Gender equality has not been achieved in our society. Women still do not have the same rights and opportunities as men. To what extend do you agree or disagree?

While great steps have been taken to achieve equality between women and men in our

society

, there remains a great deal of work to be done. Women still suffer from

discrimination

in the workplace and in

society

at large. In terms of the law, women are now equal with men. They can vote in elections and stand for political office. In the early twentieth century,

this

was not the case and women had to fight for the right to cast their vote in elections.

Furthermore

, women have the same rights to own property as men.

This

was

also

not the case in the past.

Nevertheless

, women suffer from indirect

discrimination

in many other ways. Statistically, women are still paid less on average than men.

Although

laws have been put in place to ensure equality of pay for the same job, men continue to dominate management positions while women are assigned administrative and support roles. Their average salary is lower

as a result

.

Furthermore

, the burden of childcare falls more heavily on the mother than the father. Many companies are reluctant to employ women in their late twenties and early thirties for fear of the women becoming pregnant and placing the burden of paying maternity care on the shoulders of the company.

This

is something

that is

quantifiable and very difficult to expose. Women have the same right to a career and to progress in that career as their male counterparts, but they are being denied

this

opportunity due to hidden

discrimination

at all levels in our

society

.

Although

the law has changed to uphold women’s rights, our

society

will remain unequal until these hidden forms of

discrimination

disappear, something that would require a sea change in attitudes on behalf of the general public.