Gender Equality

PRESENTATION ON : “GENDER EQUALITY”

“GENDER EQUALITY” •

DEFINITION: Rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men will not depend on whether they are born mala or female.

•

Gender equality is based on human rights, which are human beings’ possibility: to live, to be expressed freely, to be educated, to create and develop his/her activities consistently to the law.

•

WOMAN’S POSITION: In all countries, the role of the woman in the society remains a huge problem. This happens because for centuries the role of the woman was very downgraded.

• Why was the role of women downgraded? 1. Women were physically less strong than men and undertook all the house works, which were easier. 2. Woman: was obliged with procreation and couldn’t participate in the production, which was men’s obligation, as they were stronger. 3. The deficiency of the education helped the woman to accept her role passively.

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PRESENTATION ON : “GENDER EQUALITY”

• Nowadays, feminism raises. “Feminism supports that the essential assumption for the improvement of society comprises the equality of the two genders in every human activity sector; financial, political and social.”

•

WOMEN’S RIGHTS: ~ 200 years ago: women had few rights. Not allowed to vote.

Were

considered

their

father

or

husband’s

property. ~ mid of 19th cent.: women demanded equality with men. They wanted suffrage (the right to vote in elections), an equal chance with men to work and education. They demanded the right to have their own belongings, to divorce their husbands and keep their children after divorce. ~ by 1920s: women won some ‘battles’ for their right to vote and education. ~ liberation movement in 1960s : women renewed their fight for equal rights. The new wave of protest was called “the women’s”.

•

“WOMEN’S LIBERATION MOVEMENT”: During 1960s and 1970s women’s liberation movement fought for further

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PRESENTATION ON : “GENDER EQUALITY”

improvements in women’s rights. Women demonstrated for: 1. equal pay 2. better health care 3. an end to pornography and violence against women. The fight for women’s rights was also called feminism and involved many dedicated women. The first organized demand for the vote occurred in the United States in 1848. •

In 1905, a British newspaper used the word suffragette to insult women who were fighting for their right to vote.

• Many suffragettes broke the law and went to prison for their beliefs. •

Women who used peaceful means to obtain the vote were called suffragists.

• In 1918 British women over 30 gained the right to vote.

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PRESENTATION ON : “GENDER EQUALITY”

SEXIST VOCABULARY •

Some of the most important linguistic changes affecting English since 1960s have arisen from the way society has come to look differently at the practices and consequences of sexism.

• Vocabulary: attention focused on the replacement of ‘male’ words with a generic meaning of neutral items. Eg. “chairman” becoming “chairperson” OR “salesman” becoming “sales assistant”. Vocabulary of marital status also a.ffected Eg. in the induction of Ms as a neutral alternative to Mrs and Miss.

EQUALITY IN EMPLOYMENT TODAY: •

Women’s employment rates have risen BUT the quality of their employment remains far below that of men.

• Compared to men, women still face unequal pay for work of equal value and unequal promotion prospects. • They also face a greater likelihood of experiencing unemployment and poverty.

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PRESENTATION ON : “GENDER EQUALITY”

CONCLUSION • Men and women have to understand they are both equal beings and they both have human capacities. So on they have to reconcile, to coexist and to collaborate for the prosperity of the society. •

Men

should

be

exempted

by

the

psychology

of

superiority against women AND (should be exempted) by the psychology of downgraded. • Society has to restore the role of woman not only in regulations, but also in men’s consciousness.

“The oppression of the woman is social racism, BUT the equality of the genders is a victory of the human dignity.”

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