The birth of a woman completed life on earth. This is evident
from the life story of the father of humanity Hazrat Adam (A.S) when he got a life
partner in Eve (A.S). Today women comprise nearly half of the global
population. This is not merely a number, but rather an indication of their
importance. Life is not simply the process of giving birth, nurturing, and
dying; it is a duty to leave a better world for the generations to come. In
fact, humanity has achieved a lot over the last one thousand years in all
spheres of life namely political, economic, and social; however, by using the other
half of the world’s population “the women” we could have reached here sooner.
Keeping all the historical, religious, and cultural obstacles at bay, we need
to work for women’s political inclusion, equal participation in the workforce,
equal access to education, and parity in all sorts of
decision-making. This inclusion will take the world to the summit of prosperity
in all spheres of life whether political, economic, or social.
God, the creator, has done many things to make this world a
better place to live, but he has left it to humanity to do the rest. God has
given all human beings, man or woman, equal and similar body parts to be able
to perform all actions necessary for human survival. However, Allah has left it
to humanity to do justice. Justice is literally what equality is. Women just
like men deserve all the importance in all sorts of decisions whether
political, economic, or social, as they are neither created inferior physically
to the man by the creator, nor are they inferior to men when it comes to making
rational and intelligent decisions. Even though knowing the fact that women’s
participation can bring prosperity to the world, women suffer badly in all
spheres of life.
Women
have a key role in world politics, as they are equal citizens of this world.
However, they have been
deprived of their due political right with one pretext or the other. Today
women have a nominal representation in the international political domain.
Women’s representation in legislatures is merely 26.4% of the global political
representation as per the reports of the Federation of American Scientists. Statistics
by the World Population Review show that only 17 women are serving as head of
the state and 19 women as head of the government out of 193 UN member states
that is merely 21% of prime ministers or head of state. In developing
countries, the situation is even worse such as Pakistan where only 17% of seats
are allocated for women in the national assembly with only 60 reserved seats
out of 342 seats. Most of the UN member nations have not even had a female head
of the state which shows the dire political status of women in the world.
Low
political participation of women leads to a lack of diverse perspectives in
decision-making, potentially resulting in policies that do not fully address
women's needs. It perpetuates gender disparities, hinders the development of
inclusive legislation, and limits the representation of women's interests. This
exclusion from politics also reinforces traditional gender roles, making it
challenging to achieve broader gender equality goals and a more inclusive
society. Skeptics, on the other hand, argue that it is women’s unwillingness
and lack of capacity to hold the global leadership stage. However, it is man’s ego
nurtured under the umbrella of history and cultural norms that have prevented women
from attaining major leadership positions globally.
Women’s
low political representation is a consequence of low economic participation in
the global economy.
Women form only 38% of the global labor force and they are paid less than men
in most countries and regions. This percentage decreases even more when it
comes to countries like Pakistan where it is only 20% of the labor force and
mostly in the informal economy. Shockingly, nearly 2.4 billion women of working
age are not offered equal economic opportunities as per the World Bank report
of March 2022. Although women account for only 38% of the global labor force,
they perform 75% of the world’s unpaid work (Council of Foreign Relations).
This is how under-represented women are in the global workforce, despite that
they make up half of the global population.
The
consequences of women's low participation in economic affairs include reduced
economic growth potential, limited diversity in decision-making, increased
gender wage gaps, and a perpetuation of gender inequalities in wealth and
resource distribution. This underutilization of female talent and potential not
only hampers economic development but also hinders progress towards gender
equality and social well-being. Skeptics believe that it is women’s choice of
educational career and lack of ambition to pursue high-positions in the
corporate world that hinders women’s parity in economic affairs. However, the
truth is that it is the socially defined gender roles that prevent women to
collaborate equally in the global economic affairs.
The low political inclusion and economic participation of
women leads to women’s low social status where women are more often subjugated
to the decisions of men. Women do not have a say in nearly all their individual
life decisions. This social status is a consequence of women’s low education
and participation in political and economic spheres of life. While women are
deprived of their due political and economic rights globally; they are bound to
obey the decisions of men as they are the bread winners. Decisions related to
choosing a life partner, a career, education, and even the future of her
children are decided by the male partners or house heads, in particular in
culturally bound societies such as Pakistan. This exclusion hampers societal
progress, reinforces power imbalances, and leads to suboptimal outcomes for
communities as a whole.
The conditions of women vary across the globe; however, the
majority suffer because of the gender gap and disparities that exist in our
societies. There are multiple factors contributing to global gender
disparities, although none more important than the historical, religious, and
cultural factors that are continually preventing the world from achieving
global gender parity.
Historically, women have been deprived of their political,
economic, and social status. Women have not been given the power to control the
production line. Historically, male counterparts have been in charge of all the
means of production and women have been forced to care for the house and feed
the children. This subservient mode of living of early women has caused women
to live a life of subservience even today, whereas their male counterparts have
enjoyed not only the means of production but the revenue earned from it. By
being able to control the means of production, men have always been the
authority to make all the decisions even regarding the individual life of
women. This mode of living continues even today as humanity has not been able
to change the ownership of the means of production and thus the
decision-making.
Religion has always been exploited in deciding who controls
the means of production and who makes the decisions. The reality is that no
religion forces women to be bound to the boundaries of a house and have no say
in any of the decisions, rather it has been the ‘male’ version of
interpretation of the role of women in a society that has used religion as a
tool to enforce the notion of superiority. All religions of the world advocate
for a better life for women where they are given equal priority and status in
all sorts of decision-making. Religions, in particular Islam, advocates for
full participation of women in all affairs of a home and family. Women have all
the freedom, in particular to the extent of their individual lives. However, it
is the narrow interpretation of religious injunctions that men use to control
society, politics, and the means of production.
Apart from certain historical and religious factors that have
been deployed to deprive women of their legal status in society, numerous cultural
norms hinder women from achieving true freedom. Culture is older than many
religions itself. Antique civilizations that existed before the birth of many
religions followed today had established norms and rituals which prevented
women from participating in the political, economic, and social affairs of
life. These cultures have been followed by their successors even today.
Predominantly nations living across the Indus who later on followed different
religions; however, they still follow the cultural norms of their nomadic
forefathers. With many historical, and religious factors; these cultural values
transpired through multiple generations throughout thousands of years of
existence have all contributed to women’s sufferings today.
All these historical, religious, and cultural norms and
values have restricted women from showing off their potential and ability to
change the course of humanity. As mentioned, women make up half of the world’s
population, yet they have a meager role in global political, economic, and
social affairs. This has hugely impacted the prosperity of humanity as a whole.
Indeed, we could have achieved far more by now, and if we don’t mend our ways,
the pace of progress is going to remain marginal forever.
The way forward for an all-inclusive participation of women
in all spheres of life, particularly in politics, is to collaborate at the
state and individual levels to further the initiatives for global gender
equality. There needs to be parity when it comes to the role of women in
politics and decision-making. Women being half of the population of the globe
must represent half of the world too. At the global level, developed nations
and international organizations, such as the United Nations, must incentivize
women's participation in politics. Economic aid, political support, inclusion
in alliances, and representation in UN organs should be linked to a country's
commitment to political gender equality. Additionally, regional collaboration
among women through civil society forums is crucial. These forums should
advocate for equal political representation and provide training for women in
leadership roles, ultimately breaking the perception that women are weaker
administrators.
Secondly, promoting equal participation of women in the labor
force is a global imperative. Over the last three decades, progress has been
made, with some countries like Rwanda serving as exemplars. Rwanda's parliament
boasts over 60% women representation, showcasing the transformative power of
gender equality in governance and economic development. Nevertheless,
challenges persist, especially concerning women's roles in informal economies
and unpaid domestic work. To tackle these issues, international and regional
collaborations are essential. Initiatives such as the United Nations'
Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5 emphasizing gender equality,
provide a comprehensive framework for action. Organizations like the
International Labor Organization are actively advancing decent work for women
through conventions and recommendations. Equally important is the
implementation of legislation that not only promotes women's participation in
formal economic sectors but also safeguards their rights in informal settings.
These endeavors, supported by economic and political incentives, have the
potential to foster a more equitable global economy that genuinely recognizes
and rewards women's invaluable contributions.
Another key element for achieving gender parity globally is
to educate women and provide them with equal opportunities in the field of
education. Currently, the literacy rates have increased for both men and women,
yet males are on average more literate than women. As of 2020, about 90 percent
of men and a little over 83 percent of women in the world are literate (Statista).
However, this is not the condition all over the globe. Pakistan, for example,
has a literacy rate of 58% where almost 72.5 percent of men and only 51 percent
of women are literate. Low literacy is a major cause of women’s low
participation in political and social affairs. This hinders their opportunities to
participate in the labor market and prove productive economically for the
country and family. The problems prevalently faced are poverty, lack of
government support, and outdated cultural norms. Thus, a remedy to this
phenomenon is to facilitate women’s education by allocating a higher budget,
helping poor families financially, providing safe transportation and easy
access to schools, and campaigning for a more educated society.
This political inclusion, equal contribution to the economy,
and access to education can enhance women’s capacity and power to be an equal
figures in all social affairs and decision-making processes. Enabling women to
be an equal part of all decisions will help women devise strategies and
policies not only at an individual level but also on national and international
levels that promote parity and contribution in all spheres of life.
The
world at this point is grappling with pressing global issues such as climate
change, high population growth, scarcity of natural resources, terrorism etc. There
can be several explanations and reasons why the world at large suffers from all
these problems; however, the answer could be very simple. As it is stated “It
takes two to make a quarrel”, it takes both genders, the full population of the
world to bring peace and prosperity to this world. Women’s active involvement
in politics can shape sustainable policies and drive environmental initiatives,
as seen in the Greta Thunberg's youth-led climate strikes. Economically
empowered women can manage resources efficiently and sustainably, exemplified
by efforts in Rwanda and Bangladesh. In social realms, women's inclusion in
peace-building and conflict resolution helps counter extremism and terrorism.
In essence, integrating women into political, economic, and social domains
enhances global problem-solving and sets a course for a more harmonious and
prosperous future.
To sum up, women are a source of completion of human existence on this earth. While God has given them all possible importance physically, men have deprived women of all due political, economic, and social achievements with the pretext of religion, culture, and history. Women make up half of the population of the world, yet they are deprived of equal and due political and economic status. They are under-represented in all realms of life. The dream of human development with women’s meager contribution can be regarded as someone trying to clap with one hand. Thus, the world needs women’s inclusion in politics, their equal participation in the global workforce, easy access to education, and ultimately their participation in the process of decision-making from home to nation. This will ultimately increase humanity’s chances of achieving peace and prosperity quicker and better. Thus, humanity with all its struggle has achieved a lot, but it is far less than its capacity if only it used the other half “the women”.
(Reviews and feedback are warmly welcomed!)
Outline followed:
1) Introduction.
i. Thesis statement:
In fact, humanity has achieved a lot over the last one thousand years in all spheres namely political, economic, and social; however, by using the other half of the world’s population “the women” we could have reached here sooner.
2) The notion of equality.
3) Present political, economic, and social status of women.
i. Political status
ii. Economic status.
iii. Social status.
4) Hindrances in achieving gender equality.
i. Historical factors.
ii. Religious factors.
iii. Cultural factors.
5) The impacts of these hindrances on gender equality.
6) Way forward for achieving gender equality.
i. Political inclusion tied to incentives.
ii. Equal participation in work force.
iii. Equal opportunity in the field of education.
iv. Equal opportunity in decision making.
7) How will this equality bring prosperity to the world?
8) Conclusion.
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