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Add to FavoritesEquality is based on the idea of having the opportunity to pursue the life you want whether you are a man or a woman. Yes, both men and women want equality.
In traditional cultures there were men's gender roles and women's gender roles based on the logic that women were giving birth and, therefore, needed to stay closer to home in order to nurse their young, care for their children, and work in the fields so she could keep an eye on the home. Men, on the other hand, not having these physical and biological requirements, were able to leave home for longer periods of time and hunt for food. This is where our gender roles originated. Neither job was easy, but it allowed the community to function.
Today, women have much more freedom to decide whether or not to have children due to birth control. They can put off their childbearing years, become educated, and work as professionals. They are able to be a part of our economic structure, and contribute as much as men. When they do choose to have children, they are able to adjust their lifestyles to continue working, while still providing the needs to their children. They can pump their breastmilk, arrange childcare, and still perform a job as well as a man.
Men also gain when men and women are considered equal. Even a generation ago, a stay-at-home dad was considered a novelty. In many ways, he still is. But having equality allows men to have more choices in the way they live their lives. While women can choose to be stay-at-home moms or professional working women, men are also given the same opportunity. They are no longer forced to carry the burden of supporting the entire family, but are allowed to work part-time, full-time, or be a stay-at home parent based on the family's situation.
Here's where we have a problem when discussing equality. If women are still making $.77 to a man's $1.00, and have social equality, the woman is providing for her family for almost 25% less money. That clearly isn't fair to the family. A woman can have the same higher education, the same job and responsibilities, and then come home with 25% less money. She is expected to perform as well as a man, but come home with less compensation.
Persona lly, this is where I demand equality. I have more education than my husband, an excellent resume, and substantial experience. Since I gave birth to our daughter, he spends more time at home to cut childcare costs. I have to support my family with my salary, health benefits, and retirement fund, but if I'm making 25% less than my male counterparts, I have to work harder just to be considered equal. This is after fighting all of the social stereotypes of being a working mom.
Discussing equality is much more complicated than a simple essay. Creating full social, financial and gender equality is more like a dissertation discussion than an essay. There was a time not long ago that women weren't allowed to have credit cards in their own name, or be allowed to receive a higher education, or even be allowed to vote. This gives us some pride in the strides we have made over only a few generations.
Anyone who says that men and women don't want equality are saying it's okay if women don't drive, that women must clothing that completely covers the entire body, and aren't allowed to make her own choices without her husband's approval. Is that really the kind of life men and women want? I doubt it.
Learn more about this author, Stephanie Joynes.
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No
Other than in the work place how could there possibly be equality between males and females? Men are as different from women as guns are to roses. South American Indians believe that the soul of a woman comes from the moon, and the soul of a man comes from the soil. The more research I did for this article, the more I realized that truer words were never spoken. My best friend, who happens to be male, believes that women are superior beings in every way. He says women are more intelligent, wiser, kinder, and capable of solving problems without the use of violence.
Most males are driven to dominate, and settle disagreements with force. Case in point: Everyone will agree that men have ruled the world for thousands of years. Let us take a look at the male dominated society in the United States over the past 25 years. In this country alone there have been 4 wars, approximately 416, 450 murders, and 2,927,750 rapes. Since 1997 there have been 7 school shootings where 34 students were murdered and 72 wounded, and in every case the shooter was a male. Women commit less then 2 % of all murders, and other than five female schoolteachers who had sex with younger males, men committed the two million plus rapes.
Parents and society play a role in a child's life, but a great deal comes from gender differences. Of course not all children are alike, but in general most males tend to be the aggressor. From the time a male is two years old he begins to physically compete with other children. By the age of fourteen a male battles on the athletic field, and strives for female attention. By age sixteen a male thinks about sex twenty-seven times a day and becomes aggressive when challenged. At age thirty, sex continues to dominate the male mind, but he also begins to compete with his brothers for work related position and monetary gains. By age forty, those who are going to settle down are usually married, and those who remain unmarried normally end up with some type of psychological problem. Between the ages of sixty to death sex is still an issue with most males, but as they mature they tend to find contentment with their buddies on the golf course or in other physical endeavors.
In contrast, a two-year old female begins her quest to make friends, and to nurture her baby dolls. By the age of fourteen, a female competes with other females for physical perfection, and boyfriends. At age eighteen, most females maintain their desire for love, and they gallantly search for someone to fulfill their dream of a home and children. By the age of thirty most females mature after the birth of their first child, and continue this process until death. By age thirty-five half of the female population are divorced and struggling to raise their children, still with the hope of finding Mr. Right.
In most cases females react differently in confrontational situations. If jealous, hurt, or disappointed, they normally turn their pain inward, although some become verbally abusive, gossips, and social troublemakers, but they are rarely violent. By age forty over half the divorced women are still single, and have settled for a career. Between the ages of sixty to death, most females are happy and content caring for their grandchildren and pets.
Of course these facts are based upon general equations between the two genders. To clarify the question regarding equality, the answer lies in the condition of the world today. Besides, it is virtually impossible to compare poodles to pit bulls?
Learn more about this author, Patricia Dexheimer.
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