Gender equality has been achieved in the 20th century, just not in the liberal West
It’s the 21st Century and according to the World Bank’s women, business and the law 2019 report, there are only six countries where women and men have equal right. And Australia is not on that list. These countries are Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg and Sweden. We are far away from eradicating gender inequality, although these countries listed above have more or less succeeded in gender equality, they were not the first countries to have done so. The essence of gender equality came from countries we from Western Civilisation would least expect. So, let’s go back to history.
Did you know almost 50% of the labour force in the USSR were occupied by women! And they flourished in science, mechanical engineering and medicine! Not to mention, childcare was free. Whilst, the number was much lower in America during the same time. Even during the Cold War, the number of women working decreased in Western Capitalism as they succumbed to the 50s housewives stereotype. Whilst, women in the USSR still maintain the high percentages in the labour market. The high percentages of women in the labour market was indeed sustainable when women were not pigeon holed to being care givers. Childcare was free was all, so women could get to work and fulfil a meaning life that is autonomous from their husband’s wealth.
Nonetheless, I’m not saying we enshrine Stalinism, even he (Stalin), had dismantled the women’s committee because he didn’t see it being necessary. But even that in itself is a telltale sign of the climate of their gender equality. Simply, we should consider what has worked in the past and look beyond our patriotic scope of which has been projected onto us by the status quo.
What this article is trying to convey is that perhaps we in the West are NOT that progressive as we would like to think we have always been. And this offers just another dimension to our imagination for how possible it is to have a fairer future. Or simply, we shouldn’t be content with what we already have now and to strive for more. Because, just like the state of those former Soviet countries now, gender equality has been greatly tarnished since the end of the Cold War. And this is consistent with the non-existing women committee or representation in politics.
So, what is it that requires for gender equality to be fruitful? Equality is a concept that needs to be addressed in magnitude and constantly, it is something we can’t simply disregard because we don’t see it being necessary anymore. Just like breathing, we don’t think about it but once it starts getting difficult to breath, we automatically think we are in trouble. Therefore, conversations enlightening the subject of gender equality should never be ceased, because when it does, it is so easy for us not to think about it until we get into trouble.
