Gender Gap

CATCHPHRASE AND OPENING

• Written by Ronald Inglenart and Pippa Norris, Gender Equality and Cultural Change (2003) examines how the 20th century gave rise to profound change in traditional sexroles.

• With accusations especially against Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and emergence #MeToo on Twitter, citizens became aware of women’s rights.

CULTURAL LANDMARKS

• The « Second Sex », published in 1949 is a major feminist work in which Simone de Beauvoir argues that women throughout history have been defined as the « other » sex, an aberation from the « normal » male sex. Her notion « one is born, but rather becomes, a women » provides the basis for the distinction between ‘sex’, a biological characteristic, and ‘gender’, an aspect of identity which is gradually acquired.

• Hilary Clinton has recently published a book What Happened where she explains her fight against sexual stereotypes. She writes that aspiring women have to relinquish to political career due to gender.

• « Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition » from Timothy Learny, Amercan writer, psychologist (1920-1996).

KEY NOTIONS OF GENDER GAP

• Women were granted the right to vote (by) :

          ‘               allowed to vote in

• 1893 in New Zealand ;
• in 1917 in Canada and Russia ;
• in 1918 in the UK ;
• in 1920 in the US ;
• in 1944 in France ;
• in 1971 in Switzerland ;
• in 2005 in Kuwait.

• Persons :

• Marine Le Pen (French politician) ;
• Aug San Suu Kyi (Nobel Peace Price / Burmese politician) ;
• Christine Lagarde (director of International Monetary Funds) ;
• Hilary Clinton (American politican – Republican) ;
• Isabel Martinez de Peron (first women to become President in Argentina) ;
• Corazon Aquiero (Philippines - Filipina politician).

• Women still have a long way before achieving equality with men.
• They are discriminated against in many Third-World.
• On average, women earn 17% less than men doing the same job.
• The phrase ‘glass ceiling’ refers to the invisible discrimination that prevents women from rising to positions of power and responsability.
• In the US, the Equal Pay Act (1963) made it illegal to pay men and women different wage rates for jobs that require equal skill and responsability. Similar acts were passed in Great Britain in 1970 and in France in 1972.

• Framework :

• The right to vote ;
• From traditionnal sexroles to emancipation ;
• Towards equal pay ;
• The situation today and what remains to be done.

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