Gender equality is a complex issue that has evolved over time. Although many laws and policies have been created to support gender equality, there are still gaps in how these changes have been put into practice to help the gender pay gap.

This essay was composed in November 2024 and uses MLA documentation.

Gender equality means that all people, regardless of their gender, should have the same rights, opportunities, and responsibilities. In the past, societies often treated men and women (as well as non-binary and gender-diverse people) unequally. People were treated unfairly in places like school, work, politics, and their personal rights. While this problem has improved in many ways there are still big challenges today. Gender equality is a key part of social justice and is connected to many other issues like human rights and economic fairness.

One of the biggest questions in the gender equality conversation is whether changes in laws, culture, and institutions have helped close the gender gap. Some people believe that policies like equal pay, gender quotas, and affirmative action have made a real difference. Others argue that these efforts haven’t gone far enough or may have made things worse by keeping people in traditional gender roles. Additionally, there is a growing movement to recognize that gender is not just male or female, but can be fluid, and that more identities need to be included in the conversation. This has made the issue of gender equality more complicated and there are many different opinions on how to make real progress to fix this problem.

In this literature review I will explore the main issues in the fight for gender equality. First, I will explain how gender roles and stereotypes have shaped society in the past. Then I will discuss the gender pay gap. The review will then look at how race, class, and sexuality affect gender equality in health care. Finally, I will examine new ideas about gender such as recognizing non-binary and transgender identities and how they are changing the way we think about gender equality.

Historical Foundations of Gender Inequality

Gender inequality has existed for a long time, shaped by historical traditions and social expectations. In the past, men were seen as the breadwinners and leaders, while women were often expected to stay home and care for the family. According to Arvonne S. Fraser in the book Becoming Human: The Origins and Development of Women’s Human Rights, the fight for women’s rights began in earnest during the suffrage movement, when women demanded the right to vote, own property, and get an education. Over time, these efforts grew into the broader feminist movement that continues today. However, despite many changes traditional gender roles have been hard to break. She notes that “these gendered divisions were not merely social preferences but were institutionalized in laws, customs, and practices that restricted women’s rights to property, education, and political participation” (Fraser). It was difficult for women to challenge inequalities in laws, customs, and practices because gender roles were seen as “natural” and unchangeable.

Over time, the fight for women’s rights started to challenge these deeply held socially norms. The suffrage movement in the US was fought over the right to vote, own property, and access to education. This movement started the swing of change in the fight for gender equality. The work of the early fight for gender equality laid the groundwork for the bigger feminist movement that continues today, but the past unfair history of gender inequality still is shown today.

Gender Pay Gap

In Katherine Schaeffer’s article, “For Women’s History Month, a look at gender gains – and gaps – in the U.S.”, she discusses how women have made progress over the years but there are still some big gaps. One of the main points in the article is the gender pay gap, which is the difference between how much men and women earn in the same job. There’s a graph in the article that shows how the gender pay gap has changed over time. In 1988, women made only 65% of what men earned, meaning they were paid 45% less. By 2022 women were making 82% of what men made. While that is an improvement it is still an unfair and clear gap of 18%. The change was slow over those 34 years. Schaeffer notes, “these divisions also exist in views of women’s standing in the workplace. A February 2023 survey found that 28% of employed adults say that being a woman makes it a little or a lot harder to be successful where they work, while just 11% say it makes things easier. Another 49% say being a woman makes things neither easier nor harder.” This shows that even though women’s earnings have gone up the way people view women in the workplace hasn’t fully caught up with the progress made. The gap in both pay and workplace success is still an ongoing issue that needs more attention.

The Impact of Race, Gender, and Policy on Women’s Health

Health care for women is at stake in our country. In a recent podcast episode of Call Her Daddy, Vice President Kamala Harris said about reproductive health clinics, “back to the point about reproductive health clinics… they’re having to close in many places with these bans… So, anyone seeking any kind of reproductive healthcare and wanting to go to a place where they feel safe and without judgment, these clinics have often been the place that people can go, and many of them are having to close because of these laws” (00:30:07- 00:30:58). With laws that restrict access to reproductive healthcare, many clinics are being forced to close. This leaves women with fewer options for care. When it comes to women’s ability to make decisions about their own health and bodies, the closure of these clinics is a clear example of how laws are increasing gender inequality in America.

In addition, gender inequality in health care doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Race, class, and sexuality all play a big role in how people experience gender inequality. For example, women of color often face additional challenges in accessing health care because they deal with both gender and racial discrimination. In the article “Five Facts About Black Women’s Experiences in Health Care” the authors write, “about one in five (21%) Black women say they have been treated unfairly by a health care provider or their staff because of their racial or ethnic background and a similar share (22%) of Black women who have been pregnant or gave birth in the past ten years say they were refused pain medication they thought they needed” (Schumacher et al.). Black women are affected by both sexism and racism. This form of discrimination creates an experience that is different from what other women may face when receiving health care. We need to look at how these different types of discrimination mix together and affect people’s lives.

Transgender, Non-Binary, and Fluid Identities

The idea of gender equality has changed in recent years with recognition that gender is not binary and is not limited to male or female. People who are transgender, non-binary, or identify with a fluid gender face their own challenges with gender equality. In Transgender History, Susan Stryker explains that the idea of gender being a spectrum challenges traditional views of gender. While some people see this as an opportunity to make gender equality more inclusive, others find it difficult to adjust to this broader understanding of gender. In my own life I have seen friends who are transgender be treated differently in many situations. I asked one of my friends to share with me a few ways she has been treated differently since starting her transition. She shared that she was turned down from a job because her gender identity would affect customers’ experience in the store. My friend quoted the interviewer saying “they didn’t want to make people uncomfortable while shopping”. This close-minded traditional view of gender and its effects is serious. It should not be taken lightly as the leading cause of death for trans youth around the world is suicide.

The debate about how to include transgender and non-binary people in discussions about gender equality is ongoing. According to the website Mapping Trans Equality “there have also been more than 200 anti-LGBT bills introduced in 20 states—and a recently leaked executive order draft suggests that the current administration intends to undermine established non-discrimination protections and open the door to a wide range of harms to the LGBT population.” Laws protecting transgender people are different in every state, and many transgender people still don’t have the legal protections they need. This shift in thinking is still new, but it is important for creating a more inclusive and equal society. There should be laws protecting every person in the United States. These factors show that gender inequality is complicated and is influenced by many aspects of identity beyond just gender. Policies also need to be addressed in order to increase gender equality and they need to consider the needs of all genders, not just men and women.

Conclusion

In conclusion, gender equality is a complex issue that has evolved over time. Although many laws and policies have been created to support gender equality, there are still gaps in how these changes have been put into practice to help the gender pay gap. Issues like race, class, and sexuality add layers of complexity to gender inequality, and new ideas about gender are changing the conversation. Going forward it’s very important to think about how to make gender equality more inclusive and how to tackle the unique needs of all individuals. Further research should look at how laws and policies can better protect people who don’t fit into the traditional categories of male and female. As I went looking at the different sources and ideas, I started to better understand the ongoing challenges of achieving true gender equality.

Works Cited

“Vice President Kamala Harris.” Call Her Daddy, 06 October 2024, https://open.spotify.com/episode/4B9WOUCWY8qY0f9MMjOSX

Dubey, Omnath. “Gender Equality in the Workplace: Challenges and Progress.” Medium, 04 September 2024, https://medium.com/@omnathdubeyofficial/gender-equality-in-the-workplace-challenges-and-progress-6059360043a6 Accessed 30 October 2024.

Fraser, Arvonne S. “Becoming Human: The Origins and Development of Women’s Human Rights.” Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 4, 1999, pp. 853–906. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/762751. Accessed 30 October 2024.

“Mapping Trans Equality: A Comprehensive Look at State Laws and Policies Impacting Transgender People.” Movement Advancement Project, February 2017, www.lgbtmap.org/mapping-trans-equality

Schumacker, Shannon, et al. “Five Facts About Black Women’s Experiences in Health Care.” KFF, 07 May 2024, https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/five-facts-about-black-womens-experiences-in-health-care/ . Accessed 12 November 2024

Schaeffer, Katherine. “For Women’s History Month, a look at gender gains – and gaps – in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, 27 February 2024, http://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/02/27/for-womens-history-month-a-look-at-gender-gains-and-gaps-in-the-us/ . Accessed 1 November 2024

Stryker, Susan. Transgender History. Seal Press, 2008.