Gender equality in current society and culture
Since prehistoric times, differences between men and women are shown, not only physical but gender, which set the preference and power that a sex exerted on the other. For some researchers and thinkers, in those times women were considered as companions and sexual objects, whose main role was reproduction. The status offered to men was not the same as women, since they were granted the right to send, based on an alleged biological and social superiority. In this sense, Frappant (2008) argues that “the social organization of the first hominids was formed by a dominant male who ruled the fate of the other males of the clan and the intercourse with females was his decision was his decision."
In 1968, American professor and researcher Robert Stoller first used the gender term in his book sex and gender, to face sex (representing this the set of anatomical and biological differences between men and women), emphasizing thisway the socially cemented character of the notions of masculinity and femininity. Ann Oakley in 1972 popularized the term with his book sex, gender and society, which had a great circulation. Some American feminists soon seized this concept since it allowed them to overcome the biological difference that prevented the liberation of women from patriarchal oppression.
In all societies there has been a division of labor by sex, this separation does not imply that one group performs less important tasks than the other, but it is a strategy for the exploitation of resources. Some theories suggest that in this historical period the linking of women was fundamental with children’s care work, since they require constant attention during the first years of life. In prehistoric societies, breastfeeding infants was a fundamental resource, this related women to maintenance and home space, without necessarily meaning inequality or subordination.
On this aspect Sánchez Romero (2007) indicates:
Women performed essential tasks in the maintenance of their societies and like men, they intervened in all the activities of a group, from the religious, to those of food provision. Women also dedicated themselves to hunting, fishing, cultivating the field, to collect, to serve children and what was needed.
During the period known as Middle Ages, the female figure was established according to the place it would occupy in a society. According to Knapp and Von Zell (2007) “Women contributed significantly to the medieval economy.”Although many were ignored, since literature does not offer precise information about women’s activities at this time
The Church played a key role through the construction of two strong figures to identify women: Eva, created from Adam’s rib, who caused the expulsion of both of Paradise;And Maria, who represents virginity, chastity and self-denial as a wife and mother.
Possibly the concept or category gender is the one that has contributed the most and at the same time, the more debate has generated and generates in the sciences, in history, in feminism and in women’s studies, and on which there are huge writings, thenNot only is the power relations between men and women questions, but it puts on the cloth the speeches that justified the inferiority and female discrimination based on biological and sexual differences.
Currently these approaches are overcome relatively, since much has been written on the subject, and about cultural, social, political constructions, among others carried out from the vision of sexist thinking about female sex and its sexuality and how the cultural has invaded the scopeof the natural through these speeches so that the relations of power or sexual differences were not questioned.
It is currently consolidated to think that the differences between women and men do not attend to their sexual characteristics but are due to the cultural foundations of the past that were justified in biology;And that sex is not determined by our body, to be born with certain genital characteristics, but it is the subject himself who builds his sexuality and can enjoy it in his own terms.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) emphasizes that: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and endowed as they are of reason and conscience, they must fraternally behave with each other". Gender is a bastiment that society and culture impose on men and women through ideas and representations that are assigned to each sex. It influences all areas of individuals’ life, identity construction, in the formation of values, attitudes, feelings, behaviors and different activities for each sex
Gender equality means that women and men enjoy the same situation and that they have the same conditions for the full realization of their human rights and their potential to contribute to political, economic, social, cultural development and to benefit from the results. Gender equality is, therefore, the impartial assessment by society of similarities and differences between men and women and the different roles that each one plays in society.
Currently globalization is a factor in all countries, but instead of obtaining benefits of it we make a shortage for our gender culture and identity since they want to be seen as an incredible person or good tastes but we must always prioritize our identityBecause this is what distinguishes us from other countries.
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