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The Importance of Gender Equity

In my last blog Strengthening our Social Fabric, I mentioned Sweden’s emphasis on gender equity as a way to create a good society. Here I will further consider the systemic implications of gender equity in hopes that we consider its importance to all societies.

The Global Gender Gap report (2013) rates 136 countries on their ability to close the gender gap thus attaining equity in four key areas: economic participation and opportunity, health and survival, educational attainment, and political empowerment. I wonder how many people in the US would be surprised that we do not show up in the top 20 countries with greater gender equity. The US rated 23rd in the list, down one from 2012. Sweden ranked number 4 on the list, following their Scandinavian neighbors, Norway (3) and Finland (2). Iceland claimed the number one spot.

Yet, even though Sweden is relatively high in their ranking on the global scale, they see gender equity as so important to their social fabric that the government believes they still have work to do. The aim of Sweden’s gender equity policy is to

ensure that women and men enjoy the same opportunities, rights and obligations in all areas of life, that everyone, regardless of gender, has the right to work and support themselves, to balance career and family life, and to live without the fear of abuse or violence. Gender equality implies not only equal distribution between men and women in all domains of society. It is also about the qualitative aspects, ensuring that the knowledge and experience of both men and women are used to promote progress in all aspects of society.

What strikes me in the commitment statement is the holistic nature of it. It recognizes the importance of equal opportunity across gender, while adding the critical aspect of women being able to support themselves, while balancing family and career. And it recognizes the importance of having women’s voices and perspectives present to promote healthy progress in all aspects of society.

At 64 years old, I have seen many changes in our society in the United States, but not really much progression in the status of women as full contributors to our society. Women professors in higher education are far fewer than male professors. Likely that is the result of the financial and time commitment to attain a doctoral degree and build a career in academia. We continue to have only a few women at the top of major corporations and women who are in those positions would likely state that they have to sacrifice the other aspects of their lives to succeed in their position. And, look around the chambers of the US government. Granted there are a few more women there today than when I studied government in high school in the late 1960s. But considering that was nearly 50 years ago, we can’t be proud of our progress.

I wonder how the United States might be different if our government were to establish a clear commitment to gender equity and policies that backed it up. What would the impact be on children and families? On our schools? What if there were more women at the top of organizations or in positions of influence in the government? I believe we need to create a pathway for women to move into these positions, before we will be seen as having equal status to men and thus equal opportunity.

I think the problem here in the US is that there is very little overall commitment to gender equity. Most people don’t see how important it is to creating a healthy society. We need to change the conversation from women needing equal pay, which is just one of many important factors, to how we can create the institutional, economic, cultural and other conditions so that women can equally contribute their knowledge, skills and experience to creating a better society. If we can reach a point of common understanding where we truly believe that women have just as important a role to play in the development of our Nation as do men, we will find the resources and put in place the policies that will support women in assuming their proper place as leaders of change.

Comments and Discussions

Thanks Nancy for this article on the importance of gender equity. This is indeed a matter of global concern and one that needs to be addressed systemically. Yes, studies show that the Nordic nations have made great progress in their overall human development and one of the greatest contributors to their achievement in this area being the seriousness they continue to give to gender equity and equality. Riane Eisler' and other studies show a direct link between meaningful human development (through social wealth and economic indicators that move beyond GDP) and gender equality citing great progress amongst Nordic nations.

Eisler points to the issue of culture as being central to these conversations noting that cultures that are more inclined towards a "partnership" or "mutual respect" orientation strive to create conditions for inclusiveness and equal participation of women in all spheres of life. On the other hand, cultures of "domination" do the opposite and/or struggle in this area as reflected within spaces in the private and public spheres.

A "domination" school of thought typically embraces the ideology that men and boys are superior and/or more valuable than women and girls. Concepts grounded in many a patriarchal value system that continues to justify practices that subjugate women and girls and prevent them from more meaningful and fully participating in both the private and public spheres.

This global challenge calls for a systemic perspective in creating conditions for a cultural transformation that can help shift mental models that initiate, perpetuate and sustain cultures and systems of "domination". This presents hope and promising possibilities in cultivating cultures that embrace equal opportunity for ALL working to foster a "partnership" orientation in our ways of being in the private and public spheres.

I am also reminded that the conversation on gender needs to move beyond the definition of gender being all about men and women but one that includes people that do not identify as either female or male who are also often excluded and subjugated. Like women, from a human rights perspective, this group of people is equally deserving of being treated with dignity and respect and must be given equal opportunity to fully and more meaningfully participate in all spheres of life.

Thanks again Nancy for sharing your thoughts on this very important subject.