.g. only offering a male role in a play to male actors.
Despite these laws, there are professions in which one gender is underrepresented. Nursing or midwifery are seen as women’s jobs, while building or firefighting are seen as men’s. This is difficult to change
Women are underrepresented in positions of authority, e.g. as politicians or company directors
Many women still face discrimination at work, such as not being considered for promotion or being sexually harassed, although it’s illegal. It can be hard to prove it happened because of their gender - or even to find out it’s happening. E.g., it’s hard to tell if you’re being paid less than someone else in the same job.
The Bible is a bit Unclear on the Status of Women
The Bible gives different messages on the subject of gender discrimination. Some of Jesus’s followers were women, e.g. Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), and he treated them equally
Galatians 3:28 says “There is neither… male [nor] female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. But 1 Timothy 2:12 says: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet”, which suggest that men and women aren’t equal.
For most of Christian history, women weren’t allowed to be priests. This is no longer the case - women can now be ministers in most Protestant denominations, and Anglican priests and bishops. But they can’t be Roman Catholic or Orthodox priests.
The Bible also says wives should do as their husbands tell them. But many Christians say this reflects the ideas of society at the time, and doesn’t correspond with Jesus’s attitude towards women
Many Christians now believe men and women should be equal. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1938 mentions “sinful inequalities” and says Catholics fight against this.
“Wives, submit… to your own husbands as you do the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church…” (Ephesians 5:22-23)
Pope John Paul II said “society should create and develop conditions favouring work in the home” for women (Familiaris Consortio 23). Other denominations are less focused on traditional gender roles.
Jewish Men and Women are Often Seen as ‘Separate but Equal’
The book of Genesis is often used to support the idea that men and women are seen as equals before God, although different, and with different responsibilities.
“So God created mankind in his own image… male and female he created them” Genesis 1:27
Judaism doesn’t suggest that women should not be able to follow their chosen career. However, there is still a belief that motherhood is a privilege, and women should devote some of their life to it.
Views vary between the different branches of Judaism:
Orthodox Jews aim to uphold Jewish tradition, so are more likely to suggest women stay at home as wives and mothers. Women play an important role in celebrating Shabbat and teaching children about the faith
Many ultra-Orthodox women work at least part-time though, so their husbands can study the Torah
Reform and Liberal Judaism are committed to full gender equality, e.g. they have female rabbis