Understanding how genders differ is imperative to our greater understanding of society as a whole. The growth and development of modern, humanistic democracies across the globe has led to a heightened awareness about the nature of homogenized, cross-cultural systemic inequality, especially as it pertains to gender. The result has been a rise in the popularity of feminism and an increased presence of feminist movements in many countries.
I would argue that, unfortunately, we tend to view these issues through a colored lens. For the sake of experimentation, I feel that we should ignore our predisposed feelings regarding the existence of gender inequality. We can objectively look at the issues and see what conclusions we arrive at following our analysis.
It is an objective truth that, on average, women are paid significantly less than men in the United States. Women have little role in the government, fewer opportunities in more lucrative business and science positions, and are far more likely to be the victim of sexual assaults and rapes than men. Moreover, lack of adequate or consistent maternity leave, increased taxes on feminine hygiene products, and oversexualiztion of women in the media supplement these inequalities.
Regardless of how we choose to view it, it is undeniable that women have some severe disadvantages in this country and throughout the world when compared to men. Men, however, face their share of inequalities.
It is estimated that, throughout human history, approximately 300 million people have died in wars. The first 150 million died before the twentieth century, with the remaining 150 million dying throughout the 20th century up to the present. The casualties of war before the 20th century were overwhelmingly men, whether it is 90 percent, 95 percent, or 99 percent. With the advent of industrialized warfare, civilian casualties dramatically increased following World War One. This gradually equalized the casualties of war as it relates to gender, but men still died in significantly higher numbers.
In this country, men are 14 times more likely to be in prison and more than twice as likely to develop substance dependency. Gang violence throughout the world almost exclusively involves boys and young men, child soldiers in Africa and now Iraq are all male, and every single mass shooting in recent American history has been perpetrated by a male suspect. Although it may be difficult to sympathize with children and young men who engage in violence, it is undeniable that a disproportionate number of men are the victims of severe psychological disorders which compel them to kill other people. Moreover, the strong majority of those involved in gang violence do so because they have no other opportunities for a successful life. The cultural perception of men as providers often results in them taking drastic actions to provide.
Women have been the victim of systemic inequality because they have historically been viewed as objects. Men are the victims of unequal distributions of violence because they have historically been viewed as an apparatus of the state. We were tools which lived, breathed, and died to accomplish the often arbitrary aspirations of the elite. Women were certainly treated unequally, but they were also seen as too important to die on a battlefield because they produced more men for more conquests.
I would argue that sexism exists on both sides of the fence. This is not my attempt to diminish feminism or any attempts to promote greater opportunities for women. Rather, I seek to provide a wider context for the issue. If we wish to promote equality, we must do so with enough forethought to consider every aspect of the issue.
