An Inconvenient Truth: society’s implied inferiority of women

Although women have come a long way in terms of being treated equal in society, I think we still have a somewhat long way to go. And that really disappoints me. I swear; nothing makes me more upset than when I see evidence of implied male gender superiority. I use the term "implied inferiority / superiority" because I believe and I KNOW that both genders are completely equal. But unfortunately, society has created gender roles, stereotypes, and expectations that severely limit women. I find it inconveniently true that throughout history (and even in today’s world) women have been considered inferior to men. 

It's impossible to pin point exactly when the first examples of implied male superiority occurred, but I was able to track this idea back to about the year 300 B.C., while reading Sophie’s World. Aristotle lived from 384 to 322 B.C. , and during his lifetime he came to be a very influential philosopher. Unfortunately, he had an extremely unfair view on women. Aristotle believed that women were an unfinished or flawed version of man, which implies that women are the inferior gender. He also believed that a child only inherits traits from their father, which is ridiculous and scientifically incorrect. It is proven that a baby has both of its parents’ characteristics. Unlike what Aristotle believed, both genders are equally important in the reproduction and raising- children process. The worst part of Aristotle’s incorrect belief is that the church adapted and carried on a similar view of women too. Because the church is still such an influential institutions, examples of sexism against women STILL occur regularly in society. 

Now that I am more conscious of the implied inferiority of women, the first question I have is: why? Also: how could that be an accepted belief? I know that women are just as “smart” and just as capable of doing everything that men can do. It frustrates me that there are so many examples of society believing the opposite. It is unfair and extremely unproductive for society to hold women on a lower level than men. A woman is just as likely as a man to come up with a cure for a disease or make an important scientific discovery, yet for much of history women were not allowed to have input in many male dominated fields. And that is truly tragic. How much more could have humans discovered if women had been allowed to contribute more ideas in the course of history?! 

Today, on top of being considered somewhat inferior, an unfair amount of responsibilities now lay on many women’s shoulders. For example, it was mentioned in my psychology textbook that typically, if both spouses work and have children that the mother will still be expected to handle most if not all of the child- raising responsibilities. I mean, come on how unfair is that? Parenting, housework (such as cooking and cleaning), and even financial responsibilities should be split fairly among both partners, especially if both spouses work outside of the home, which is a reality for many people in the modern world.

Women also experience injustice in the work place. According to a Times article I found online, women on average only make about 77 cents on a men’s dollar, according to information from the latest census. Another trend that negatively affects women is that educated women tend to take lower-paying, traditionally female-held positions such as teachers and nurses, while equally educated men will often take higher paying positions such as doctors and lawyers. The article states that it true that women are often (but not always) discriminated against in the workplace. 

I am determined to live my life ignoring the implied gender roles and expectations that exist in society as much as possible. I know for fact that both genders are equal; despite what society implies, and that is all that matters to me. I hope that in the future, society can exist without any inequality between the genders. Whether this type of equality is possible or not, I do not know, but I can only hope that it could be a reality that I am able to see when I’m older. I would love to see a woman be elected president. I don’t want them to be just any woman, but a woman that is just as qualified and as intelligent as any  of the 44 men who have  been elected president. And I know that there are (and always have been) qualified women out there; they just haven’t been given a fair opportunity due to implied male superiority. 

Sources 

Fitzpatrick, Laura. "Why Do Women Still Earn Less Than Men?" www.time.com.Time U.S., 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. 

<http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1983185,00.html>.

Gaarder, Jostein. Sophie's World: A Novel about the History of Philosophy. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994. Print.