It doesn’t matter who I am, I need my rights and I deserve to be respected!
This post was written by a student. It has not been fact checked or edited.
Which problem caused by gender inequality is the most difficult to fix?
At the moment, in the word there is a significant problem when it comes to gender inequality. I believe that the most difficult problem caused by gender inequality to fix is the motherhood penalty, the expectation of mothers to stay at home and care for their children and to sacrifice their career.
From my point of view, women are seen as inferior to men since they are little. I think that most of the discrimination comes from stereotypes which begin with the thought that females are more emotional, they are weaker, that they need to take care of the family and the house and when it comes to men they need to be strong and protect their family and close ones and to not show many emotions.
Why is there such a big difference between women and men when it comes to maternity leave? In this moment, in many countries the father can only take a few weeks of leave and only with the mother's written aproval. I am aware that women are giving birth to the baby and that they need time to recover after the procedure but, I believe that men should also be given more time with pay for paternity because in some cases the woman might want to come to work early because she loves her job and doesn’t want to fall behind with work but because of the rules the men get less time with the baby and less money. On the other hand, another part of the problem is that men are reluctant to take paternity despite the benefits. For example, in my country, men can take up to two years which is actually the same length as a woman can take but they don't. I think this is because of the historical assumption of women being caretakers and men being providers. According to Al Jazeera: “The trend continued into 2023, with 33,689 men and 201,108 women taking parental leave between January and October. Maternity leave is 126 days, with 85 percent of a salary paid. Paternity leave is a far shorter 15 days. But beyond these periods, either mothers or fathers can opt to take childcare leave until their infant blossoms into a two-year-old toddler.”
The motherhood penalty is also why some women might not want to have a child. The disadvantages a mother has when coming back to work are a lot, they are seen as less comitted to their jobs, more emotional and they are paid less than others. The pay gap between mothers and chidless females is bigger that the pay gap between men and women. Many women have to choose between having a baby or focusing on their career and I think that they shouldn’t have to choose and to stress about having a child or to get discriminated.
Taking everything into account, I believe that there still are a lot of times where both genders are discriminated and affected because of their gender and I think that if we will start to educate people from the begining of their life and show them how to be respectful that the discrimination both genders get and the inequality between them would be changing significantly for the better in future. One good place to start would be in the workplace by having stronger discrimination laws.
Comments (1)
Your analysis of the motherhood penalty is insightful. The core challenge lies in dismantling centuries-old societal norms that frame caretaking as "feminine" and ambition as "masculine". Even when policies like parental leave exist (as in your country, Romania), cultural stigma stops men from taking it. Eternally repeating a cycle, a self-fulfilling prophecy, if you will: employers expect mothers being "less committed", leading to fewer promotions, lower pay and pressure to sacrifice their careers.
The solution requires both structural and cultural shifts. For example, countries like Sweden make sure to mandate non-transferable parental leave for both parents, which makes fathers participate. This makes shared caregiving more normal and reduces workplace bias. But these policies only work with efforts that try and redefine what masculinity is (celebrating active fatherhood) and femininity (valuing women's professional aspirations). Education is key but so is fame: media representation of diverse family roles and corporate accountability can stop stereotyping.
Ultimately, the motherhood penalty is a double bind rooted in systemic injustice. Breaking these norms requires patience and persistence. Iceland, for example, reduces its gender pay gap by 70% in two decades through aggressive parental leave reforms and corporate quotas. While the road is long, your emphasis on early education and stronger workplace laws is where change begins.