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Writer's pictureArsene Loic MBAKWO DIFOM

Gender Equality: a Fight of the Past or Future?


This article is focused on the following UN Sustainable Development Goal:




We very often hear about gender equality, but do we really know what it is and why it concerns us? In reality, many do not understand what gender equality really is, which is why they do not consider it a problem. The first step to change things is therefore to make everyone understand what gender equality really means. Gender equality is a subject that has fuelled debate for many years. For some, this subject is no longer relevant, others do not feel concerned by the issue. But the reality is that man or woman, we are all concerned. So we can ask ourselves: is gender equality a fight that belongs to the past or the news?

It is important to know that gender equality can’t belong to the past as long as men and women are not treated the same. So the better question to ask has to be "Do men and women have the same rights?”. This is the question I will be answering in this article.

On the point of rights, it is true that men and women have the same rights. They both have human and citizen rights. However, this is not true worldwide. In a democratic country like France, for example, the law grants the same rights to women and men. At school, girls follow the same school program as boys and are free to choose their studies and future profession. Later, in professional life, a man or woman receives the same salary for the same job.





In most developed nations, women and men have the same rights to marriage and the education of children. They also have the same chances of being elected and performing essential functions, as mayor or President of the Republic. This is also true in many other countries such as the US, Canada, Belgium, Spain, Italy, etc. However, in most Islamic countries, it is common to see that women do not have the same rights as men. In countries like Afghanistan, women do not occupy positions in the Cabinet in the de facto administration, which has also abolished the Ministry of Women's Affairs therefore eliminating the right of women to participate in the country's political life. Girls are also prohibited from continuing their education beyond the sixth and women are prohibited from occupying most jobs outside their homes.





Restrictions on female movements and organizations continue to increase. Since May 2021, women have to cover their faces in public and stay at home, except in cases of necessity. Women are prohibited from traveling long distances without a male chaperone and unacised women. This is according to the UN women article in May 2022. In our everyday life, women are victims of sexist comments, jokes, harassment, and discrimination. Whether at their workplace, at school, or in public spaces. A large majority of women are afraid to go out alone on the streets because they fear they could be attacked by men or be victims of sexist comments. Many men reduce women to merely an object or say that the place of women is in the kitchen or at home with the children More women are also victims of domestic violence than men.


Recent studies in 2020 showed that : 102 women were killed by their partner or ex-partner and 23 men were killed by their partner or ex-partner (UN Women).

According to the, « National study on violent deaths within the couple. Year 2020, Ministry of the Interior, Delegation to victims ».82% of deaths in the couple are women. Of the women killed by their spouses, 35% were victims of previous violence by their partner. In addition, of the 22 women who killed their partner, half, or 11 of them, had already been victims of violence by their partner.


Girls find it more difficult at school than men to move towards engineering studies and well-paid jobs. 75% for men, 49% for women. This is the overall rate of participation in the labor market in the world according to the TF1 news. They earn a quarter less salary per month and rarely have positions of responsibility. At home, they spend twice more of their time caring for children and doing household chores than men. In the National Assembly, 228 women are deputies, it's a record but they are in the minority. There is still progress to be made to change mentalities and achieve equality.




Therefore we can conclude that men and women are not always treated equally in society even though they have the same rights according to the law. Women are still not equal in every way to men. Equality between men and women will be the result of a long struggle. Laws have improved the situation over the past few years, but serious inequalities remain. Even if inequalities are much more towards women, this fight concerns both men and women. This is why we must all feel concerned and do as much as possible at our level so as not to discriminate against women or reduce them to simple objects. Remember we all were born from a man and a woman. Both are needed and important. Men and women may not have the same roles to play but are equal and must be treated in the same way. It’s up to us to make a difference. Yes you, I am talking to you reading this article. You have the power to make a difference. Making a difference starts by reading this article and sharing it with your family and friends. It’s up to you to make a better world. Because we are the world of tomorrow.


Remember, change starts with you.


 

“La Synthèse De L'étude Sur Les Morts Violentes Au Sein Du Couple En 2021.” https://arretonslesviolences.gouv.fr/je-suis-professionnel/chiffres-de-reference-violences-faites-aux-femmes.




"Dans le monde du travail les femmes encore discriminées" https://www.tf1info.fr/amp/vie-pro/assises-de-parite-dans-le-monde-du-travail-les-femmes-encore-discriminees-2185062.html



"Les femmes et les hommes ont-ils les mêmes droit?" https://www.1jour1actu.com/france/les-femmes-et-les-hommes-ont-ils-les-memes-droits?amp


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