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Gender Inequality And Gender Equality

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“Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender.” According to united nations population fund “gender equality is a human right. Men and 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” Individuals may experience inequality in many different ways. Inequality may exist in the workforce, within family, in education, in health, in politics and in society more generally, for instance expressed through violence. However, inequality is …show more content…

In society men are brought up to be strong leaders who are in control. According to social trends Ireland, men in 2009 were most likely to be employed as managers or senior officials, while women were most likely to be employed in administrative and secretarial work; 16% of women worked in personal service occupations such as hairdressing, childcare and beauty. This is an example of social construction of reality where the man has the power. Due to men having the same characterises as each other, men in positions in power will promote other men resulting in the discrimination of women. Gender equality in the workforce is about valuing men and women as equal humans and ensuring that their rights are fully met, men and women should be treated the same as each other even in the workforce. In 2004 the quarterly National household survey (QNHS) in Ireland included a section on gender equality, it showed that over twelve per cent of workers experienced gender discrimination in the last two years and that sixty per cent who experienced gender discrimination took no action (Cso, 2005) .
An example of gender inequality in the workforce can be seen in our own college, National University of Ireland Galway. Four of our female lecturers have sued their employer alleging gender discrimination in a competition for promotion. Their applications for the positions of senior lecturer at the various departments they

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