All humans are created equal, no matter the race, colour or gender. Yes, there might be differences between you and the next person in terms of characteristics, preferences and ability. However, these differences do not infer a superiority or inferiority between you and that individual.
While, in today’s world, this idea might seem common, it wasn’t always so. The situation is such that, even till today, it is still being emphasised to people about the equality of all people, whether male or female. And as it applies to women, many have not yet seen the usefulness of the woman bearing and raising children, managing the household and building the career of her dreams.
How inequality affects women?
Primarily, gender inequality affects women in many ways, especially because not much is expected from an individual who is not valued, even when the individual has great ability. Because of this biased treatment, the individuals will not be given the opportunity to fulfil the potential so clearly inherent in them. This is the primary effect of unequal treatment to women when it comes to their ability and productivity in the workplace.
The question then becomes, if one is not recognised or given the opportunity to showcase their ability on the basis of their gender, how then can the woman showcase her ability? The answer to this question is that she can’t.
Benefits of gender equality for women in work environment
However, studies show that equal treatment of women across the various fields and areas of life produce certain results. These include:
*Better economy: The women in any society make up at least half of its adult population, if not more in certain cases. However, when this vast number of people in the society is ignored when it comes to economically beneficial jobs that are available in the society, the whole economy suffers. In the world today, most of the countries with great economies have a large number of working-class women.
*Increased confidence: There is a confidence that comes into an individual when their ability and work is appreciated. This creates the belief in the individual that they have the ability to handle certain tasks and gives them the confidence to take on more of such tasks.
*Zeal to do better: When one is able to handle certain tasks at a certain level, the next thing or desire that comes next is to tackle challenges at a higher level. This is growth and desire to grow taking shape in the woman and, over time, it will breed the zeal for her to do better and start making the necessary decisions needed to achieve her aims. This, in turn, will lead to an increase in healthy competition for the organisation she works for.
*Better customer targeting: It is estimated that women are directly or indirectly responsible for about 70 per cent of all purchases in the market. Again, in most cases, women know better about what is more desirable in the marketplace. Therefore, when they become part of the product branding team, they are able to better market the product to that demographic. This, in turn, boosts the organisation’s profit, reputation and market popularity.
Conclusion
It can be seen that there are many gains that can be made when women are given the chance to participate in the various sectors of the society. The gains that they bring do not just positively affect them, it also affects their male counterparts, the organisation and the society at large.
At Creativespace, we run a series of programmes that help to advocate for gender equality. Running most of these programmes are cost-effective and as such, we solicit your support and encouragement through donations, partnerships, and collaborations.
Don’t forget to visit our column next week for another interesting read.
