Introduction
Class materials have exposed several issues that continue to affect the welfare of many citizens in the country. The issue of gender inequality is something that is yet to benefit from the concept of public policy. This concern affects a wide range of social aspects such as criminal justice, politics, and economic empowerment. The targeted topic for this paper is “Addressing Gender Inequality Using the Concept of Public Policy”. The intended objective of the final paper is to understand the gaps in public policy and propose new solutions to empower women from all racial backgrounds. This document presents parts I and II of the proposed final paper.
Introduction and Background of the Issue
The problem of inequality has affected different societies for many centuries. This issue has been catalyzed by misappropriation of natural resources, poor leadership, and the existence of monarchies and other ineffective systems of governance. For many years, women have been treated as second-class citizens in their respective nations (Stamarski and Son Hing 5). This move has made it impossible for them to achieve their goals and lead better lives. History reveals that women have always been mistreated, enslaved, married by force, and abused. This historical background explains why the problem continues to affect many societies today.
Although different policy incentives have been presented to empower various groups of people, many communities and nations are still grappling with gender inequality predicament. Several critical incidences emphasize the importance of this concern. For instance, Stewart acknowledges that more women have been acquired adequate education and job opportunities (38). However, the undeniable fact is that gender inequality remains a pervasive issue across the globe.
Blunch and Das go further to indicate that women are underrepresented in different fields such as politics, managerial positions, and business (192). These incidences show conclusively that the issue must be analyzed and understood to propose the most appropriate solutions.
Policymakers and societies should be on the frontline to address this issue using evidence-based ideas. This is the case because every human being should be empowered to lead a quality life and realize his or her potential. Women play a critical role in every society. Underpowered women will be unable to bring up their children effectively. Many single parents in different societies are women (112). That being the case, policymakers should address this issue to reduce most of the problems affecting every society such as juvenile delinquency and underdevelopment.
Citizens should be concerned with this issue because it has the potential to uncover other areas whereby women empowerment can be achieved (Falb et al. e302). For instance, gender equality can empower more women to take up senior positions in their respective companies, support child development policies, and engage in economic development activities.
The issue of gender inequality is attacked by several ethical or philosophical concepts. For instance, utilitarianism is a philosophic maxim that requires people to do what maximizes happiness for all. Any form of gender oppression or inequality fails to meet this test (Falb et al. e302). Ethical or moral laws also encourage people to treat each other equally. Such notions, therefore, underscore the importance of the issue.
Statement of the Problem
Gender inequality is a wide topic that has attracted the attention of many scholars, philosophers, and analysts. Many nations have been keen to implement powerful measures to deal with it. Unfortunately, many countries and communities are still struggling with this challenge. The complexity of the problem has resulted in numerous issues that make it impossible for many women to achieve their potential (Stamarski and Son Hing 12). For example, the issue affects the level of educational attainment for women, availability of economic opportunities, life expectancy, and health.
Hill argues that every country has its unique causes of this kind of problem (23). In some nations, women face untold violence, torture, and abuse. Some are unable to live happily in their homes. Cases of rape, women trafficking and femicide are common in different parts of the world. Campbell and Gillespie indicate that sex-selective abortion has also become a major challenge affecting women (62). In countries such as China, women are viewed as weak and unintelligent human beings. Such notions explain why more women are not allowed to take up leadership positions. From this analysis, it is quite clear that a change in policy is crucial if these obstacles affecting women are to be dealt with.
As indicated earlier, gender inequality is a serious problem that affects women as the target population. This is the case because women find it hard to acquire quality education, pursue their career goals, or get superior health services. Additionally, different groups such as women from minority races are affected the most by this problem. Some are usually abused, beaten, and raped (Blunch and Das 199).
Domestic violence is, therefore, a widespread issue affecting women from different backgrounds. A society that has not tackled this problem will be forced to deal with numerous concerns such as increased unemployment rates, high mortality rates, reduced life expectancy, broken marriages, and poor health outcomes.
From this discussion, the specific problem is the lack of adequate incentives and programs to support women’s empowerment and reduce the level of gender inequality. This situation is caused by the failure of the government and other stakeholders to implement powerful strategies, policies, and initiatives that can ensure that more women have numerous opportunities and resources (Campbell and Gillespie 79). Additionally, social norms and practices have created a negative environment that discourages or prevents women from achieving their goals.
Some key ethical debates and controversies continue to face this issue. For instance, some societies such as China expect women to take up domestic chores only. Additionally, adequate policies have are usually applied in urban regions. This means that the needs of women in rural regions are usually ignored. The problem affects individuals from different racial backgrounds, communities, and nationalities (Hill 72). That being the case, the failure of different governments to implement stringent measures and policies has affected the success of every women empowerment program. This gap must be analyzed to support more women and make them successful.
Conclusion
This analysis shows conclusively that a change in policy is needed because most of the existing strategies aimed at supporting the needs of women have not delivered meaningful results. These issues presented above should, therefore, be examined in totality if evidence-based policies are to be formulated and implemented to tackle this predicament. By so doing, every issue arising from the problem of gender inequality such as violence against women, rape, femicide, and lack of opportunities will be addressed using evidence-based policies. The final paper is expected to shed more light on the nature of this problem and offer powerful policy incentives to transform the situation.
Works Cited
Blunch, Niels-Hugo, and Maitreyi B. Das. “Changing Norms about Gender Inequality in Education: Evidence from Bangladesh.” Demographic Research, vol. 32, no. 6, 2015, pp. 183-218.
Campbell, Jim, and Morag Gillespie. Feminist Economics and Public Policy: Reflections on the Work and Impact of Ailsa McKay. Routledge, 2016.
Falb, Kathryn L., et al. “Achieving Gender Equality to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence against Women.” Lancet, vol. 3, no. 1, 2015, pp. e302-e303.
Hill, Michael. Studying Public Policy. Policy Press, 2014.
Stamarski, Calin S., and Leanne S. Son Hing. “Gender Inequalities in the Workplace: The Effects of Organizational Structures, Processes, Practices, and Decision Makers’ Sexism.” Front Psychology, vol. 6, no. 1400, 2015, pp. 1-16.
Stewart, Miranda. Tax, Social Policy and Gender: Rethinking Equality and Efficiently. ANU Press, 2017.