Is the Future Gender Neutral?

The archaic driving ban for women in Saudi Arabia has finally been lifted. This is a huge breakthrough for the women of Saudi Arabia, but the fact that it is only just happening in 2017 is a stark reminder that there are still many areas of the world where women are not being given the rights they should be. I’ve always been a firm supporter of women’s rights, and am fortunate enough to have grown up living in the United Kingdom, but even though women in this country have freedoms, I’m not sure that we’re as forward thinking as we would like to believe when it comes to gender equality. I can’t help but feel that in the UK, gender bias has gone underground, and is now so undetectable that it’s difficult to recognise.

There have always been huge discrepancies between nations in terms of equality for women. In the best case women are self-governing individuals who are free to work and own property, in the worst they are unable to drive, own property, or have any autonomy whatsoever. According to the US News & World Report, the country most unbiased and fair towards women is Sweden, as gender equality is a “cornerstone” of Swedish society. It’s easy to see why Sweden made the top of the list, as almost two thirds of all university degrees in Sweden are presented to women, and fair leave is given to each new parent. This list ranks the best countries for women to live in, and it seems that “best” means that women are highly educated and are given reasonable maternity leave. When we remove all of the stigma surrounding gender equality, all the countries on this list are doing is making sure women can do the same things as men, and they shouldn’t be heralded for this, it should be the norm.

Something I often find myself discussing with male friends is the gender pay gap in England, a contentious issue indeed, one that often garners heated debate. The argument that comes up again and again is maternity leave, why should companies promote women when they might have to go on maternity leave? We’re living in a society in which women are now choosing not to have children, or are choosing to have them much later in life. While there is nothing wrong with this, women should be able to choose when and if they have children, I can’t help but wonder if we are being forced to choose? Myself, I’ve always been brought up to be financially independent, and I want to be, but where does having a family fit into that? Can we really have it all, or must we choose.

To be a woman in England is certainly to be an independent and self-governing person. But, there is also a history to look back on in which women were forced to fight for their rights, instead of being given them. I think there is still much to be done. The legislation says all the right things, but attitudes often do not match. A recent BBC documentary posed the question, should children be treated as gender neutral? The host entered a typical English primary school and removed every trace of gender difference to see what effect this would have on the children’s behaviour. I have always been a firm believer that the traditional pink for girls and blue for boys is seriously flawed. It sends the message to our children that they are inherently different, and why should they think this? We know now that women and men are capable of doing the same jobs, so our education system should be based on equality.

In a world where women have the same freedoms as men, children are still told that they are different, girls are gentle, and boys are strong. The ground breaking BBC documentary found that the girls were seriously underestimating their abilities, while the boys were overestimating. The girls felt that they couldn’t do certain jobs, and the boys scoffed at the idea of doing ‘girl jobs’. The way that gender differences were viewed by the children was staggering, and it drives home the fact that gender inequality in England is so entrenched that we don’t even realise it is happening. Like a stubborn stain on an otherwise clean shirt, it just won’t go away. Perhaps the future is one of gender neutrality, one in which little girls and boys have the same level of confidence, and believe that they can do the same things. We need to consider if this is the world we want the next generation to grow up in, and how much longer we are willing to ignore the gender prejudice which is still happening every day.

It’s crucial that those who manage people understand how subtle gender bias can be, and the devastating effects it could be having on our society, so if you’re in HR or people management, make sure you educate yourself on how to remain objective and impartial. To learn more, view our related course below.

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