Gender Equality
By Emma Andrew
There are certain subtleties in the nuances of society that only a woman would be able to
notice. Women are indeed notoriously detail-oriented, but these particular subtleties to which I am referring are ones only the extremely trained eye might be able to identify.
The role of a woman is one full of oxymorons, and it grows more complex as time goes on. To be maternal but independent, empathetic yet not sensitive, passive yet decisive, beautiful yet unaware, intelligent yet non-threatening, sexy yet virginal, amongst a variety of other seemingly mutually exclusive virtues, are portrayed as the desirable qualities of a woman in modern society. I should not stop there, for these are simply a portion of the personality standards that women are expected to uphold, and to delve into the visual standards would require perhaps an entire other blog post. Balancing on the delicate string suspended between the two polarizations should merit respect and admiration, as it is no simple task. For the women that spend their life on this tightrope, I commend the diligence with which they carry themselves in this dignified position. For most, this remains entirely impossible, as humans are crafted so uniquely that to place half of the population within one type of personality would be utterly preposterous and a waste of our divine differences.
When I was a young girl, I remember being as care-free as the wind. I would frolic in muddy
creeks, play soccer during recess, owned a massive collection of stuffed animals, and loved
kittens with a passion. I had dreams of owning my own business, winning American Idol, and
marrying the man of my dreams while traveling in a far away land. I was able to dream big,
without limitations. The future was my oyster and I could lie back in the grass during the
summertime afternoon and imagine what was to come.
Living in America provided me with a unique perspective that I was only able to utilize once I left the country. I was able to grasp the level of freedom with which the citizens operate, and the massive strides in gender equality that have been made within the last 100 years. Women are no longer just fixtures of the home, but CEO’s, presidential candidates, leading scientists, and athletes. Through a retrospective lens, I can’t help but admire the amazing transformation the world has undergone. A world once one-dimensional for females has become colorful, vivid, and multi-dimensional. What’s more, is with this newfound expansion of societal roles, we can still maintain traditional ones of being a mother and a homemaker.
Although I could nitpick the fine details of western society in which men still view women as
subordinate and treat us as such, legally, we are recognized as the same. And that is something worth cheering about.
As I have grown older, I have realized the luxury all of this is for me, as a female. I was born in
an affluent country with equal opportunity, with loving and supportive parents, with access to a quality education. In many places in the world, this mindset and these living conditions would be completely alien. There are big fish to fry in the world. Much bigger than the modern day inconveniences of living in a society where some misogynists exist.
In many regions of the world, sex trafficking is a horrifically prevalent industry. Women and girls are reduced to commodities, to being seen as objects to use instead of souls to respect. Genital mutilation occurs to millions of women and young girls in areas all over the world. There are atrocities committed against women simply because they are women. These are the problems that should keep us up at night, the ones we need to fight for first and foremost. In many countries, we have reached the point of equality that gives women the strength to bring our freedom to other parts of the world at this point. Although it appears, perhaps in our modern societies, that women are free all over the world, they would be sorely mistaken. The fight is hardly close to over. However, we can support and educate communities around the world in order to bolster girls and women to become healthy, safe, and happy.
The time is now to help. The time is now to awaken from the lull of the comfort of our everyday routine if we desire to enact a change. Pick our groggy heads up from our screens to see those struggling around us, in our local communities and those far away, and brainstorm how to assist them in bettering their living conditions. It will take time, money, dedication, and cultural sensitivity in order to bridge the gap between men and women in the world, but it is possible.