Kevin Cardenas

Gender Inequality: A Problem for All

"A human being is part of the whole ... but he experiences himself, his thoughts and
feelings, as something separate from the rest ... This delusion is a kind of prison for us ... Our
task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion." This quote
by Albert Einstein offers insight about how we as humans should treat each other. It also creates
the foundation for how gender inequality should be addressed. No longer is the idea of gender
inequality a problem solely for women; it is increasingly more apparent that it is also a problem
for men and in order to solve the issue of gender inequality more effectively, we need to
acknowledge this. Gender inequality is the social process by which people are treated differently
and disadvantageously, under similar circumstances, on the basis of gender (Kent). However,
nowhere in that definition does it specifically mention that women are the only ones affected, but
we automatically assume we are talking about women instead of women and men (when I
mention gender I will be assuming that gender is binary: male and female). Gender equality is
not a women's concern and the responsibility of all individuals and of the society as whole and
requires the active contribution and input from both women and men. In the past gender equality
policies have been contextualized mainly as a womens issue: the battle for gender equality has
mainly been fought by women and for women. In the last decade, however, there has been an
increasing acknowledgement of the crucial role of men in building gender equality as equal
partners with women (UNFPA). By acknowledging that gender inequality affects both genders
equally, we can aim to solve the problem of gender inequality more concretely. We need to
understand that gender inequality does not only affect women because it also affects men just as

much, because addressing the issue through this mindset offers numerous economic benefits, and
because we cannot have true gender inequality without allowing men to be part of the picture.
One thing that many do not understand is that gender inequality affects men as much as it
affects women. Public and international discourse on the debate for gender equality focuses on
the oppression of women, as it rightly should. However, the influence that traditional male
stereotypes have on the perpetuation of gender inequality, at a transnational scale, also needs to
be addressed. Societal norms and conceptions of masculinity and expectations of men as leaders,
husbands or sons create demands on men and shape their behavior. Men are too often expected to
concentrate on the material needs of their families, rather than on the nurturing and caring roles
assigned to women (Commission on the Status of Women). Socialization in the family and later
in schools promotes risk-taking behavior among young men, and this is often reinforced through
peer pressure and media stereotypes. So the lifestyles that mens roles demand often result in
their being more exposed to greater risks of morbidity and mortality than women. These risks
include ones relating to accidents, violence and alcohol consumption (Edwards).
An example of how gender stereotypes are cultivated in society, and how hegemonic
masculinity is highly valued, is in New Zealand where some schools are pressured to employ
male teachers. The rationale for this is to preserve boys masculinity through the appointment of
real men teachers who exhibit characteristics consistent with hegemonic masculinity (Aston
and Vasquez). Men who exhibit the traits of traditional masculinity are considered to possess
hegemonic masculinity. In order to aspire to this social classification, there is a particular set of
core features that a man must demonstrate. These include power/strength, rationality,
heterosexuality, risk-taking, dominance, leadership, control, and repression of emotions
(Mansfield). Given that identities, and indeed gender profiles, must be defined, reconstructed,

and performed, it is argued that the construction of masculine identities by men is a conscious
attempt to maintain their power within the gender hierarchy (Ghaill). This may be true in some
cases, however, to apply this universally is problematic. Some contend that while men are
frequently the agents of the oppression of women, and in many cases benefit from it, their
interests in the gender order are not pre-given but constructed by and within it
(Holter). Therefore, to achieve gender equality, it must be recognized that hegemonic
masculinities can be altered, or even replaced, through the socialization process from which they
are initially constructed.
In addition to the many moral issues that are tied with a lack of understanding that men
are affected just as much as women in gender inequality, there are a multitude of economic
benefits by coming to terms with this claim. One benefit this perspective has is that it fosters
higher labor productivity. Improving male-to-female relations in terms of gender equality can
make labor markets more competitive. A great example of this is with education. Gender equality
in education has improved in most developing regions. But in many regions, as gaps in
inequality in education have narrowed, so the importance of gender inequality in employment
has increased. Narrowing the education gap further will not yield significant benefits if
additional numbers of educated women are unable to access productive employment. The loss of
economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa in the 1990s from gender inequality in
employment was around four times as large as that from inequality in education (Klasen and
Lamanna). Product markets are more competitive if all would-be entrepreneurs can use their
talents. Discriminatory laws and social norms are a barrier to female entrepreneurship in some
developing countries. Where women are treated differently from men with respect to access to
institutions, property rights, taxation and access to credit, their ability to start a business is

inhibited. These barriers to female entrepreneurship and self-employment undoubtedly exist, and
the understanding of how they impede economic development, and how they can best be
removed, could be much improved.
Another benefit is that human capital will be enhanced. Better-educated women can
undertake higher-value economic activity. Countries are rarely wealthy if they have poor gender
equality in education. With the exceptions of resource-rich Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, no
country has achieved both GDP per capita of over $10,000 and a ratio of girls to boys in primary
education of less than 90 per cent. Economic growth since 1960 would probably have been
appreciably higher in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa , and Latin America
had those regions matched the levels of gender equality in education in East Asia and the Pacific.
Estimates of the loss of growth owing to gender inequality in education range from 0.38 per cent
per annum in sub-Saharan Africa to 0.81 per cent per annum in South Asia. This accounts for
between 11 per cent and 41 per cent of the growth difference between these regions and East
Asia and the Pacific (Ward et. Al.). Economic growth, for its part, can have a positive effect on
gender equality in education by increasing the incentives and opportunities for educating girls. In
the right circumstances, positive feedback loops can be created. But improving gender equality
in education will only be effective in promoting growth in countries with social and cultural
institutions that allow women to take advantage of better education (Dollar and Gati, 1999).
Better-educated girls and women are likely to have fewer children. The decline in fertility
associated with greater gender equality can have profound economic impacts. A fall in fertility
leads to a lower dependency ratio and tends to increase per capita output, providing a
demographic dividend. This may have accounted for as much as one-third of the strong
economic growth rate in East Asia since the late 1970s (Bloom and Canning, 2008). However, a

decline in fertility will typically materialize only where lower fertility is desired and where
cultural and informational barriers to family planning are surmountable. Furthermore, a
demographic dividend will follow a decline in fertility only if other conditions for growth are
in place. Declines in fertility in Latin America failed to lead to a demographic dividend
because growth was hindered by macroeconomic and political instability (Bloom and Canning,
2008).
The last reason why we must seriously consider men as another group affected by gender
inequality is because without them involved, true gender equality cannot be achieved. Not only is
this immoral, but can prolong, if not worsen, the issue. Mens power over women in many
contexts necessitates working with men to change the conditions of womens lives. The
reproductive health field was one of the first areas in which the pragmatic rationale of male
responsibility was utilized to encourage male involvement. The 1994 Programme of Action of
the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development noted: Men play a
key role in bringing about gender equality since, in most societies, men exercise preponderant
power in nearly every sphere of life, ranging from personal decisions regarding the size of
families to the policy and program decisions taken at all levels of government (Johnson).
Working for justice and equality in gender relations should be understood as part of the broader
effort to secure equality in social relations. A concern for justice has provided a political
incentive for many men to seek change in the gender order. The maintenance of an unequal
gender order in societies is likely to have negative consequences or costs for men as well as
women. Such costs for men include the suppression of emotions in order to stay in control, the
absence of nurturing relations with children, exposure to many health risks, narrowing of
educational opportunities, and damage in interpersonal relations with women. Such costs are

unevenly distributed among men. Recognition of these costs of inequality to men is one of the
important rationales for mens involvement in gender equality work. A further very practical
reason for engaging men in work on gender equality is that men often control the resources
needed for this work, in particular because of the underrepresentation of women in all areas of
decision-making. The existing pattern of gender inequality mens predominant control of
economic assets, political power, cultural authority and armed forcesmeans that men (often
specific groups of men) control most of the resources required to implement womens claims for
justice (Division for the Advancement of Women).
There is a growing consensus that gender equality is becoming a greater issue. However,
there has been little talk about place men have in gender inequality and with that there are a
plethora of issues with that omission. Gender inequality is not only a womens issue and there
needs to be a greater understanding of that in order to solve this issue. Some reasons include the
fact that men are affected just as much as women, there are a plethora of economic benefits when
acknowledging that men are affected as much, and we cannot achieve true gender equality if men
are not brought into the discussion. We have advanced almost every aspect of our lives:
technology, medicine, and our standard of living. Yet, the issue of gender inequality has always
fallen by the way side, and this cannot be the case. We need men and young boys to be formally
invited to the talking table if we really want to tackle the issue more effectively, and concretely.
If we continue to shut out the other half of the problem, we are no closer to the solution. If
women and men are part of a greater whole, as Einstein suggests, realizing that both genders are
equally affected can help free us to acknowledge that it is not our gender that defines us, but
ultimately, our shared humanity. It would help tap into women's and men's dreams, the dreams

that we have for ourselves, and the dreams that we have for our families, our children, friends,
communities. So that's what it is about, its about uplifting all of us together.

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