GENDER INEQUALITY

The concepts of sex and gender differ among themselves, but we do not fully master them. If the two concepts are understandable, it will be easier to define gender inequality. Gender inequality is actually expected to be seen more in patriarchal societies, of course it exists to a serious extent, but the development level of the countries and the concept of gender inequality are not directly proportional. 

The roles of men and women first emerged in society. Among cultures, certain roles, which we call women’s and men’s roles, have been created and transferred from generation to generation. We can say that the concept we call gender inequality was formed in this way. Nationally and internationally, gender inequality has led to inequality in current policies, but this situation is the most It affected many women. 

The phenomenon of gender was first used by Robert Stoller in his article “sex and gender” in 1968. However, Annie Oakley made it widely used. 

Patriarchal perspective and patriarchal family structure have created gender inequality. In this structure, it is completely male-dominated and only men have a say. 

Religion has guided a lot of individuals’ behaviour and thoughts, and this attitude has existed since ancient times. Religion and belief structure are among the most important factors that play a role in the emergence of gender inequality. 

The act of participating politically is a practice that must be implemented not only verbally but also in practice. For example, voting, participating in election campaigns, campaigns and rallies and having a say, as well as being given the right to take part in the administration, are officially political participation. 

Political participation rights were given at different times all over the world. Although the right to vote in Europe was gained in Finland in 1906, this right did not come in most countries for many years. This right was given to Turkish women by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1934. After this right was granted, “English woman less worth” was published in England. A jealousy protest was staged under the name “than Turkish woman”. Even in societies that are economically and politically developed and quite advanced, women’s political rights have only been achieved in the recent past. 

Those who want gender or female quotas to be implemented have claimed that it is a practice that will give women influence in political and other decision-making bodies and give them the right to defend themselves as necessary. It has been accepted by the statutes of political parties in northern European countries and has still been implemented in 81 countries. 

Another convention to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women is the convention called CEDAW. “Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women”, which is one of the fundamental human rights conventions within the UN. It is the first international document that ensures that women are considered equal to men in cultural, social, political, economic, health, family, law and life fields. It was accepted in Turkey in 1979 and came into force in 1981. According to the Convention; Parties agree to prohibit all forms of discrimination against women and to pursue policies aimed at eliminating discrimination against women by all means. In this context; to enact the necessary legislation prohibiting all forms of discrimination against women and imposing sanctions where necessary; The effects of the convention, which includes provisions such as changing or abolishing existing laws, legal regulations, traditions and practices that discriminate against women, are more clearly evident in recent constitutions. 

Even though countries have high levels of economic development and human development, they may face problems of gender inequality. The Global Gender Inequality Index, reported regularly by the World Economic Forum since 2006, is one of the studies that reveal the dimensions of inequality towards women. In the Report published in 2021, it is seen that the country with the lowest gender inequality is Iceland and the country with the highest is Afghanistan. When the situation of countries is examined globally, it is seen that gender inequality is at its lowest level in the fields of “education” and “health”, while the highest inequality is in the fields of “economic participation” and political empowerment. In the light of the data revealed by the study, it was seen that it was necessary to conduct more detailed research on which areas and at what level gender inequality exists, using different country groups and different research techniques. In this sense, it is believed that it would be useful for future research to conduct micro-level comparative studies aimed at measuring “gender inequality” between country groups, especially in areas such as education, health, economic participation and political empowerment. 

SOURCES

https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/749414 

https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/cd1lvy6977no 

https://turkiye.un.org/tr 

https://www.tskb.com.tr/blog/surdurulebilirlik/donusen-dunyada-toplumsal-cinsiyet-esitligi 

EDANUR AYDIN

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