Without a doubt, women today enjoy more freedom in terms of rights and opportunities compared to those who lived in the 60’s or 70’s. For decades, women have to fight for their rights so that those who live today can enjoy it. But how far have women really come when it comes to equal opportunities, liberty, and equality for all? While scouring various write-ups, the following issues tend to crop up the most.
1. Discrimination still runs its gamut in the workplace. While the Equal Pay Act of 1963 may be well established, wage discrimination towards women is still widely common these days. Income inequality is concealed among company policies disallowing employees from freely disclosing their fees. This, beside the fact, that CEOs or other top-level management positions are still largely dominated by men.
2. With the latest election results, it is also safe to assume that out of the many industrial countries across the globe, the US still lags behind in terms of women as president or head of state. Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Latin American countries, and some 40+ more have elected women leaders to run their state. America, however, has none—to this day.
3. Pregnancy is still an issue in the workplace. Employers, though in all their discretion, still shun away from women and see their reproductive prowess as more of a disadvantage in the workplace. This outright discrimination is properly documented and resolved with various legal actions but, unfortunately, it’s as real as it gets out there.
4. Of course, occupational sex segregation is also apparent in various industries. Science and engineering communities, for instance, have men outnumbered women at around 65 to 73 percent. This is even more so in petroleum and other heavy-duty industries where women are deemed “inappropriate”.
5. Amid scientific progress and technological advances, women’s frustration over sexism of their menstrual cycle remains. While the likes of Miki Agrawal have started an era on “menstruation revolution” by developing products designed to alleviate this frustrating monthly cycle among women, cool in-your-face advertising campaigns are still being heavily frowned upon by some segments in society.
6. Sexual violence is still heavily directed at women. Recent surveys have shown that at least 7 out of 10 victims of sexual assault, rape, or various acts of lasciviousness are women. Getting blamed and shamed is still as tangible as it was a decade or two ago. As frustrating as it may sound, women are still deemed weak in a male-dominated society.
7. Of course, the media industry does not help either. Ava DuVernay and Ronda Shimes may have become household names in film but the number of women directors being cast in topnotch films and television series is at a poor state. Highest pay in the entertainment industry still goes to actors. Even in news sitcoms, many women have to contend with doing the weather.
Yes, there are still so many challenges haunting women of today. The idea is to find ways and means to ensure that such issues be addressed consistently and with constancy. In all essence, women have a lot to offer—if only they are given a fair chance by society at large.
