Sociological Imagination And Gender Inequality

How does the status of men and women, both in their profession as well as their daily life, correlate to economic growth and development? In many areas of the globe women have very few readily available resources/rights, which make it extremely difficult to find improve the status of their lives. Some key areas where restrictions for women take place in ownership of property, education, financial opportunities, monetary return for their work, and opportunities to influence the decision-making that takes place both in society as well as their individual households. As we look at each country throughout the world we can see that one fact remains the same. The absence of resources and opportunities that are available to women, strongly correlates

Wright Mills defined the term sociological imagination as a “...the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society”. An individual who is able to apply the sociological imagination is one who is able to take themselves away from their own normal everyday familiar routine and see a wider perspective on certain issues. The sociological imagination that can be seen in regards to gender inequality is that women feel they are fighting for women equality but in reality they are ultimately fighting against each other due to certain impacts the society has had on them. This causes their ideal vision of what women should fight for to become a bit skewed as they begin to target each other rather than the root causes of gender inequality. This paper reviews economic literature that also associates with the role of gender in the economy. More specifically, it focuses on the issues that could be expected to have the most critical effect for overall development. The paper later touches on the definition of gender equality and presents clear facts about the current status of women and men within society. Lastly I present analyses over studies that concern gender equality and the status of women from both developed as well as under-developed

The definition that I chose for gender inequality becomes evident through hierarchical gender relations, with women being regarded to as inferior or less valuable solely based off of their sex. Gender hierarchy manifests through family relationships, the value placed on women’s work, and the power to make decisions within society. Such hierarchy is normally socially accepted by both of the genders but later questioned within its cultural context. In contrast, gender equality, is expressed in attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and policies that reflect an equal valuing and give equal opportunities for both genders. While the word discrimination is defined as "any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex...in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field”, the lack of discrimination in the word equality can be seen as an equal status between genders. Gender equality all “individuals hold a similar level of power and treat other people with respect and consideration, regardless of their sex” (Nelson and England