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opinion
The battle of the sexes
Are
women still being discriminated against, or are they winning the
war and treading on some of their male counterparts in the process,
asks Sandro Schembri Adami
When John Donne wrote the famous statement "No man is an
island", he was not referring to man alone. Rather, he was
inferring the sociable nature of all people.
But in this day and age, his statement would have been misunderstood
and misinterpreted to mean that he is probably another male chauvinistic
pig. To avoid controversy, he would have had to write "No
person is an island".
The word "person" has helped to build a bridge between
the previously male-dominated society and the uprising feminist
demands. More than a mere change in words, it is an acceptance
of the fact that society is not comprised only of men, as it was
in the age of chairmen, postmen and handymen. No. Today, in the
age of chairpersons, postpersons and handypersons, women too have
the chance to participate and share in what was previously a man's
world. Will we one day perhaps talk of a Mother Christmas, I wonder?!
Joking apart, we must acknowledge that women's rights have improved
considerably. Even though, previously, certain women did make
a name for themselves, they were quite few in numbers. And, more
often than not, most women would only have an image in society
by shadowing a man, usually their husband.
Surprisingly, it was during the First World War that women were
initially given working rights, when demand for nurses, bus and
tram drivers and conductors, railway porters and making shells
in armaments factories rose. Women were thus given work status.
It was this newfound independence that increased women's confidence
and changed their habits. They could, for the first time, dine
without a male partner and dress in skirts and trousers. And,
when the war was over, women's work contributions were recognised
with voting rights and new laws to counteract sexual discrimination.
In 1946, the United Nations established a Commission on the Status
of Women. Through its efforts, international agreements on the
rights of women were adopted. The Commission also joined with
other UN agencies to open primary, secondary and tertiary education
to women in all countries and to promote the principle of equal
pay for equal work. Since then women's rights have often been
in the limelight.
But it is not all paradise and in today's age, we still have several
inequalities between men and women. Take women in industry. These
start working at the age of 16, but then abruptly stop at the
age of 24 to 30, often to have a baby or because of other family
commitments. Some of these women have an inadequate education.
And although discrimination in wages is prohibited, it is not
unusual in reality to find low wages and inferior conditions of
work on the basis that these women are more likely to quit their
jobs than men.
While there is so much focus on this type of sexual discrimination,
others are also claiming that they are suffering. And this time
it is not women, but men. The debate is whether, in their fight
against sexual discrimination, women are now in a more favourable
position in society than men.
The Observer of 17 December 2000 mentioned that it is time to
consider ‘inequalities affecting either sex' rather than
only those against females. Studies concluded, for example, that
unemployment among men over 50 years' old was increasing. It was
also found that boys under-perform in exams and are more likely
to be expelled from school.
This compels us to ask questions… Is the persistent unemployment
of men over 50 related to sexual discrimination? Is it because
employers prefer younger employees, of whatever sex? Is it because
the availability of more female employees is leaving no room for
males over 50? And if boys under-perform at school, is it because
their education is inferior to that of girls, or are they subject
to some form of distraction at school? And if yes, what is it,
and how can it be handled?
The debate on sexual discrimination is one of growing controversy.
Both sexes cry out that they are being disadvantaged. As one sex
wins more rights, the other sex tries new ways of fighting this
discrimination. And so the battle of the sexes continues…
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