The issue of discrimination against women due to their gender is an apparent problem in South Africa. Women are treated unfairly as they are paid less and might not even get the job due to their gender. This causes women to be underrepresented in high positions. Women have been categorized into subordinate roles, which also allows for violence against them to become normal. Women are expected to take care of the household and cannot pursue careers of their own.
My account of this issue is that I feel unsafe when walking alone due to the normalized violence against women. I cannot walk freely in my neighborhood without the fear of being attacked solely because of my gender. Having a relationship is scary as the possibility of domestic violence against me is very high. This fear has caused me to have fewer relationships.
This issue is a problem as women are put at risk of physical and emotional abuse. It also makes it harder for women to make a living due to the gender pay gap. Women being underrepresented causes decisions to be made that may further discriminate against women.
This issue is perpetuated by social norms in the patriarchal culture in South Africa and many other countries expecting women to be at home, taking care of the household rather than at work. Expectations of women to conform to gender norms causes the underestimation of the capabilities of some women and perpetuates the issue. The problem is also sustained by these beliefs being taught to children who then teach it to their children and further the cycle. Some men have self-interested views and choose to ignore gender inequality as it benefits them. Many religions also enforce the idea that women are subordinates and are unequal to men, which causes the issue of gender inequality to be perpetuated.
A non-government organization based in New York, United States called Equality Now is aimed at helping improve gender equality. It was started by Navi Pillay, Feryal Gharahi, and Jessica Neuwirth and is currently run by the Global Executive Director, Yasmeen Hassan.
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The organization is trying to achieve gender equality by first getting legal equality. They are using legal advocacy, where governments are urged to promote equal rights and are held responsible for their actions according to international human rights standards. This organization is aiming to end sexual violence by advocating for international laws to be upheld and ensuring the correct procedures and punishments are implemented. They also aim to help survivors through legal support and solve specific cases of this human rights violation. They aim to end sex trafficking by creating an understanding of sexual exploitation and upholding international standards. They ensure that people committing these crimes are punished accordingly. Harmful practices such as child marriage and female infanticide are being ended by this organization. They are doing this by ensuring these women have access to justice and governments act in accordance with international laws.
The effect of Equality Now is that they are helping to protect women from violence, allow divorce equality and provide equal economic and personal status between women and men. They have caused laws protecting rapists in certain countries to be changed which allows for justice for rape survivors. The Maputo Protocol was developed by this company and is used to uphold women’s rights. In many communities, female genital mutilation (FGM) has been reclassified as a human rights violation thanks to this organization. An approach called the Nordic Model, where victims are decriminalized and supported has been used by Equality Now and has successfully decreased sex trafficking and has even been implemented by some countries.
A program such as this one could be implemented in South Africa. It would require lawyers to help ensure legal justice for women experiencing inequality. It would also require funding as well as publication so that the program is known and can be available when women need it. Support would be needed so that the program can grow and help more women.
This program would work as it would demonstrate the legal repercussions for illegal and unequal behavior, which would deter people from doing these things again. This would then lessen crime against women and would thus help improve the treatment of women in general.
My role in solving this issue is that I could talk about the injustice against women and provide access to Equality Now through social media. This will help people understand the issue and allow them to support this organization. I can help to provide support to mothers and children by offering to babysit so mothers do not have to give up work, helping pregnant women carry groceries, or offering my seat on a bus to a pregnant woman. I can employ the mentality of equality by standing up to misogynistic comments and hopefully getting the person making the comments to change their perception of the issue. I can help my mother more with household chores, such as cleaning and cooking so that her burden is less and she can focus on her career more.
I can help friends or family suffering from domestic abuse by learning about the signs of it and giving them the support they need to get help. I can speak at my school to provide awareness about the issue and educate the kids whilst hopefully getting them to act more fairly. I can treat my future children in an equal manner by allowing them to dress how they would like and play with the toys they want. This will help them grow up to believe in and practice gender equality. I can talk about the pay gap between men and women. This will help it get recognized as a serious problem so it can then be solved. I can stand up for women and myself against inequality such as catcalling or sexual misconduct. I can learn and teach others to recognize gender stereotypes, which can help to break their use of them.
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