Social Discrimination and the Path to Gender Equality
What is Social Discrimination?
Social exclusion is a situation that is consolidated and reproduced by various means. However, there is a mechanism that generates social exclusion that is unacceptable to any egalitarian society. Discriminating against a person or group means reducing or denying their opportunities or even their rights based on characteristics such as origin, race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, social class, or other factors.
Types of Discrimination: Declared and Covert
Discrimination can operate in two modes:
Declared Discrimination
Public recognition that certain social groups must be denied opportunities and rights. To this end, discriminatory standards and even laws are developed.
Covert Discrimination
Discrimination that is not recognized but exists and acts in an underhand manner.
Who is Affected by Discrimination?
Discrimination tends to affect groups that, firstly, have some distinctive feature easily detectable by others, and secondly, are disadvantaged or rejected by the most powerful or majority social groups. Discriminated groups are often in a weak and helpless social position.
Discrimination’s Impact on Equality and Dignity
Discrimination, by trampling on the principle of equal opportunities—which is essential to our modern, democratic conception of justice—offends the equality and dignity of the individual and, therefore, violates human rights.
Women in Past Patriarchal Societies
In patriarchal societies, women lived under their parents until marriage, then passed to depend on their husbands. In such circumstances, the lives of women lacked autonomy.
Women’s Progress in Modern Society
The transition from traditional to modern society has brought about a revolution for women, thanks to which their situation of subjection to men has transformed towards increasing equality. This path to full equality between men and women has progressed in several areas:
- Political: The recognition of women’s suffrage.
- Legal: The acceptance of full equal rights with men.
- Economic: The incorporation of women into the world of work outside the home.
- Cultural: The increasing educational level of women, reaching that of men.
The Feminist Movement and Its Achievements
These advances have been driven by the feminist movement, comprised of various groups of women committed to women’s rights and gender equality. The feminist movement achieved many of its objectives. It has succeeded in ensuring that, in many countries, society as a whole embraces the principle of equality between sexes.
The Current Situation of Women
The situation of women is very diverse. In countries within our cultural environment, declared forms of discrimination against them have disappeared. However, covert forms of discrimination still exist. The situation is very different in other countries still dominated by patriarchal tradition, where women are discriminated against by laws and remain subordinate to men.
Combating Gender Oppression
To remove traces of gender oppression that still persist, stopping such pressure will require a lengthy and ongoing educational effort to disseminate a gender-neutral conception of relations between men and women.
Striving for De Facto Equality
Women must not only demand the disappearance of hurtful forms of gender oppression; they must also aspire to real equality in all areas. The aspiration to real equality could be summed up in one great goal: for women to achieve a degree of access to all fields of social and professional life similar to that of men.
Achieving Gender Equality: Key Strategies
- Co-responsibility of men and women in family life.
- Reconciliation between work, personal life, and family.
- Generalization of care services for dependents.
- Recognition of the value of traditional women’s activities.
- Recognition of the role of women in society and history.
- Positive female role models.
- Parity in democracy.
Traditional Society Defined
The pre-modern society. It is based on tradition that is accepted in an uncritical manner.
Modern Society Defined
The society that arose from the changes that began in the late eighteenth century.
Feminist Movement Defined
Comprised of various groups of women committed to the cause of women’s rights.
Gender Defined
The distinction between men and women, understood in a particular context.
Sexist Society Defined
A society that tends to devalue and discriminate one gender in relation to the other.
Reconciliation Defined
Here refers to the possibility of reconciling employment with other personal activities, especially family life.