REPORT WRITING SKILLS

SUBMITTED BY:
ADNAN HAIDER SP20-BSE-037
USAMA AHMAD SP20-BSE-036
ZAKIR KHAN SP20-BSE-065
JUNAID KHAN SP20-BSE-066
SECTION: BSE 3B
Date 16-05-021
Introduction
Gender inequality is the social process by which men and women are not treated as equals.
Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their
gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles. Gender systems are often
dichotomous and hierarchical; gender binary systems may reflect the inequalities that manifest in
numerous dimensions of daily life. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology,
psychology, or cultural norms. Some of these distinctions are empirically grounded while others
appear to be socially constructed.

While it is undisputable that the economic status of men and women has greatly converged in the
second half of the twentieth century, it is also well documented that it is still not equal: women
receive, on average, lower employment incomes than men, they more often work part-time or
not at all, and they carry out the lion’s share of unpaid work in the home. But while there are so
many clues suggesting that women’s overall income is lower than that of men, there is no
straightforward measure that would allow the size of such an overall gender gap in income or in
economic well-being to be assessed. The main limitation is that, in most income data sets, only
some components of income, essentially related to work, are received and available at an
individual level; the others are either received by households or measured as if received at the
household level.

Gender gaps favoring males—in education, health, personal autonomy, and more—are
systematically larger in poor countries than in rich countries, for example countries such as USA
and UK are less prone to gender inequality as compared to countries like Pakistan, India and
Bangladesh. There are many different rituals in the Indian culture that promote gender
inequality. Ladies in UAE weren’t allowed to drive cars before 2018, this again is another
example of gender inequality that is commonly seen. In developing countries, women do not
have or have very little access to health facilities, education and even in the workplace and after
all this if a women enters the workplace she is harassed, raped and no one is held accountable.
India stands out for the underrepresentation of women in the labor force; men are three times as
likely as women to be working.
Freedom of choice is not present for women in most of the countries, especially in Pakistan.
Everything is decided by the parents, there are so many restrictions. A rape case was reported on
the motorway in Pakistan and the police gave a statement that she was raped because she was
travelling alone late at night, this is how illiterate our policemen are over here. Women are
blamed for everything although it isn’t even their fault. Women are killed at the name of honor
of their family as well, every year there are more than thousand honor killings and there are
numerous which aren’t even reported. Gender equality in relationships has been growing over
the years but for the majority of relationships, the power lies with the male. Even now men and
women present themselves as divided along gender lines.

Gender inequality affects everyone, including men. Stereotypes or ‘rules’ about how women and
men, girls and boys should begin in childhood and follow through to adulthood. Not everyone
experiences inequality the same way. The situation is worse, and often different, for people who
face more than one type of discrimination.

Executive Summary
Gender inequality is an issue well known to all of us, in simple terms it is known as
discrimination based on gender, when men and women are not treated as equals in a society and
are not given equal rights and responsibilities. In a country like Pakistan where honor killing and
rape are everyday stories, we need gender equality urgently. Gender equality prevents violence
against women and girls. It is essential for economic prosperity. Societies that value women and
men as equal are safer and healthier. Gender equality is a human right. Everyone benefits from
gender equality. This report explains tries to provide a brief overview of what gender inequality
actually is and how it is being practiced in Pakistan. Moreover, it also highlights some of the
baby steps that can be taken to eradicate gender inequality from our roots.

Examples of Gender Inequality

Around the world, women still have less access to education than men. ¼ of young women
between 15-24 do not finish primary school. That group makes up 58% of the people not
completing that basic education. Of all the illiterate people in the world, ⅔ are women. When
girls are not educated on the same level as boys, it has a huge effect on their future and the kinds
of opportunities they’ll get. This is exactly the case with Pakistan, women do not have access to
quality education even in the urban areas.

Lack of Employment Equality

Only 6 countries in the world give women the same legal work rights as men. In fact, most
economies give women only ¾ the rights of men. Studies show that if employment became a
more even playing field, it has a positive domino effect on other areas prone to gender
inequality. Quota system is followed in Pakistan and the seats of women are much less than that
of men, no equal employment opportunities for women.

Job Segregation

One of the causes for gender inequality within employment is the division of jobs. In most
societies such as Pakistan, there’s an inherent belief that men are simply better equipped to
handle certain jobs. Most of the time, those are the jobs that pay the best. This discrimination
results in lower income for women. Women also take on the primary responsibility for unpaid
labor, so even as they participate in the paid workforce, they have extra work that never gets
recognized financially. Women aren’t even considered for the managerial roles in most of the
companies.

Lack of Legal Protections

According to research from the World Bank, over one billion women don’t have legal protection
against domestic sexual violence or domestic economic violence. Both have a significant impact
on women’s ability to thrive and live in freedom. In countries like Pakistan and India, there’s
also a lack of legal protections against harassment in the workplace, at school, and in public.
These places become unsafe and without protection, women frequently have to make decisions
that compromise and limit their goals.

Lack of Bodily Autonomy

Many women around the world do not have authority over their own bodies or when they
become parents. Accessing birth control is frequently very difficult. According to the World
Health Organization, over 200 million women who don’t want to get pregnant are not using
contraception and mostly because their husbands do not allow it. There are various reasons for
this such as a lack of options, limited access, and cultural/religious opposition. On a global scale,
about 40% of pregnancies are not planned and while 50% of them do end in abortion, 38% result
in births. These mothers often become financially dependent on another person or the state,
losing their freedom.

Poor Medical Care

In addition to limited access to contraception, women overall receive lower-quality medical care
than men in most parts of the world. This is linked to other gender inequality reasons such as a
lack of education and job opportunities, which results in more women being in poverty. They are
less likely to be able to afford good healthcare. There’s also been less research into diseases that
affect women more than men, such as autoimmune disorders and chronic pain conditions. Many
women also experience discrimination and dismissal from their doctors, broadening the gender
gap in healthcare quality.

Lack of Religious Freedom

When religious freedom is attacked, women suffer the most. According to the World Economic
Forum, when extremist ideologies (such as ISIS) come into a community and restrict religious
freedom, gender inequality gets worse. In a study performed by Georgetown University and
Brigham Young University, researchers were also able to connect religious intolerance with
women’s ability to participate in the economy. When there’s more religious freedom, an
economy becomes more stable thanks to women’s participation. In Pakistan, most of the
inequalities are a result of religion while actually the religion does not promote inequalities like
this.

Lack of Political Representation

Of all national parliaments at the beginning of 2019, only 24.3% of seats were filled by women.
As of June of 2019, 11 Heads of State were women. Despite progress in this area over the years,
women are still grossly underrepresented in government and the political process. This means
that certain issues that female politicians tend to bring up – such as parental leave and childcare,
pensions, gender equality laws and gender-based violence – are often neglected.
Racism

It would be impossible to talk about gender inequality without talking about racism. It affects
what jobs women of color are able to get and how much they’re paid, as well as how they are
viewed by legal and healthcare systems. Gender inequality and racism have been closely linked
for a long time. According to Sally Kitch, a professor and author, European settlers in Virginia
decided what work could be taxed based on the race of the woman performing the work. African
women’s work was “labor,” so it was taxable, while work performed by English women was
“domestic” and not taxable. The pay gaps between white women and women of color continues
that legacy of discrimination and contributes to gender inequality.

Societal Mindsets

It is less tangible than some of the other causes on this list, but the overall mindset of a society
has a significant impact on gender inequality. How society determines the differences and value
of men vs. women plays a starring role in every arena, whether it’s employment or the legal
system or healthcare. Beliefs about gender run deep and even though progress can be made
through laws and structural changes, there’s often a pushback following times of major change.
It’s also common for everyone (men and women) to ignore other areas of gender inequality
when there’s progress, such as better representation for women in leadership. These types of
mindsets prop up gender inequality and delay significant change.

Conclusion
Advancing gender equality is critical to all areas of a healthy society, from reducing poverty to
promoting the health, education, protection and the well-being of girls and boys. Everyone is
affected by gender inequality - women, men, trans and gender diverse people, children and
families. It impacts people of all ages and backgrounds. These are some easy steps that can be
taken to reduce gender inequalities in Pakistan:

Talk to women and girls: Involving women in girls in decision-making at every level will
empower them to contribute valuable insights and lift up other women. Make sure that these
women are heard, understood, and truly included in the process.
Let girls use mobile phones: Being connected is vital to safety and economic mobility.
Overcoming the infrastructure and cost challenges of expanding connectivity is essential to this
process.

Stop child marriage and sexual harassment: Children who marry instead of attending school
have few or no options to better their situation throughout their lives. Sexual harassment causes
trauma and excludes women from being full participants in important settings like school, work,
politics, and their communities.

Make education gender sensitive: Education systems that reinforce gender norms and
stereotypes hurt gender equality and impede girls’ attempts to grow into different roles.

Raise aspirations of girls and their parents: Girls and their families need to believe in and desire
great possibilities in order to achieve them.

Empower mothers: Mothers with resources and education send their daughters to school.

Get women into power: Women in power can break down barriers and allow for the success of
other women. This means in every sector and every industry, including global health.

Encourage women into non-traditional vocations: Breaking stereotypes offers women new
economic opportunity and freedom.

Work together: Massive, global undertakings like gender equality will not see progress if work is
completed in silos.

Stop the violence: Violence against women keeps them from achieving their goals. Properly
addressing domestic violence is essential.

References
https://ourworldindata.org/economic-inequality-by-gender

https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/causes-gender-inequality/

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/

https://www.asyousow.org/blog/gender-equality-workplace-issues