Estonia Gender Problems Essay Example for Free

Estonia Gender Problems EssayThroughout history, wo workforce gift constantly strugglight-emitting diode for equal rights. However, even subsequently women go gained increased equating in many countries, sex inequality still exists on an world-wide scale. The European country Estonia, in particular, faces a noticeably greater gap among mens and womens rights in comparison with its European neighbors. Despite the Estonian Gender comparison Law passed in 2004, sexism and sex activity stereotypes are still largely prevalent in Estonias government and society. The problem of gender inequality has negatively impacted Estonian women in sparing, well-disposed, and political aspects of life in Estonia. One major result of gender inequality is the limiting of economic opportunities for women. Because of traditional gender stereotypes, Estonian women are believed to be less valuable in the workplace than men. This form of sexism has heavily impacted the ability of women to ob tain and stay fresh employment and salary in the 1990s womens unemployment exceeded that of men (38.3% of women and 24.7% of men) (Erickson 278). In addition to the high unemployment prescribe for women, Estonias pay gap (the difference between men and womens wages for the same job) is shortly the highest in Europe women are paid over 30% less than men for the same vocation (Domsch 73). Since Estonian women are economically disadvantaged by unfair employment and salary, many women are compel to become economically dependent on their husbands or fathers. Overall, Estonias large pay gap reflects its economic sexism and the detrimental effects of gender inequality on women.Gender inequality in Estonia has also led to social prejudice against women. Since Estonias incorporation into the Soviet Union, gender roles have been deeply effected into Estonian society. These gender roles dictate what women are allowed to do and what small spheres of influence they have on economics, govern ment, and politics. Gender roles have also inevitably led to sexism The relationship between men and women on a societal train represents relationship with unequal power distribution, where men dominate and women are subordinated or under-represented in most spheres of life. (Morten para. 6). The social dominance of men stems from Estonias incorporation into the Soviet Union in 1940.During this period, Estonias once western sandwich attitudes and views on gender equality shifted to Soviet-centered beliefs, which emphasized the importance of submissive women who served men. Although the Soviet Union often use feminist propaganda to encourage women to work, women were frequently treated unfairly at home and in society. The gender roles established during the Soviet Union era continue to play a major role in Estonias society today. Gender inequality is prevalent in both the household, where men are expected to manage dominance over their wives, and in social gatherings, where womens opinions are held in lower esteem (Domsch 148). In summary, gender inequality in Estonia has led to social discrimination against women.Another major result of gender inequality is the political prejudice that Estonian women face. After World War II, a period in which Estonia was politically and economically run by women due to a lack of men, the Communist Party reestablished men in the ruling bodies of Estonia. During this period, Estonian women were removed from politics and their political power was undermined. Very recently, some attempts have been made to solve the political gender inequality problem. In 2004, the government passed the Gender Equality act to ensure that women had equal political power and economic stability (Domsch 127). However, many of the rights guaranteed in the Gender Equality Act were pre-existent in the Constitution of Estonia. In practice, women have yet to see true equality in political or economic aspects.For example, a recent study showed that roughl y 8% of Estonian government positions are held by women, while only 20% of parliament members are women (Morten para. 4). The small helping of women in Estonias government directly reflects on the sexism in Estonian politics. Estonias male and female populations, though equal in size, are not equally politically represented, as shown by the intelligibly imbalanced gender ratio in their government. Overall, although small steps have been made toward gender equity, sexism and gender inequality are still widely extant, and have led to comparatively less political empowerment for Estonian women.Although womens rights have been improved internationally, many countries still face challenges in establishing true gender equality. Estonia currently faces significant problems for women in many major aspects of society. Originating from Estonias incorporation into the Soviet Union after World War II, gender stereotypes have negatively affected Estonian women to this day. With one of the la rgest pay gaps between men and women in Europe, Estonia has a significantly imbalanced gender ratio for employment. Furthermore, sexism has also led to the lessen social and political power of women in Estonian society. Despite the recent improvements that have been made by the Estonian government in the past decade, the economic, social, and political opportunities of Estonian women are still severely peculiar(a) by gender inequality.