Dilemmas in Gender Equality

Seoha Han Y8

I’ll give you a riddle: What is invisible to someone who has it and is visible to someone who doesn’t? The answer is privilege. In a TED talk, a speaker spoke about a conversation between two women. One is black and the other is white. The white woman said that all women face the same struggles against patriarchy. However, the black woman asked the white woman, "When you wake up in the morning and you look in the mirror, what do you see?" And the white woman said, "I see a woman. " Interestingly, the black woman replied that she sees a black woman. She said that race is visible to her and not to the white woman. “That’s how privilege works. Privilege is invisible to those who have it, ” she said.

Gender equality is a controversial topic, but the recent emotional arguments on the topic are actually unnecessary. This controversy is just because the privilege is invisible to those who have it. We all should look at gender equality, not as men or women, but as humans.

Feminism becoming synonymous with man-hating +

Feminism, or gender equality, is by definition the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. Therefore, gender equality is simply respecting human rights, regardless of their gender. Feminism has become an uncomfortable word because some people are confused about what it actually means. In fact, women do not wish to have power over men, but over themselves. Therefore, men are actually welcome to participate in discussions about gender equality without prejudice because it is, unlike what many people think, better for them also. Some people think gender equality is only beneficial to women +

Who is gender equality for? In 1997, Hilary Clinton made a famous speech about women’s rights in Beijing. Unfortunately, many of the things she wanted to change are still true today. However, what is even more surprising is that less than 30% of the audience were men. If more than half of the people in the world do not feel welcome participating in debates about gender equality, it is going to be difficult for it to actually happen. Gender equality is furthermore better for men because their mothers, wives, and daughters can be free from prejudice and men can also be free from negative stereotypes. Thus, gender equality isn’t just for women.

The Abortion Debate +

Recently, Texas passed a rigid abortion ban. The law allows anyone to sue anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. President Joe Biden described the law as a vigilante system. Under the international human rights law, everyone has a right to life, a right to health, and a right to be free from violence, discrimination, and torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Abortion rights are not just women’s rights, they are human rights. Sexist Expectations For Genders +

“Feminism is not about making women stronger. Women are already strong, it’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength, ” said G.D. Anderson, an author and poet. Regardless of gender, we believe that people are free to be strong. Surprisingly, women are not the only ones affected by sexist expectations. Men are often seen as strong and unemotional. For example, there is an old Korean saying that men are only allowed to cry 3 times in their life: when they are born, when their parents pass away, and when they lose their country. We believe that men shouldn’t be subjected to ridiculous expectations about their emotional state. Both genders should be free to be sensitive sometimes.

Conclusion

There are many dilemmas in gender equality. But the most important thing is that gender equality isn’t just for women. It is for humans. We believe that all genders should have the right to be whoever they want. We all have the right to be free from prejudice. Society needs to understand that human rights should be respected regardless of gender.