Gender equality
Encyclopedia
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
of the gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
s, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality
Gender inequality
Gender inequality refers to disparity between individuals due to gender. Gender is constructed both socially through social interactions as well as biologically through chromosomes, brain structure, and hormonal differences. Gender systems are often dichotomous and hierarchical; binary gender...
.
Concept
The movement towards gender equality, especially in Western countries, began with the suffragetteSuffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
movement of the late-19th century. Then there was a change in relation to a woman's property rights in marriage. (See for example, Married Women's Property Act 1882
Married Women's Property Act 1882
The Married Women's Property Act 1882 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that significantly altered English law regarding the property rights granted to married women, allowing them to own and control their own property....
.) In the 1960s, a more general movement for gender equality developed based on women's liberation and feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
. However, actual changes in attitudes continued to focus on specific issues.
The movement resulted in changes to laws, either relating to particular issues or general anti-sex discrimination laws. Changes to attitudes to equality in education opportunities for boys and girls has also undergone a cultural shift. Some changes came about by adopting affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
policies. The change has also involved changes to social views, including "equal pay for equal work
Equal pay for equal work
Equal pay for equal work is the concept that individuals doing the same work should receive the same remuneration. In America, for example, the law states that "employers may not pay unequal wages to men and women who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility,...
" as well as most occupations being equally available to men and women, in many countries. For example, many countries now permit women to serve in the armed forces, the police force and to be fire fighters. Also, an increasing number of women are active in politics and occupy high positions in business.
Conversely, men increasingly are working in occupations which in previous generations had been considered "female occupations", such as nursing. Also, in the home, while acknowledging the biological differences between men and women, most notably in relation to child bearing, the role of child rearing is not as widely considered to be an exclusively female role. Another manifestation of the change in social attitudes is the non-automatic taking by a woman of her husband's surname on marriage, as well as a wife being free to pursue her career after marriage.
Many people, feminist and not, still do not regard the objective of gender equality as having been achieved, especially in non-Western countries. A highly contentious issue relating to gender equality is the role of women in Christian churches, and female priests. The issue has caused splits in some churches.
Not all ideas for gender equality have been popularly adopted. For example, the movement for topfreedom
Topfreedom
Topfreedom is a cultural and political movement seeking to advance gender equality by the recognition of the right of women and girls to be topless in public on the same basis that men and boys are permitted to be barechested. In addition, topfreedom advocates seek recognition of the right of...
rights has remained a marginal issue, though breast feeding rights in semi-public places have been accepted. However, women embracing pornography and anti-social behaviour at times associated with male groups is widely criticised.
Efforts to fight inequality
World bodies have defined gender equality in terms of human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, especially women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
, and economic development. UNICEF defines gender equality as "levelling the playing field for girls and women by ensuring that all children have equal opportunity to develop their talents."
The United Nations Population Fund
United Nations Population Fund
The United Nations Population Fund is a UN organization. The work of the UNFPA involves promotion of the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. This is done through major national and demographic surveys and with population censuses...
has declared that women have a right to equality. "Gender equity" is one of the goals of the United Nations Millennium Project
United Nations Millennium Project
The Millennium Project is an initiative that focuses on research implementing the organizational means, operational priorities, and financing structures necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals or . The goals are aimed at the reduction of poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy,...
, to end world poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
by 2015; the project claims, "Every single Goal is directly related to women's rights, and societies where women are not afforded equal rights as men can never achieve development in a sustainable manner."
Thus, promoting gender equality is seen as an encouragement to greater economic prosperity. For example, nations of the Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
that deny equality of opportunity to women were warned in a 2008 United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
-sponsored report that this disempowerment is a critical factor crippling these nations' return to the first rank of global leaders in commerce, learning and culture.
In 2010, the European Union opened the European Institute for Gender Equality
European Institute for Gender Equality
The European Institute for Gender Equality is a Vilnius-based agency of the European Union inaugurated on 2007. It was established by Council Regulation No 1922/2006 of 20 December 2006...
(EIGE) in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
to promote gender equality and to fight sex discrimination.
General issues
- Complementarianism
- EgalitarianismEgalitarianismEgalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
- FeminismFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
- Men's RightsMen's rightsMen's rights is an umbrella term, encompassing the political rights, entitlements, and freedoms given or denied to males within a nation or culture....
- Gender mainstreamingGender mainstreamingGender mainstreaming is the public policy concept of assessing the different implications for women and men of any planned policy action, including legislation and programmes, in all areas and levels...
- Right to equal protectionRight to equal protectionThe Right to Equal Protection is a concept that was introduced to into the Constitution of the United States during the American Civil War. It is intended to protect the rights provided by the United States Constitution for all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, etc...
- Sex and gender distinction
Specific issues
- Bahá'í Faith and gender equalityBahá'í Faith and gender equalityOne of the fundamental teachings of the Bahá'í Faith is that men and women are equal, and that the equality of the sexes is a spiritual and moral standard that is essential for the unification of the planet and the unfoldment of peace. The Bahá'í teachings note the importance of implementing the...
- Female economic activityFemale economic activityFemale economic activity is a common measure of gender equality in an economy. It is one of the numbers used by the UNDP in the calculation of the Human Development Index, but the numbers themselves are gathered by the International Labour Organization. It is a measure of women over the age of...
- Female educationFemale educationFemale education is a catch-all term for a complex of issues and debates surrounding education for females. It includes areas of gender equality and access to education, and its connection to the alleviation of poverty...
- Gender Parity IndexGender Parity IndexThe Gender Parity Index is a socioeconomic index usually designed to measure the relative access to education of males and females. In its simplest form, it is calculated as the quotient of the number of females by the number of males enrolled in a given stage of education...
(in education) - Gender sensitizationGender sensitizationGender sensitization refers to the modification of behavior by raising awareness of gender equality concerns .Gender sensitizing "is about changing behavior and instilling empathy into the views that we hold about our own and the other sex." It helps people in "examining their personal attitudes...
- MatriarchyMatriarchyA matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
- MatrinameMatrinameMatrilineal surnames, or equivalently matrinames, are inherited or handed down from mother to daughter in matrilineal cultures, and this line of descent or "mother line" is called a matriline...
- Mixed-sex education
- PatriarchyPatriarchyPatriarchy is a social system in which the role of the male as the primary authority figure is central to social organization, and where fathers hold authority over women, children, and property. It implies the institutions of male rule and privilege, and entails female subordination...
- Quaker Testimony of EqualityTestimony of EqualityTestimony of equality is a shorthand description of the action generally taken by members of the Religious Society of Friends towards equality, arising from Friends' belief that all people are created equal in the eyes of God. The word testimony describes the way that Friends testify or bear...
- Women in IslamWomen in IslamThe study of women in Islam investigates the role of women within the religion of Islam. The complex relationship between women and Islam is defined by Islamic texts, the history and culture of the Muslim world...
Laws
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against WomenConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against WomenThe Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women is an international convention adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly....
or CEDAW (United Nations, 1979) - Danish Act of Succession referendum, 2009
- Equal Pay Act of 1963Equal Pay Act of 1963The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is a United States federal law amending the Fair Labor Standards Act, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex . It was signed into law on June 10, 1963 by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program...
(United States) - Equality Act 2006Equality Act 2006The Equality Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom covering the United Kingdom. The 2006 Act is a precursor to the Equality Act 2010, which combines all of the equality enactments within Great Britain and provide comparable protections across all equality strands...
(UK) - Equality Act 2010 (UK)
- European charter for equality of women and men in local lifeEuropean charter for equality of women and men in local life- The European charter for equality of women and men in local life :The Council of European Municipalities and Regions launched in May 2006 a European charter for equality of women and men in local life...
- Gender Equality Duty in ScotlandGender Equality Duty in ScotlandThe Equality Act 2006 was complemented with specific duties later on. The general Equality Duty states that people should not be discriminated according to their age, race, gender, religion, disability and sexual orientation....
- Gender Equity Education Act (Taiwan)Gender Equity Education Act (Taiwan)Gender Equity Education Act of Republic of China was announced on 2004 June. The General Provisions states the purposes of the act: "to promote substantive gender equality, eliminate gender discrimination, uphold human dignity, and improve and establish education resources and environment of...
- Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay ActLilly Ledbetter Fair Pay ActThe Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is an Act of Congress enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 29, 2009....
(United States, 2009) - List of gender equality lawsuits
- Paycheck Fairness ActPaycheck Fairness ActThe Paycheck Fairness Act is legislation being considered by the United States Congress to expand the scope of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Fair Labor Standards Act as part of an effort to address male–female income disparity in the United States...
(in the US) - Title IXTitle IXTitle IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
of the Education Amendments of 1972 (United States) - Uniform civil codeUniform civil codeUniform civil code of India is a term referring to the concept of an overarching Civil Law Code in India. A uniform civil code administers the same set of secular civil laws to govern all people irrespective of their religion, caste and tribe. This supersedes the right of citizens to be governed...
(India) - Women's Petition to the National AssemblyWomen's Petition to the National AssemblyThis petition was produced during the French Revolution and presented to the French National Assembly in November 1789 after The March on Versailles on 5 October 1789, proposing a decree by the National Assembly to give women equality. There were thousands of petitions presented to the National...
(France, 1789)
Organizations and ministries
- Afghan Ministry of Women AffairsAfghan Ministry of Women AffairsAfghan Ministry of Women's Affairs is a new ministry in the Afghan government which was established in late 2001 by Afghan Transitional Administration....
(Afghanistan) - Centre for Development and Population ActivitiesCentre for Development and Population ActivitiesThe Centre for Development and Population Activities is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in developing countries through education, health and training programs.-History:...
- Christians for Biblical EqualityChristians for Biblical EqualityChristians for Biblical Equality is non-profit organization of churches and individual members who believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of believers of both sexes, all racial and ethnic groups and all economic classes...
- Committee on Women's Rights and Gender EqualityCommittee on Women's Rights and Gender EqualityThe Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality is a committee of the European Parliament.-Chair:-Members:*BASTOS, Regina *BAUER, Edit *BOZKURT, Emine *ČEŠKOVÁ, Andrea *CORNELISSEN, Marije *COSTA, Silvia *CYMAŃSKI, Tadeusz...
(European Parliament) - Equal Opportunities CommissionEqual Opportunities CommissionThe Equal Opportunities Commission was an independent non-departmental public body, in the United Kingdom, which tackled sex discrimination and promoted gender equality...
(UK) - European Institute for Gender EqualityEuropean Institute for Gender EqualityThe European Institute for Gender Equality is a Vilnius-based agency of the European Union inaugurated on 2007. It was established by Council Regulation No 1922/2006 of 20 December 2006...
- Gender Empowerment MeasureGender Empowerment MeasureThe United Nation's Development Programme's attempt to measure the extent of gender equality across the globe's countries, based on estimates of women's relative economic income, high-paying positions, and access to professional and parliamentary positions....
, a metric used by the United Nations - Gender-related Development IndexGender-related Development IndexThe Gender-related Development Index and the Gender Empowerment Measure were introduced in 1995 in the Human Development Report written by the United Nations Development Program. The aim of these measurements was to add a gender-sensitive dimension to the HDI. The first measurement that they...
, a metric used by the United Nations - Government Equalities OfficeGovernment Equalities OfficeThe Government Equalities Office is a United Kingdom government department. It was created in October 2007 when the Women and Equality Unit, based within the Department for Communities and Local Government was converted into an independent department.It has lead responsibility for gender equality...
(UK) - International Center for Research on WomenInternational Center for Research on Women-Focus areas:ICRW research identifies women's contributions to their communities and the barriers – like HIV, violence, and lack of education – that prevent them from being economically stable and able to fully participate in society...
- Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality (Sweden)Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality (Sweden)The Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality is a ministry of the Government Offices of Sweden. Its areas of responsibility include consumer affairs, democracy issues, gender equality, human rights, integration issues, metropolitan affairs, minority issues, non-governmental organizations and...
- Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (Malaysia)Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (Malaysia)The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development , better known by its Malay acronym, KPWKM, is a government ministry that is responsible determining the policies and direction to achieve the goals of gender equality, family development and a caring society in line with Malaysia's commitment...
- Philippine Commission on Women (Philippines)
- Total E-QualityTotal E-QualityTotal E-Quality is a German organization promoting equal gender opportunies in business, academia and other organizations. An award can be given for exemplary human resource practices.Source: German wiki...
(Germany)
Other related topics
- Global Gender Gap ReportGlobal Gender Gap ReportThe Global Gender Gap Report was first published in 2006 by the World Economic Forum. The 2010 report covers 134 major and emerging economies....
- Women's Equality DayWomen's Equality DayWomen's Equality Day is a day proclaimed each year by the United States President to commemorate the giving of the vote to women throughout the country on an equal basis to men....
- International Men's DayInternational Men's DayInternational Men's Day is an annual international event celebrated on 19 November. Inaugurated in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago, the day and its events find support from a variety of individuals and groups in Australia, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United...
- Potty parityPotty parity"Potty parity" is equal or equitable provision of washroom facilities for women and men within a public space.-Gender-neutral toilets:Gender-neutral toilets are common in some contexts, including on aircraft, on trains or buses, portable toilets, and accessible toilets. In parts of Europe they are...
External links
- United Nations Rule of Law: Gender Equality, on the relationship between gender equality, the rule of lawRule of lawThe rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
and the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. - HillarysVillage, Forum for women, minorities, members of the gay community and those who are otherwise marginalized.
- The OneWorld Guide to Gender Equality
- WomenWatch, the United Nations Internet Gateway on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women
- Women's Empowerment, the United Nations Development Program's Gender Team
- GENDERNET, International forum of gender experts working in support of gender equality. Development Co-operation Directorate of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...
- Gender at the OECD Development Centre, gender activities at the OECD Development Centre
- Gender Equality as Smart Economics World Bank
- Women Leadership: Yes she can!
- The Local Gender equality in Sweden (news collection)
- Women Can Do It!
- Return2WorkMums For women returners to the workplace
- Sexism Discussion Group
- Sexual Equality and Romantic Love
- Gender Equality Tracker
- Gender and Work Database
- Gender and the Built Environment Database (about gender and the built environment)
- WiTEC - The European Association for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET)
- Gender Equality in Labour & Life - Online Course focus on PA (SET)