INTRODUCTION

Gender Equality is the state of having the same rights, status, and opportunities as others,
regardless of ones gender (Gender equality, n.d.).

Gender equality is a human right. Women are entitled to live with dignity and with freedom from
want and from fear. Gender equality is also a precondition for advancing development and
reducing poverty: Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of whole families
and communities, and they improve prospects for the next generation (Prevention, 2011)

Still, despite solid evidence demonstrating the centrality of womens empowerment to reducing
poverty, promoting development and addressing the worlds most urgent challenges, gender
equality remains an unfulfilled promise (Prevention, 2011).

On the other hand, Violence against women and children is a serious societal concern.
Researchers have estimated that each year more than 10% of American women are the victims of
violence, and that three million American children are exposed to violence. Research has shown
that these children are also at risk of being battered by their abusive parent, and that boys who
witness violence are more likely to batter their own partners in adulthood (Prevention, 2011).

Research and clinical experience have shown that batterers often display characteristics and
attitudes marked by control, manipulation, a sense of entitlement, extreme selfishness, jealousy,
a propensity to blame others, and a penchant for denying or minimizing the seriousness of their
behavior and its consequences. Batterers tend to be unreliable partners in parenting and
frequently hold unrealistic ideas of what constitutes appropriate parenting. In addition, they tend
to be harshly critical of the other parents weaknesses and shortcomings, while blind to their own
deficiencies and limitations (Prevention, 2011).

Parents who physically abuse their spouses provide very poor role models for children. Their
behavior teaches that violence and aggression are legitimate methods to deal with conflict or get
ones needs met. Moreover, battering a spouse undermines that parents authority and teaches
children that it is permissible to mistreat and disrespect a parent (Prevention, 2011).

Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities
across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision-making, and when
the different behaviours, aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued and
favoured (Gender, n.d.).
RATIONALE

A lack of gender equality is consistently cited as an underlying determinant of violence against

women. The United Nations General Assembly, in its 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of
Violence Against Women, noted that this violence is a manifestation of historically unequal
power relations between men and women. So it has long been understood that gender inequality
is a problem, yet the evidence of the link between gender inequality and violence against women
is rarely laid out clearly to illustrate this connection (Introduction, n.d.).

Worldwide, most countries recognize that equal rights should exist between men and women.
Many have produced regulations intended to fight discrimination and programs granting women
access to health, education, and economic rights such as land ownership. However, the fact
remains that women have fewer opportunities than men to benefit from economic development,
with lower participation in the labor force (Castor, n.d).

While the principle of gender equity in the workplace is generally accepted, discriminatory
practices persist in many organizations despite regulations to the contrary. It is important to
create an open and friendly atmosphere to address gender discrimination issues; therefore it is
critical to involve men and women rather than only women. Because gender biases are
embedded in culture, it is very difficult to eliminate them without having a holistic view and
involving men as a part of the solution (Gender equality, n.d.).

Violence underpins so many public health problems, including greater risk of chronic disease,
injury and suicide. But there is a silver lining, a reason for hope: violence against women is not
inevitable. We can and must prevent it by using the best available evidence to guide us as we
invest in research and programs that shift social norms and empower vulnerable populations.
This is our responsibility, and we are thankful for every organization and individual working
with us to eliminate violence against women, girls and children everywhere (Prevention, 2011).

Moreover, our group had chosen the field of study to raise awareness with the growing numbers
of battered housewives who have been victimized with the emerging violence in their house or
community. This made and will soon yield to poverty, crisis, terrorism and huge rate of mortality
that brings bad reputation throughout the nation.
References:

Castor, M. (n.d.). Why Is Gender Equality Important? Retrieved June 27, 2017, from
http://www.genderequality.gov.ky/pledge/why-gender-equality-important

Gender equality. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2017, from

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/gender-equality

Gender equality and women's empowerment. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2017, from

http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/

Gender equality and violence against women. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2017, from

https://aifs.gov.au/publications/gender-equality-and-violence-against-women

Introduction. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2017, from https://aifs.gov.au/publications/gender-

equality-and-violence-against-women/introduction

Prevention, F. O. (2011, September 12). Introduction. Retrieved June 27, 2017, from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK236963/