What is gender equality?

We explain what gender equality is, laws that defend it, the situation in Mexico and examples. In addition, phrases that define it.

1. What is gender equality?

When talking about gender equality, or gender equity , reference is made to the political struggle that tries to give both men and women the same rights , benefits, sentences and the same respect. It is, at the same time, one of the central objectives of feminism.

This political stance opposes the inequality that exists in most of the world’s cultures in assessing the tasks performed by men and women, assigning the former a predominant, better rewarded and more visible role than the latter.

Gender equality is exactly that: the equality of rights, duties, benefits and others between the sexes, so that no one is discriminated against or favored for reasons other than those derived from their effort, their work and their commitment .

But that is not all. To achieve it, it is necessary to abolish certain traditional practices that are detrimental to women , such as human trafficking, sexual violence, feminicide , domestic violence, and other forms of exclusion.

2. Importance of gender equality

Gender equality is more than a social achievement and overcoming a precondition of inequalities. Allowing women greater access to education and progress directly and notoriously affects the Gross Domestic Product of many developing nations . This is because it allows society to make the most of its human resources.

3. Examples of gender equality

Gender equality can be evidenced in cases such as the following:

• Women ‘s suffrage . The “suffragists” were famous in the history of feminism for their manifestations in favor of the vote of women during the nineteenth century, which was finally obtained at the beginning of the twentieth century, then allowing the possibility of female candidates.
• Overcoming the wage gap . In some advanced countries, the fight against the wage gap between men and women has been assumed with such awareness that laws have been enacted preventing men and women from receiving different salaries for doing the same job.
• The female right to study . Although it may seem a lie, until a couple of hundred years ago, women were not allowed in any formal educational institution, such as convents and schools “for young ladies”, where they learned manual crafts and etiquette. The opening of professional life to women was an achievement of gender equality.
• In female military exercise . Armies do not have to be composed of men only. On the other hand, the participation of women in war and matters of national sovereignty does not necessarily have to be in the rear, working and gestating children who are later soldiers for war. The possibility of doing a military career must be the same for men and women.

4. Gender Equality Law

In many countries there is a Gender Equality Law, and many others currently have a debate that leads to the legislation of one. These laws, written within the legal framework with which each nation is governed, serve to prohibit attitudes of segregation or sexual discrimination , to provide the State with a legal scheme to protect women.

This ensures that women enjoy the same opportunities as their male counterparts. In some cases it even involves the creation of public institutions that monitor equal rights and serve as a representative in cases of femicide, sexual violence, harassment, sexual discrimination and others that threaten gender equality.

5. Gender equality in Mexico

Like many other countries developing , Mexico still faces major challenges in terms of gender equality. There is an approximate salary gap of 30% , a distribution of household chores three times greater in women than in men, only 43% of formal employment among women of working age in the country.

On the other hand, alarming rates of femicide stand out . In fact, the word “feminicide” as the denomination of a crime was first implemented in Mexico.

On the other hand, it has institutions dedicated to the fight against machismo and the promotion of gender equality , such as the National Citizen Observatory of the Feminicide of Mexico and the National Women’s Institute.

In addition, in Mexico the number of women actively participating in politics as representatives of the people has grown in the last decade from 18.2% of women elected in the National Parliament, to 48.2% in 2019.

6. Phrases about gender equality

Here are some phrases about gender equality by international personalities:

• “Women’s equality must be a central component in any attempt to solve social , economic and political problems ” – Kofi Anan, former UN Secretary.
• “ They are not two sexes superior or inferior to each other; they are different ”- Gregorio Marañón, doctor and Spanish writer.
• “ All men should be feminists . If they cared about women’s rights, the world would be a better place ”- John Legend , American singer.
• “Feminism is not only for women . We should all be feminists ”- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian writer.
• “Men are afraid that women laugh at them. Women are afraid of men killing them ”- Margaret Atwood, Canadian writer.
• “ Fighting for women’s rights often makes us synonymous with that we hate men. I only know that one thing is certain: we need to stop those thoughts ”  – Emma Watson, American actress.