Definition of Gender Equity

From a social, economic and political point of view, men have had a privileged position with respect to women throughout history. This situation has improved significantly in many countries over the past decades. However, it cannot be said that men and women have the same opportunities and, consequently, there is no full and real gender equality.

Realities that reveal the inequality between men and women

In some countries of the world, women cannot access education on a plane of equality. In the workplace there are notable differences between salaries. There is gender violence in many nations and women are victims of sexist violence. Motherhood is sometimes a factor that prevents access to work normally. The number of women who are engaged in politics it is clearly inferior to that of men. Something similar happens in relation to managerial positions in the business world. The female role has a series of limitations in some areas of the planet (women are valued as mother and wife but are in inferior conditions at work). In short, the

inequality between men and women it is a reality.

The path to full gender equality

In the nineteenth century, some groups of women began a struggle for the laws to recognize a series of rights (especially the fight for the right to vote or the fight for access to higher education). Those feminist movements made significant progress and fortunately the legislation of the different nations was collecting most of their demands. However, political conquests have not succeeded in ending inequalities. We could affirm that there are still barriers: social prejudices, a macho mentality, anachronistic cultural traditions, etc.

To overcome these obstacles, feminist groups and some sectors of the male population have activated a series of proposals that little by little are achieving greater equity between the two sexes. There are two tools to achieve full equality: discrimination positive and non-sexist education.

Positive discrimination is a mechanism that allows the initial inequality of the woman to be compensated in her favor. We see two examples of affirmative action:

1) a Labor legislation that obliges companies to have a female quota on the boards of administration o management positions and;

2) a public body decides to favor the election of women in the event that they prove the same professional qualification as men. Of course, positive discrimination has supporters and detractors. In any case, it is a tool that aims to balance the social inequalities that affect women.

Non-sexist education is another tool to achieve non-discrimination. Advocates of non-sexist education believe that full equality between the two sexes must be promoted in schools (for example, not separating boys and girls in classrooms). Non-sexist education is not exclusive to the school environment, but must be present in language (singularly in the media), in the family sphere and in the whole of the society.

Gender equity, a complex concept

The term equity is not exactly the same as the term equality. The idea of ​​equity implies an ethical component and a criterion of justice and, on the contrary, equality expresses a political assessment. Most legal texts affirm that men and women are equal before the law, therefore they are on the same level of equality. This political equalization is positive, but it is insufficient. Thus, for equality to be full and not merely formal, it is necessary to have equitable mechanisms (for example, the aforementioned positive discrimination).

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Gender Equity Issues