Abstract
Gender inequality refers to the unequal treatment or perception of the individual on the basis of sex. It expresses and reflects in various aspects of our lives. In the United States gender inequality and discrimination on the basis of sex are commonly demonstrated, accepted and even justified. I looked at authoritative publications on gender studies and sociology to find out the general causes of gender inequality in our social environment and found that the key factors in that matter were women’s prediction of being presented in a certain way due to the role they have in gender. The idea of gender equality must be included and thus allow gender inequality to be distinguished. We have outlined certain attributes of gender equality such as employment, financial loopholes, ties, and even an increase in gender equality.
Introduction
When you look through society, you begin to see many holes and shortcomings where one set of standards do not apply to men in the same way as women, and vice versa. A man has a daughter and a son. The daughter wants to go out in her crop top and short skirt, and the son leaves out the house with ripped jeans and no shirt at all. The father praises the son that he will get a whole bunch of females, but he fusses at the daughter and tell her to change her clothes. This right here is an example of double standards. Do you believe that men automatically get a free card in society’s standards?
I believe that society is filled with double standards and it gives men the power to do as they please, but discourages women in doing so. Woman has done so much, if not more, to give life to this world and to make it a better place, yet they are not given the credit they deserve. A man and a woman can do the same exact job but they will not be paid the same. Also in my scenario from before you can see that both men and woman dress inappropriately but the woman is the one who has to change. So yes, men do automatically get a free card in society’s standards.
Background
Double standards were an issue for women during the 1920’s. The double standards morality is a code of morals that applies more severe standards of sexual behavior to woman than to men. Women have struggled for decades to fight double standards and to create equality with men around the world. A double standard is viewed negatively, as it usually indicates hypocritical, biased and unfair behavior. “Double standards imply that society holds different standards for what behaviors are appropriate for men and these differ from the behaviors that are view as appropriate for women.” (Penhollow TM, 2017).
Gender Wage Gap
Double standards get in the way when it comes to gender wage gap. Women’s annual earnings are less than a man’s annual earnings. The gender pay gap is a stubborn part of our economic landscape. According to Talia Lakritz( 2019) “The average American woman earns 80.5 cents for every dollar a man earns, and women’s medium annual earnings are $10,086 less than men’s, according to data from the Us Census Bureau.” The law was passed for equal pay for equal work but is not putting it to use. “The Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963, but the US is still far from giving women equal pay for equal work.” (Talia Lakirtz, 2019).
Women collectively receive billions less in some occupations than they would with equal pay; for example, women working as physicians and surgeons receive $19 billion less annually than if they were paid the same as men in that occupation. Different race of women make a certain percentage of money. According to Talia Lakritz (2019), “White women make 79% of a white man’s salary. Asian women have the narrowest gap at 87%. Black women make 63%, and Hispanic women earn 54%.”
Raising Opposite Sex’s
Parents are even guilty of having double standards for raising their children. Parents are very strict with their daughters. “For example, when they’re raising a daughter, she has curfew, she’s to learn to cook and clean. She has not to have boys in her room; she has not to even think about having sex (Maria Isabel Torres, 2017). Daughters feel their brothers can do more, have more privileges, have fewer rules, and have lower household standards than they are. For example, why is it considered acceptable ‘ boy ‘ behavior for a boy in high school to party with his friends when a daughter would not be able to tolerate the same partying? Parents are very easy when raising their son. According to Maria Torres (2017), “Meanwhile, when they’re raising a son, the boy has no curfew, does what he wants when he wants, and his mom still cooks and cleans for him. Girls come in and out of his room as they please and parents buy him condoms telling him “make sure you wrap it.”
When parenting the parents sees nothing wrong with their sons living free and doing whatever they feel like is the role a son should play. One of a teenage daughter’s parents ‘ most common fears or concerns is that their daughter will become pregnant at an early age, or while she is still in high school. They are harder on their daughters then their sons. “In short, girls tend to get more of their parent’s affection, attention, and protection while boys tend to be taught to not need and to “man up” (Maria Isabel Torres, 2017). In addition, ironically, when it comes to the inequity they feel at home, girls feel the short end of the stick.
Society’s Gender Stereotype
Double standards are an implement due to society’s gender stereotypes in sexuality. Gender stereotypes can cause unfair and unequal treatment due to the gender of a person such as their occupation. According to Jessica Eaton (2018), “Some people are quick to assume that teachers and curses are women, and those pilots, doctors, and engineers are men.” These exaggerated stereotypes of gender can make people’s relationships difficult as far as when it comes to their jobs. Physical appearance is a common kind of gender stereotype in sexuality. “For example, women are expected to be thin and graceful, while men are expected to be tall and muscular. Men and women are also expected to dress and groom in ways that are stereotypical to their gender (men wearing pants and short hairstyles, women wearing dresses and makeup).” (Jessica Eaton, 2018).
Domestic behaviors in gender stereotype can lead some people to expect women to care for their children, cook and clean their homes, while men take care of their finances, work on the car and do home repairs. Personality traits are as well as occupations is a basic kind of gender stereotypes in sexuality. “It positions emotion any crying for feminine and its positions femininity as bad. These results in “woman” being the worst thing a man would call. Men experience shame about their emotions and mock each other for showing them.” (Jessica Eaton, 2018). Due to these circumstances in the society we live in it shows how they want us to act, communicate, dress, groom and behave based on our assigned sex. .
Relationships
Relationships play a part in double standards. A double standard in relationships is almost like having a rule that applies one way to one partner and another way to your spouse. Dating the elderly is one of the major double standards of the modern day. According to Christopher Hudspeth (2012), “When it’s a younger woman dating an older man, she’s often times labeled a gold digger. If a younger male date or hooks up with older women, it is said that he just like cougars. Matter of fact, many fellas will probably offer their mature lover having a fire d a fist bump approval.” Younger men are praised for dating older women, but younger are called a whore because they go out with older men. In double standards relationship, you are told whom you can and cannot hang with because of jealousy.
“When men have female friends, they expect you to look at it as something quite normal and acceptable but you having male friends don’t go so well with him.” (Christopher Hudspeth, 2012). Men in relationships tend to feel as if they should have more freedom than a female in the relationship. Relationships tend to tell their spouses about going out with friends. According to Christopher Hudspeth (2012), when he spends the night out on the town with guys, you should show understanding but when you go out with girls, he shows jealousy, anger and frustration”. These double standards are slowly beginning to pollute in relationships and people tend to not see where their relationship has gone wrong.
Women Present Themselves
Double standards have an effect on women by them having to present themselves a certain way to society. Society tends to make women feel less than what they are for being overweight. “Women seem to experience higher levels of weight stigmatization than men, even at lower levels of excess weight.” (Women, 2014). A woman who communicates too much of her mind is perceived bossy, aggressive, or arrogant, while a mouthful man simply exhibits his executive leadership abilities.
The society inclines that women should not have too many sexual partners. According to Women (2014), “While no one’s “number” should matter, the sexual double standard is alive and well. Men who sleep around are “studs”, but women who do the same are “sluts.” What’s more, disturbing study found that women labeled “promiscuous” were rejected by their male and female peers, which is all kinds of messed up”. Most people think that when a woman is wearing clothes that are too revealing that she is ‘wanting’ or just trying to get attention. People think women should have children but they feel as if not having children makes you not women enough. “Childfree women are often referred to as “selfish” and told they will regret their decision not to have kids. Because what kind of unnatural woman would never want to be a mother? Men get no such flak — being a dad isn’t considered to be an essential part of manhood. Plus, men have way more time to decide if they want kids!”(Women, 2014). These inequalities arguably exist because it is common for people to judge men’s’ and women’s behavior by different standards. Despite all the progress towards equality between men and women, many people still expect different things from men and women.
Female Athletes Facing Inequality
In the world we live in female athletes have it hard when it comes to sports. For example, it appears that somehow the WNBA is still in umbra of the NBA. According to Ana Rodriguez (2013), “This makes it difficult for female athletes to be taken seriously in comparison to their male counterparts.” Even for the NFL, the world thinks it is a sport for men when they have women out there that wants to be a professional football player but the double standards is stopping them. The NFL is still a male dominated sport but there are some high schools that let girls play on the team. Female athletes find it difficult to receive equal salary compared to men and receive endorsement deals, making it more difficult for them to stand out in their sport.
Plenty have questioned is this because a women athlete does not have what it takes to make it in the sporting world, or is it really more like some kind of a social issue? “One of the theories behind this is that society doesn’t like to see women in roles that go against the norm of what a woman “should be.”(Ana Rodriguez, 2013). Not only do these female athletes play a sport they succeed in. They change perceptions, which have always leaves women on the outside of the professional sports world.
The world projects that women should look the part in order to try to reach sponsor deals. In sports physical appearances is important because if you are a female athlete you need to look the part in order to sell because the general population needs to be appealed. According to Ana Rodriquez (2013), “In some ways, good looks have led many female athletes to come into the spotlight, seemingly making appearances more important than skills.” It is time a woman is proves herself as an exceptional athlete through her field movements and not her presents in front of a screen.
Gender Inequality in Toys
People keep asking why toymakers is so aggressive in advertising stereotypes such as girls really want to play with dolls and tea sets while boys wanting to play with guns and trucks. Rigid limitations separate brawny blue action figures from cute pink princesses, and most assume it is always like that. “Toys for girls from the 1920s to the 1960s focused heavily on domesticity and nurturing” (Elizabeth Sweet, 2014). The website of Disney Store was implicitly characterizes as ‘for boys’ or ‘for girls’ although on both lists a handful of toys could be found. Many toymakers suggest that kids should play their role on what toys they could and could not play with.
According to Elizabeth Sweet (2014), “Such toys were clearly designed to prepare young girls to a life of homemaking, and domestic tasks were portrayed as innately enjoyable for women.” Children’s parents started giving gender-neutral handcrafted wooden objects to their children, only to be mercilessly slaughtered by the princess industry and the underpants superhero. “While girls’ toys focused on domesticity, toys for boys from the ’20s through the ’60s emphasized preparation for working in the industrial economy” (Elizabeth Sweet, 2014). Children should determine what they think is fun for themselves. In order to develop different skill sets, children need to have a wide variety of play.
Gender Inequality a Good Thing
Double standards are a good thing in some people in society. People have the idea that no society will get far without double standards. “Above all, double standards are good. They are necessary and no society is going to get very far without them.” (B.A. Hunter, 2014). Males and females do not have the same rules because, regardless of what our law says, women and men are made by nature divergent. Men and women should be treated differently. According to B.A Hunter, “Men and women should be treated different and held to different standards in every area of life.
It’s not all bad and patriarchy actually has a very romantic aspect to it.” It serves a greater purpose for society in which it benefits everyone. “Beyond keeping women safe so that they may care for and bear children, men are much bigger and stronger and must be taught to never use their strength against women unless absolutely to restrain in her.”(B.A. Hunter, 2014). Gender inequality serves a higher purpose for society, which benefits everyone.
Conclusion
Media plays gender roles in gender inequality. Double standards are due to society’s gender stereotypes in sexuality. Double standards make me feel that is why women can receive equal treatment as men. Double standards should not be an implement to the society. It is necessary to put an end to the social issue in order to have true equality. You start to see several holes and weaknesses where one set of standards do not adhere to men in the same way as to women, and vice versa. People still believe men are inevitably given a free card in the social standards and it is said to be true from analysis.
References
- Sweet, E. (2014, December 09). Toys Are More Divided by Gender Now Than They Were 50 Years Ago. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/toys-are-more-divided-by-gender-now-than-they-were-50-years-ago/383556/
- Hunter, B. A. (2014, February 27). Double Standards are a Good Thing. Retrieved from https://whatswrongwithequalrights.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/double-standards-are-a-good-thing/
- Rodriguez, A. (2013, September 18). Female athletes still face inequality. Retrieved from https://sundial.csun.edu/2013/09/female-athletes-still-face-inequality/
- Eaton, J. (2018, August 04). Why I don’t want women to become ‘equal to men’. Retrieved from https://victimfocus.wordpress.com/2018/08/04/why-i-dont-want-to-become-equal-to-men/
- Lakritz, T. (2019, January 18). 11 surprising double standards that still exist for women in the US. Retrieved from https://www.thisisinsider.com/women-double-standards-sexism-2018-10
- Torres, M. I. (2017, August 28). How Double Standards Affect All Of Us. Retrieved from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/double-standards-stop-them
- Hudspeth, C. (2012, July 26). 8 Modern Day Double Standards. Retrieved from https://thoughtcatalog.com/cehudspeth/2012/07/8-modern-day-double-standards/
- King, K., & Puhl, R. (n.d.). Weight Bias: Does it Affect Men and Women Differently? Retrieved from https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/weight-bias-does-it-affect-men-and-women-differently/
- Women. (2014, March 07). 5 Things Women Are Judged More Harshly For Than Men. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/things-women-judged-for-double-standard_n_4911878
