Hello, everyone. I’m Shannon Lee, and today I’m here to talk about gender inequality.
Gender inequality began far back in history. Even for cavemen, the duties were divided by gender. Men completed more manual tasks, whereas women cooked food and were responsible for having children.
The struggle of gender inequality continues to exist today, when many countries continue to believe that women are less capable than men. Currently, there are only six countries that give women the same legal working rights as men. Most economies give women around three quarters of the legal working rights that they give men. And sadly, some don’t give women the legal working rights at all.
As a young person, I realize that there are different expectations placed on boys and girls.
Gender stereotyping is present from birth for most of us. We pressure girls to look more attractive and present themselves differently, whereas boys often experience pressure to behave in a more masculine and manly way.
I believe everyone should be free to be themselves and develop as they naturally want to. I personally find it difficult to understand how in 2021, gender inequality still exists. I mean, how can women be so underestimated?
As a student of YCIS, I am fortunate to have never been treated differently from my male peers. I feel I have equal opportunities and the same access to education and success in school as they do. However, I am concerned that as I get older, if this gap in the working world does not decrease, I may experience gender inequality in my later life.
I believe all people should be treated equally regardless of their gender and want to help women make a change. With this in mind, I feel that the most important factor that will empower women is ensuring that all women develop their mindset.
Women need to believe they are equal to men. Otherwise, a change will never be made. Policies will only change if women continue to strive to be educated equally to men.
This may not be a problem for us here in China, but in other areas in the world, this is not the case. With more women educated and accessing higher-level jobs, government policies are more likely to change.
