Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 13 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 9/30/10

Seeing the World Through the Lens of Gender

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   2 comments
Message Elayne Clift
Become a Fan
  (14 fans)

Recently, at a "Global Affairs Conference on Empowering Women for Health," I was stunned: Not only did "gender" never arise as a reason for disparities in access to health care in poor countries; all the data presented was based on males! When I was called on to address these obvious problems during Q&A, I asked how many in the audience had noticed that five men were allowed to speak before I was invited to offer an observation. "That's what happens when you look at the world through the lens of gender," I said, adding, "Wouldn't it be interesting to revisit the slides and presentation from that perspective?" Several women jumped out of their seats in agreement.

When you look through the gender lens at what's happening economically, politically, and socially, all kinds of issues emerge that don't always garner the attention they deserve. For example, the new Census Bureau report reveals that one in seven Americans is living in poverty, but where is the discussion of how this extraordinarily high number affects women differently from men? Such sex-disaggregated data is deeply important in understanding how variables like wage disparities and employment opportunities affect women often heads of household in unique ways. Or, we might ask, what percentage of the 51 million Americans reported to have no health insurance were women, and what does that mean for their children's wellbeing, or for their own health status? As one woman told the Washington Post when the Census Bureau report went public, "I've worked since I was 15 and now, for the first time, I don't have a job and I can't feed my family." That, in a nutshell, is "the feminization of poverty," a phrase coined in recognition of the fact that here, just like in other countries, women are the poorest of the poor and therefore have a deeply vested interest in economic analysis and policy.

One of the reasons that women are poor, beyond unemployment and under-employment, is that the gender wage gap still prevails. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Studies, the median annual earnings for employed women last year was $36,278 compared with $47,127 for men, representing an earnings ratio of 77 percent. That means there was a gender wage gap of 23 percent. For women of color the numbers are even bleaker. While white women earned about 75 cents for each dollar earned by white men, African American women only made 62 cents for every dollar earned by white men. Latina women earned only 53 cents. With families more dependent than ever on women's earnings, especially in communities of color, closing the gender wage gap is vitally important.

In the run-up to November elections, the focus is largely on the economy. Raising or cutting taxes takes center stage in ads, debates, and Sunday morning talk shows. But what about the myriad political and social issues we should be talking about if we view the world through that gender lens? For instance, the fact that so many of the far-right candidates -- including women --who've won primaries are against abortion even in the case of rape or incest is rarely mentioned when those candidates are discussed or interviewed. Nor is the need for decent childcare or the ever-growing crisis in education or the increase in violence against women (often related to economic frustration). Where are women's concerns in the debates and discussions around public policy relating to national security and international conflict resolution? Why does the issue of gender equality so seldom arise when foreign policy is the topic du jour? (For that matter, why hasn't the United States ratified the UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination against Women or passed an Equal Rights Amendment?)

Of course, the fact that a growing number of women, and men, are analyzing important issues through the gender lens at the tables of decision-making, here as well as in other countries, is a sign of continuing progress. While not always of the same party or persuasion, and even though women are far from reaching parity in most parliaments worldwide, the fact that increasing numbers of savvy women are entering the public arena suggests slow but certain change in social and economic policy.

But we cannot grow complacent for there is still so much to be done and so many gains to be retained. Understanding that women's concerns, and their ways of looking at the world, not only matters but is critical to making life on this planet sustainable is vital to our common future. A gendered perspective on modern life's perils provides an opportunity for both men and women to prosper. Surely no one can deny wanting to be part of that win-win scenario.

Interesting 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Elayne Clift Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Elayne Clift is a writer,lecturer, workshop leader and activist. She is senior correspondent for Women's Feature Service, columnist for the Keene (NH) Sentinel and Brattleboro (VT) Commons and a contributor to various publications internationally. (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

What Happens When "Jane" Comes Marching Home Again?

Is America Really as Safe a Place to Live as You Thought?

Orifice Politics; What the War on Women is Really About

Why Are We Sexualizing Young Girls?

Beauty and the Beast: The Ugly Attacks on Activist Women

DSM-5 Could Be Hazardous to Your Mental Health

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend