Gender Inequality - An International Problem

Having read Caitlin’s post I came away feeling a little depressed as I realised that everything she said was true. The issue of gender equality in Britain is becoming far more about statistics and “point scoring” than about actually making any real difference. This got me thinking about Britain’s position on gender equality in a wider context and how we compare to other countries.  My conclusion was to think that at least I live in a country where a conscious effort is being made to further equality between men and woman, and thank God I live in a country where (at least by law) men and woman do have equal rights! Sadly this is not the case in so many different places around the world. I was visiting my little 4 year cousin this weekend and as we were walking through town she pointed to a wedding dress in a shop window and said; “I want to wear a dress like that when I get married, and I want to look really pretty.” This simple and innocent wish is one that all young girls should be able to enjoy and dreams of looking beautiful on your wedding day when you are united with the man you have chosen and love should be an achievable reality. In too many cases however a girl’s wedding can become a day of dread and fear, as she waits terrified to be married to a complete stranger she has never met. In fact “married” is not the right word, become the “property of” would be more appropriate.  Cases of child brides are particularly high in some African countries, Nigeria having some of the highest statistics globally. In July 2013 the Nigerian government carried out a review of its constitution and decided to take a vote on whether clause 29, “any woman who is married shall be deemed to be full of age”, should be removed. This clause enables children under the age of 18 to get married, and once they have done so forces them take on full the full responsibilities of marriage. This includes acting as their husband’s sexual partner and giving birth to children. The Nigerian government had the chance to change this clause and to protect children under the age of 18 from becoming adults before their time. The majority vote was not to change this clause. This shows how deep rooted gender inequality still is in some countries and how some societies still think it is acceptable to stifle a woman’s rights in this way and stop them from having an equal role in their homes and communities. It is evident to me that this is an international problem with many of the causes being rooted in sexist constitutional laws and conventions. The key to change is to first change the law, and then to change public opinion. In the deep south of America it took a couple of Supreme Court rulings to end segregation but much much longer to make people accept these rulings. Without this initial constitutional change however people would never have been forced to act and eventually think differently. A similar process needs to happen for woman’s right and equality. The law needs to change making it absolutely impossible for child marriages to legally happen, this then needs to be implemented and from there change will start to take place. To my mind this is an international political issue that needs to be addressed by governments globally if real change is going take place. The UK, being one of the world’s leaders in democracy and equality, must take a front line role in helping end these equalities. Using our power and influence it could be possible for the UK government to lead on significant change, putting pressure on developing countries to make essential amendments to their constitutions so more girls can live lives free from fear.

Ruth