by Abiola Agboola
Gender inequality is the social disaster in which people are not treated equally on the basis of gender. This inequality can be caused by gender discrimination or sexism. The treatment may arise from differences regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms widespread in the society. Some of these differences are practically grounded, while others appear to be social constructs. It appears that women are most affected. Gender inequality weakens women in many areas such as health, education, and business life.
Gender inequality manifests itself in many different ways. People can experience mental health conditions as a direct result of gender based discrimination or violence, for example. They can also develop conditions indirectly as a result of exposure to chronic stress, and harmful messages in the media. People develop PTSD, depression, mental illness and insecurity from gender inequality
Here are some effects gender inequality has on the society
Education: Education plays a vital role in gender inequality. When girls don’t get the same opportunities as boys, they are told that women are meant for the kitchen not educated spot infusing a poor mentality on them.
Political representation: Men have been dominating the political world for years now, while women lack political representation. Only few countries have a female Head of State and a female Head of Government. Several obstacles make women political representation difficult, such as gender imbalanced funding, discriminatory election rules, and gender stereotypes surrounding political ambition and power.
Lack of employment equality: One of the causes for gender inequality within employment is the division of jobs. There’s a belief that men are simply better equipped to handle certain jobs than women . Most of those jobs happens to be jobs that pay the most. This discrimination results in lower income and lower job opportunities for women.
Racism: Racism and gender inequality have been closely linked for a long time. It affects what jobs women of colors most especially black women are able to get and how much they’re paid, as well as how they are viewed by legal and healthcare systems. The pay gaps between white women and women of color continues that legacy of discrimination and contributes to gender inequality.
Gender inequality causes women to be poorer, have less education and face more health risks than men. Labour markets are heavily gender-segregated, and women are employed primarily in low-paying and insecure occupations.