According to the report of the World Economic Forum, the average global gender equality index in 2018 is 68% (100% is gender equality). The report measures gender equality in 149 countries from four major factors: political empowerment, economic opportunity, educational achievement, and health status. Why do people often pursue equality between men and women, but the equality index is only close to 70%?
Gender equality is a topic that is being revolved around International Women’s Day on March 8 every year. Many organizations and independent people in society have spoken about equality between men and women. In fact, equality between men and women is not only a fundamental human right but also an essential link in promoting sustainable development and ultimately achieving a peaceful society. Is it not enough for men and women to be equal now? In today’s democratic and free society, the law has a law on the protection of women’s gender discrimination. Women have the right to vote, education, and work, the same as men. But the topic of equality between men and women is still receiving much attention. What is it asking for?
For example, we have learned “lady first” since we were young. This is the performance of men who are polite to women and gentlemen. They use the concept of gentleman’s grace to beautify this concept of inequality between men and women. However, the lady first is an equal wrong education. Women enjoy a lot of material and opportunity privileges, and they are also regarded as a weak group.
On the contrary, men become a group of people who are taken for granted. Besides, in Asian society, the gender stereotypes of “Man are breadwinners; women are homemakers” remain the same, which makes the society expect different standards for men and women. A member of the Korean female group idol Apink once published a photo in the restaurant, because the phone case held in the photo reads “Girls can do anything,” and the photos caused a crisis of criticism in South Korea. People claimed that the member deliberately promoted feminist ideals and the final photo was deleted. South Korea believes that feminism is negative, mainly because of their deep-rooted patriarchal culture.
The equality between men and women often hears Patriarchy and Feminism. The patriarchal thought refers to the idea that men are the center of power. It is considered that men are superior in psychology and physiology to women. It is a traditional concept of “male outside, female inside.” Feminism is not the opposite of women, but the pursuit of equality between men and women. Women from history have no voting rights or freedom of reproduction. They have always been dominated by men. This is the fact that men and women have been unequal. It may be misunderstood that feminism is to create another male inequality, and women must dominate everything. But feminism emphasizes equality between men and women. Men and women enjoy the same human rights guarantees and can control their own destiny and future.
Why is gender equality difficult to achieve globally?
The controversial part is that the physical structure of men and women is inherently unfair, women need to bear the pain of childbearing, and men only need to take the responsibility of passing on the family. Because the natural physiological structure is different, it determines that the primary social division of labor between men and women is also separate. On the other hand, absolute equality between men and women is complicated. Many people believe that equality between men and women should be equitably distributed in any place, but all balance is relative. Just like a family, it is about understanding each other’s assistance and respect, rather than distinguishing how much to pay.
Personal thoughts can change gender equality, true gender equality is still a challenge!
-Silva
Reference:
麥可·基梅爾. (n.d.). Transcript of “為什麼性別平等對大家都好 － 包含男性”. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_kimmel_why_gender_equality_is_good_for_everyone_men_included/transcript?utm_medium=on.ted.com-none&share=1cd351d66&language=zh-tw&utm_campaign=&awesm=on.ted.com_t05IK&utm_content=roadrunner-rrshorturl&utm_source=direct-on.ted.com
Pok, S. (2018, July 05). How The Misperception Of Feminism In South Korea Damaged Female K-Pop Idols • Kpopmap. Retrieved from https://www.kpopmap.com/how-the-misperception-of-feminism-in-south-korea-damaged-female-kpop-idols/
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