Why Gender Equity Is Important

Women have been fighting for equality for decades, but why gender equity is so important seems to be a forgotten discussion.

The struggle towards gender equity is one of the major hallmarks of the 20th century. For over a hundred years women have been striving for equality, and things really came to a head in the 1960’s when the feminism movement started to take hold, there were a lot of bras burned during the 1960’s.

Why Gender Equity is Important

So why is gender equity It is important not only for women, but for society as a whole. Economically women have a tremendous amount to offer in the workplace, with more and more women now enjoying high ranking positions in commerce, government and private enterprise. There is a school of thought which feels that, in order for women to be successful in a male dominated workplace they must be outstanding in order to rise above men of less ability. Do women really have equality, or have things gone a little askew along the journey?

Gender Equity in the Home

Historically, women were brought up to be the homemakers. Taught to cook, sew and care for children, their education was considered relatively unimportant, and their transition to the workplace temporary until they found themselves a good husband to ‘provide for them’, and left work to raise a family and take care of the home. Fortunately, things have changed a lot since then, but although more than 50% of University graduates are now female, old habits die hard. Real gender equity needs real change, and change is hard to come by, no matter how hard many people try.

Although a larger proportion of women are now highly educated and hold down important jobs, they are still thought by many to be responsible for running the household and child care, and now find themselves juggling careers with child care arrangements and trying to be all things to all people. A new breed of ‘super woman’ has arrived, or so we thought, but in reality this kind of pressure can not be good for the women, for the children, or for society as a whole. No matter how important a meeting she has just chaired, if the in laws come around and find a dirty house, which is how she will often be judged.

“The trouble with housework is that people only notice when you haven’t done it!” Ain’t that the truth?

In Search of Gender Equity

So, by trying so hard to achieve equality, has the ‘fairer sex’ gone too far and found themselves in a no win situation. By their determination to ‘have it all’, many find themselves left without many of the fundamental differences between men and women. Romance, for many couples, is a thing of the past. Why should a man hold the door open for a woman, when she is his equal? Maybe she should open the door for him? Gone are the days when it was expected that a man would support the woman. She is now expected to be wife, mother, and housekeeper as well as hold down a highly pressurized job. Men just have to work, don’t they?

This is not a snipe at men, far from it. Ask many men about their idea of gender equity and they are quite happy to work alongside women in the boardroom, but not too many of them are willing to take on the other half of the equation when it comes to the home. In order for real equity there needs to be a balance, and if you achieve balance then you can achieve true happiness and fulfillment – sounds a bit like a Chinese proverb doesn’t it? I don’t think it is – that one came straight from the heart.