A STUDY ON GENDER INEQUALITY

Author
Yash Bafna. P
132002052
BBA.LLB(HONS)
Saveetha school of law
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
( SIMATS )
Email: pyashbafna2003@gmail.com
Phone no. : 9500111713

Co-Author
Suresh Babu
Assistant Professor
Saveetha school of law
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
( SIMATS )
Email : sureshbabun.ssl@saveetha.com
Phone no. : 8099999508
 A STUDY ON GENDER INEQUALITY

ABSTRACT:

Gender inequality is a social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally.
The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms
prevalent in society. This paper aims to know whether people are aware of gender inequality,
to identify the reasons for gender inequality, and to identify the solution for gender inequality.
The research method followed is descriptive research. The data is collected through a
questionnaire and the sample size is 200. The convenience sampling method is adopted in the
study to collect the data. The samples were collected from friends and relatives. The
independent variables are age group, gender, occupation, educational qualifications, place of
living, and marital status of respondents. The dependent variables are the belief that gender
equality still exists in society, agreement over the reason for gender inequality, an opinion in
which sector gender equality is more, opinion over the solutions for gender inequality. The
researcher used graphs to analyze the data collected. It was found that gender inequality still
exists in society, Rural areas have issues of gender inequality more than in urban or
semi-urban. Job segregation and societal mindsets are the two major causes of gender
inequality. It was also found that taking strict action against gender inequality and eradicating
inequality in households primarily are two possible solutions.
Keywords:- Gender, Inequality, distinction, Men and Women

INTRODUCTION:

Gender discrimination is any action that excludes or disadvantages people based on their
gender. It includes actions that are deliberately unfair and actions that are unintentionally
unfair. Gender discrimination is fueled by sexism, which is prejudice based on sex or gender.
In most countries, sexism devalues women and femininity and privileges men and
masculinity. Because gender relates to how someone feels, rather than their biological
characteristics, anyone who identifies with a gender that their society deems less valuable can
experience gender discrimination. This includes trans and other gender-expansive people.

Gender inequalities, and their social causes, impact India's sex ratio, women's health over
their lifetimes, their educational attainment, and economic conditions. It also prevents the
institution of equal rape laws for men. Gender inequality in India is a multifaceted issue that
primarily concerns women, but some argue that various gender equality indices place men at
a disadvantage, or that it affects each gender equally. However, when India's population is
examined as a whole, women are at a disadvantage in several important ways. Although the
constitution of India grants men and women equal rights, gender disparities remain.

Research shows gender discrimination mostly in favor of men in many realms including the
workplace. Discrimination affects many aspects of the lives of women from career
development and progress to mental health disorders. While Indian laws on rape, dowry, and
adultery have women's safety at heart, these highly discriminatory practices are still taking
place at an alarming rate, affecting the lives of many today.

OBJECTIVES:

To know the awareness of gender inequality

To identify the reasons for gender inequality

To identify the solution for gender inequality

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Samidha Pokharel(2008) , studied Gender Discrimination: Women’s Perspective. A total of

200 women was selected randomly for this study. The study findings show that there is
discrimination against women in various aspects. Women are aware of discrimination at the
societal and household levels. They perceive more discrimination at the societal level
compared to the household level. Married women perceive more discrimination in mobility,
property, occupation, and education. Similarly, unmarried women perceive more
discrimination in mobility and way of behaving. They consider gender and customary
practices as major factors responsible for discrimination.
Zahid Ali Channar, Zareen Abbassi and Imran Anwar Ujan(2011), examined Gender
Discrimination in Workforce and its Impact on the Employees. . Close ended questionnaire
was administered from 526 males and females of lower, middle and higher category
employees of public and private health and education departments of Hyderabad and
Jamshoro districts. Gender discrimination in workforce was measured through independent
samples-t test. The results show that gender discrimination decreases satisfaction &
motivation and commitment & enthusiasm level of employees, and increases the stress level
in the employees.
Clement Allan Tisdell(2002), studied Gender inequality in India. The four villages selected
for the interviews for this study were selected so as to include respondents with different
cultural backgrounds or with some variation in cultural background so as to provide a basis
for comparative analysis. From the survey it can be seen that a preference was on the whole
expressed for sons rather than daughters and that daughters are deprived relatively in terms of
education, availability of food and medical attention
Tushar Agrawal(2014), examined Gender and caste-based wage discrimination in India. This
paper draws the data from the India Human Development Survey 2005, which is a nationally
representative survey of 41,554 households in 1503 villages and 971 urban neighborhoods
across India. These households include 215,754 individuals. It was found that there is a large
wage differential between gender groups and between different social groups. The
decomposition analysis reveals that the wage differential between males and females can
largely be attributed to discrimination in the labor market.
Sweety Suman Jha, Aparajita Dasgupta, Bobby Paul, Pritam Ghosh, and Aloke
Biswas(2020), studied Attitude and perception of gender equity among students and teachers
of a rural school in West Bengal. The study was conducted among 199 students of classes
eight to twelve, chosen by the complete enumeration technique. Girls had a better attitude
toward gender equity. Laws regarding gender dominance and violence should be focused on.
Conducting intensified awareness campaigns on gender equity and addressing women's right
to health is a much-needed timely intervention for the health of womenfolk.
Charles Kurzman, Willa Dong, Brandon Gorman, Karam Hwang, Renee Ryberg, Batool
Zaidi(2019), examined Women’s Assessments of Gender Equality. In surveys covering 150
countries, women in societies rated gender-unequal according to global metrics such as
education, health, labor-force participation, and political representation did not consistently
assess their lives as less in their control or less satisfying than men did. These findings reflect
a longstanding tension between universal criteria of gender equality and an emphasis on
subjective understandings of women’s priorities.

Namrata Gupta(2017) studied Gender inequality in the work environment. Data was collected
from semi-structured interviews of men and women scientists in two private pharmaceutical
laboratories. The findings show reproduction of a gendered normative order through two
types of norms and practices: one, norms and practices that favor men and second,
socio-cultural norms that devalue women in public spaces which help to maintain masculinity
in the workplace. Although these practices might be found elsewhere in the world, the
manner in which they are enacted reflects national cultural norms.
Javier Cerrato and Eva Cifre(2018) studied Gender Inequality in Household Chores and
Work-Family Conflict. A correlational study was carried out by means a questionnaire
applied to 515 samples. Thus, results show that traditional gender roles still affect the way
men and women manage the work and family interaction, although the increased WFC due to
involvement in housework is not exclusive to women, but also occurs in men.
Sumanjeet Singh(2016), examined the state of gender inequality in India. It is found that
despite a high growth rate and plentiful Government measures to encourage gender equality,
the gender gap still exists in India. Lack of gender equality not only limits women’s access to
resources and opportunities, but also imperils the life prospects of the future generation.
Charles Kurzman, Willa Dong, Brandon Gorman, Karam Hwang, Renee Ryberg, Batool
Zaidi(2019), researched Women’s Assessments of Gender Equality. The findings reflect a
longstanding tension between universal criteria of gender equality and an emphasis on
subjective understandings of women’s priorities.
Erik, Bihagen, Marita Ohls(2006), have conducted the research on whether women are
discriminated through sticky floor or glass ceiling effects in Sweden. They have found
through their research that women in Sweden suffer more from sticky floor effects than glass
ceilings. Their study also showed that women with small children face a largest gender
penalty in careers. Gender penalty is larger for younger and older women and less for middle
aged women. There was no any empirical support in their study that women have lesser
career opportunities in the private sector than in public sector, relative to men.
Paula Chatterjee and Rachel M. Werner(2021), studied Gender Disparity in Citations in
High-Impact Journal Articles. It is found that those written by women primary or senior
authors had fewer citations than those written by men primary or senior authors. Articles
written by women as both primary and senior authors had approximately half the number of
citations as those authored by men as both primary and senior authors.
Hosseini, M., Sharifzad, S. Gender disparity in publication records. Women believed that
their opportunities for research engagement and research funding, collaborations,
publications and promotions are negatively impacted by gender roles, implicit gender biases,
their own high professional standards, family responsibilities, nationality and negative
perceptions of their expertise and accomplishments.
A study by Bhaumik and Chakrabarty (2008) using two rounds of the NSSO’s
employment-unemployment survey finds that the gender wage gap narrowed considerably
between years 1987 and 1999. The narrowing of the earnings gap was attributed largely to a
rapid increase in the returns to the labor market experience of women.
A study by Das and Dutta (2007) suggests that caste is still an influential factor in deciding
how individuals are remunerated in the wage labor market. The study is based on data from
61st round (2004–05) of the NSSO’s survey. They find that the extent of the wage gap is
significant (about 0.37 log points) in case of regular workers, and one-third of the gap is
attributable to unequal treatment of scheduled caste workers relative to general caste workers.
Further, the wage gap among casual workers is very low and mainly accounted for by
differences in characteristics.
Thorat and Attewell (2007) examine the prevalence of discrimination in the job application
process of private sector enterprises using a field experiment. They find that companies
discriminate by caste and religion while hiring job applicants with equal qualifications.
Motiram and Singh (2012) examine intergenerational occupational mobility for different
caste groups using transition matrices and the data from the IHDS 2005. Their findings
suggest considerable rigidity in class positions, particularly for the lower classes.
Jissa Vinoda Thulaseedharan(2019), studied young women's attitude toward gender. In
general, the support for gender-equitable norms and the freedom in decision-making are not
satisfactory among young women. Education alone cannot make rapid changes in the attitude
of young women toward gender-equitable norms since it is strongly connected with social
norms and practices.
Amdadullah Baloch, Said Zamin Shah Zaleha Mohd Noor and Balach Rasheed(2016),
examined Impact of Gender Gap on Economic Growth. It is recognized that governments
around the world, including developing countries must explicitly consider gender equality
as prime target for improving living standards and macroeconomic growth.
Robert Stefko, Beata Gavurova, Viera Ivankova, Martin Rigelsky(2020), studied Gender
Inequalities in Health and Their Effect on the Economic Prosperity Represented by the GDP
of Selected Developed Countries. It is said that the policies should focus on reducing the
inequalities in avoidable mortality as well as reducing the frequent diseases in younger
people.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The research method followed is descriptive research. The data is collected through a
questionnaire and the sample size is 200. The convenience sampling method is adopted in the
study to collect the data. The samples were collected from friends and relatives. The
independent variables are age group, gender, occupation, educational qualifications, place of
living, and marital status of respondents. The dependent variables are the belief that gender
equality still exists in society, agreement over the reason for gender inequality, an opinion in
which sector gender equality is more, opinion over the solutions for gender inequality. The
researcher used graphs to analyze the data collected.

ANALYSIS:
LEGEND
Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the influence of gender over the belief that gender equality still exists in
society.
Figure 2

Figure 2 shows the influence of educational qualification over the thought where gender
inequality is comparatively more.

Figure 3

Figure 3 shows the influence of place of living over the agreement that uneven access to
education is one of the reasons for gender inequality.
Figure 4

Figure 4 shows the influence of occupation over the agreement that job segregation is one of
the reasons for gender inequality.

Figure 5

Figure 5 shows the influence of age over the agreement that lack of legal protection is one of
the reasons for gender inequality.
Figure 6

Figure 6 shows the influence of gender over the agreement that social mindset is one of the
reasons for gender inequality.

Figure 7

Figure 7 shows the influence of age over the opinion in which sector gender equality is more.
Figure 8

Figure 8 shows the influence of age on the opinion about the statement that “Creating
awareness for gender equality in our villages, cities, nearby areas, society, etc. is one of the
solutions for gender inequality.”

Figure 9

Figure 9 shows the influence of occupation on the opinion about the statement that “By
taking strict action against gender inequality is one of the solutions for gender inequality.”
Figure 10

Figure 10 shows the influence of gender on the opinion about the statement that “Eradicate
inequality in households primarily is one of the solutions for gender inequality.”

RESULT

From figure 1 it is clear that the majority of the female respondents strongly believe that
gender equality still exists in society whereas male respondents have mixed reviews.

From figure 2 it is evident that the majority of the respondents state that rural areas have
more gender inequality rather than semi-urban or urban areas.

From figure 3 it is clear that the majority of the respondents residing in rural areas strongly
agree that uneven access to education is one of the reasons for gender inequality. Whereas the
majority of the urban residents disagree with it and semi-urban have mixed reviews.

From figure 4 it is evident that the majority of the respondents agree that job segregation is
one of the reasons for gender inequality.

From figure 5 it is evident that the majority of respondents from all age groups disagree that
lack of legal protection is one of the reasons for gender inequality except the 40-50 years age
group agrees to it.
From figure 6 it is clear that the majority of the respondents agree that social mindset is one
of the reasons for gender inequality whereas female respondents strongly agree with it.
From figure 7 it is evident that the majority of the respondents of age group 18-25 feel that in
deprived opportunities gender equality is more, whereas 25-40 and 40-50 feel that in property
ownership gender equality is more.

From figure 8 it is evident that the majority of the respondents support the statement that
“Creating awareness for gender equality in our villages, cities, nearby areas, society, etc. is
one of the solutions for gender inequality.”

From figure 9 it is clear that the majority of the respondents support that by taking strict
action against gender inequality is one of the solutions for gender inequality.

From figure 10 it is evident that the majority of the respondents support the statement that
“Eradicate inequality in households primarily is one of the solutions for gender inequality”,
and female respondents support it more than males.

DISCUSSION

[Figure 1]This inference may be because males may not experience it and they would have a
mentality that it’s a modern world, whereas females may experience it even in this modern
era.

[Figure 2]This inference may be because urban and semi-urban areas have economically well
developed. Whereas villages are yet to develop in terms of education facilities and
well-being.

[Figure 3]This inference may be because there are fewer schools in villages as compared to
urban and semi-urban areas, and if girls are not educated on the same level as boys, it has a
huge effect on their future and the kinds of opportunities they’ll get.

[Figure 4]This inference may be because, in most societies, there’s an inherent belief that
men are simply better equipped to handle certain jobs. Most of the time, those are the jobs
that pay the best. This discrimination results in lower income for women. Women also take
on the primary responsibility for unpaid labor, so even as they participate in the paid
workforce, they have extra work that never gets recognized financially.
[Figure 5]This inference may be because over the years there are various provisions provided
against gender inequality such as Article 14, Article 15, Article 16, etc., and statutes such as
The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, The Hindu Succession Act, 1956, etc. But there is no
proper application and knowledge about it.

[Figure 6]This inference may be because it reinforces the traditional view about how women
are supposed to contribute at home. To some extent, the new generation of men has started
accepting gender equality at work but somewhere deep down they may still believe that they
are doing their females a favor.
[Figure 7]This inference may be because society differentiates between the capabilities and
works of males and females, and this differentiates their opportunities to express themselves.
Property is also transferred by parents mostly to males cause they believe that they have to
carry forward their family, so females do not get equal rights as men.

[Figure 8]This inference may be because, in order to develop the thinking and change the
mentality of the people in our villages, cities, and nearby areas, they must be educated about
the problem, which could be done through awareness camps.

[Figure 9]This inference may be because there are various provisions and statutes that
support gender equality but it’s not applied properly, thus strict actions must be taken so that
there would be a sense of fear in the society.

[Figure 10]This inference may be because inequality starts primarily from the home, where
boys and girls are treated differently, such as girls are not allowed to go out at night or girls
get married faster than the boys. Thus this should be scraped from the society, which would
happen when every household’s mentality changes,

CONCLUSION

Gender inequality is the differentiation between people due to gender. Individuals can be
either of masculine or feminine gender. For ages, there has been perception towards genders
depending on their sexes, strengths, capacity, and capability to do a certain task. Inequalities
are majorly displayed at commercial workplaces and homes. While the Indian Constitution
grants men and women the same privileges and benefits and parallel recruitment for
enhancing the role of women in the social community, given the fact that the rights and
opportunities provided to women by the constitution remain far from achieving this
advantage for the full number of women. This paper aims to know whether people are aware
of gender inequality, to identify the reasons for gender inequality, and to identify the solution
for gender inequality. It was found that gender inequality still exists in society, Rural areas
have issues of gender inequality more than in urban or semi-urban. Job segregation and
societal mindsets are the two major causes of gender inequality. It was also found that taking
strict action against gender inequality and eradicating inequality in households primarily are
two possible solutions.

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PLAGIARISM REPORT