Women and Equality: Current Reality or Distant Future?

Given that women now hold jobs which conventionally have not been associated with their gender, some may think that the plight to attain equality in terms of opportunities has succeeded. People sometimes accept such notion unconditionally as if gender bias has been eliminated. However, such thoughts would definitely be ideal examples of a form of fallacy: hasty generalization. In reality, such notions could not be any farther from the truth.

In pursuits as simple as sports for example, women still suffer from the bias; highlighting women basketball players as evidence, their paychecks are only a meager fraction if compared to their male counterparts (Person, 2009). Furthermore, the opportunities of women in athletic pursuits are still crippled due to the presence of stereotypes. Profitability remains to be a question in forming women sports leagues or teams as businessmen still believe that men’s sports would garner the most beneficial public response and attention (Person, 2009). With such examples, it is irrefutable that equality is still yet to be reached.

If modern-day America still cannot be referred to as an example of a society where in men and women have equal opportunities, when would such a time come? When the time comes that headlines about women holding jobs as a minority would no longer be existent then equal opportunity among genders might have been achieved. Some may claim that such a scenario would never materialize as women are not inclined toward certain tasks. In rebuttal, is it not true that such inclinations or tendencies manifest only due to biases, stereotypes, and gender roles?

It is quite interesting to think that equality may only be possibly attained if such concerns are first eliminated. Naturally, obstacles such as gender marking and administrative representation, all present in sports as well (Person, 2009), should be effectively tackled. Nonetheless, when gender distribution among jobs no longer become an issue or when a meager number of women holding high profile responsibilities no longer make headlines as aforesaid, then equality of opportunity must have been realized.