Cause And Effect Of Gender Discrimination Sociology Essay

Gender discrimination started since the days of our ancestors who had been suppressing women’s rights and is perceived to be the norm of the male-dominance society. Men are always, until today, seen as the figure of leadership and success in many countries with no exceptions to some well-known countries where women are given as much rights as their counterpart (Dailymail, July 18, 2011). Although the idea of women belongs in the kitchen is fast fading or much despised by the society as discriminatory, women are underperforming comparing to their male counterpart. Women are facing these hard truths mainly because the fact that most traditional minded people thinks that women are underrepresented. After that, education is one of the main causes for gender discrimination. Lastly, religion is also the factor for this issue.

Traditional lifestyle in some households causes unjust discrimination to women (Anderson, Moore, Faison, 1995). For instance, many Asian cultures groom young girls to becoming women, who later in life play the role of a homemaker responsible to prepare meals for the family and to do everyday house chores. On the other hand, they are deprived off some basic rights now considered to be essentially important such as their marriage. In their culture, they are required to seek for their parents’ blessing on their marriage, if it is unsuccessful, their relationship would fall apart. Daughters are “matched” for marriages with their parents’ discretion and rejection is a form of disobedience which is unacceptable in their society. Old folks especially Asians are concerned about the surnames and it is the duty for the younger generation to pass on. However, only the male members are able to inherit the surname while woman must adopt their husband’s surname, abandoning their maiden name (WHO 2011). It is perceived to be important to uphold their family’s name because family history is the pride of many people. Therefore, traditional lifestyle is the cause of gender discrimination.

As mentioned by Moreau (2010, 159). Education opportunities are prioritized for the male family members. This is due to most of the people have a thought that men are more talented to studies. This will cause that men think that they have more knowledge compared to women and it is a cause of gender discrimination. Another cause for education opportunities are prioritized because men should be responsible for the family. They think that men must be educated in order to find a better work to give his family a better life. This is also the factor that cause gender discrimination due to men will think that they have to work hard to earn a living while women only prepare meals for the family and to do everyday house chores. Therefore, the equality of education opportunity is important to prevent gender discrimination.

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Religion in some ways contributes to gender discrimination. Women are suffering in countries where religion is law, such as many Muslim countries (MUNFW 2012). Some of the religion such as Muslim prohibits women to become leader. They think that men should take the responsibility while women are expected to be the followers of men. This fuels men with overwhelming self-confidence and underestimate women’s ability without having to evaluate them. In-born egoism causes men to always think that they are right all the time and refuse to accept suggestion from women. This is also caused them to think that women do not have the ability to get things done. Therefore, some of the religion will cause gender discrimination in the society and will bring a lot of bad effect to the society.

Most of the people think that gender discrimination doesn’t really bring any negative effect to the community and society. They do not really comprehend the severity of gender discrimination to the community. The population of women is shrinking in China as the result of gender selection. Trafficking of women are becoming more common in European countries. Last but not least, gender discrimination leads to violence against women.

Gender imbalance is one of the effects of gender discrimination in China. International average gender ratio is 104 boys for every 104-107 girls while China’s gender ratio is 123 boys per 100 girls in 2005 (Hua 2006). The gender imbalance in China is due to abortion of female fetuses because Chinese parents desire sons over daughters due to surname’s purpose and they believe girls will leave the family once they get married and no one is going to take care of them in old age (Hua 2010). Gender imbalance in China also caused twenty percent of men in China are single in twenty years time, that attitude itself reflects gender imbalance. Gender imbalance is one of the major effects of gender discrimination in China.

Trafficking of women became more general in Europe since the collapse of Soviet Union for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Prostitution is a multi-billion dollar shadow market and it is estimated to generate seven to twelve billion annually. On top of that, this industry is relatively low risk compared to drugs or arms (Hughes, 2000, 4). They abduct women, because women are weaker and are able to contribute into the sex industry. The collapse of Soviet Union opens up a pool of millions of women from which trafficker recruited. It has become a major sending country for women trafficked into sex industry all over the world (Hughes, 2000, 14). Therefore, trafficking of women is caused from gender discrimination.

Violence against women is also a miserable experience for women due to gender discrimination. Gender based violence reflects and reinforces inequality between both gender, it compress wide range of human rights violation, including abuse of children, violence of women, sexual assault, trafficking of women and girls and others (UNFPA 2012). Violence has profound effects on a woman’s reproductive health including unwanted pregnancies, restricted access to family planning information and contraceptive, unsafe abortion after an unwanted pregnancies, sexual transmitted infection including HIV and others. Other than that, gender based violence also serves to perpetuate male power and control. It is sustained by a culture of silence and serious health consequences due to long term abuse (WHO 2011). Lastly, sexual inequality is the main factor of violence against women.

Gender discrimination is a very harmful activity to everyone in this world. In traditional, education and religious view, women are weaker compared to men and it is now a reason for gender discrimination as every person has human rights in this world. Other than that, gender discrimination brought us a lot of negative effect for us. Gender discrimination caused sex-imbalance in China and trafficking of women in European countries (The Problem 2012). Gender discrimination also caused women’s life to be miserable because of the violence against women from gender discrimination. Lastly, men shall not discriminate women as this common saying stated “Behind all successful man, there is a woman.” This quotes stated clearly that everyone have their role including women in the way to success of a man.