Gender Inequality Against Women Essay

1.1Background

Inequality against women is historical, global and persistent. The gender inequality gap in access to and control over productive resources such as land, natural resources, credit facilities, technology and other means of production correlates significantly with women’s poverty and socioeconomic exclusion (Agarwal, 2007; Doss et al, 2006; UN Women and OHCHR, 2013; Commission on the Status of Women, 2014), whereas access to and control of assets is central to women’s socioeconomic wellbeing (World Survey, 2009; Meinzen-Dick et al, 2011; Dickson and Bangpan, 2012; UN Women and OHCHR, 2013). Therefore, recent global attempts towards development are being more responsive to gender gap issues to ensure that men and women have equal

According to Data collected by the Gender Asset Gap project for Ghana, the gender analysis of asset and wealth Gap indicates a 70-30 percent male-female gap respectively in ownership of household wealth. The 30 percent of household assets owned by women are generally less valuable assets. 64% of agricultural land is owned by men while women own 29% of small livestock and 34% of poultry. Household consumer durables such as refrigerators, even though used more by women than men, are predominantly owned by men. Likewise, mobile phones, motorized vehicles including cars, trucks, motorcycles and scooters are mostly associated with and owned by men. The asset gap report also indicates that women not only own less valuable assets, but also own less of their assets’ value (Doss et al, 2011: 5; Meinzen-Dick et al, 2011; Oduro et al, 2012). It is only in business ownership that women have an upper hand over men. Even so, they own less of their business wealth (Doss et al, 2011; Deere et al, 2012: 25; Oduro et al,

(Longwe, 2002). There is a common accession that gender inequality results from socially formed perceptions and expectations of males and females as belonging to the two different biological sexes (Meinzen-Dick, 2011; UN Women and OHCHR, 2013). These perceptions have largely outlined and comprised the respective statuses of males and females, defining their roles, opportunities and privileges in society. These Societal rules, roles, expectations and privileges are set and upheld by men and internalized by women through socialization. The extent of the situation is such that men determine who owns what and who uses what in the society. The product of this gender differentiation is the creation of a gender gap which results is women’s subjugation and deprivation with its concomitant toll on children in many diverse regards. This gap is identified in all aspects of life and reechoed in the family, religion, and in the social, political, cultural and economic attainments of men and