Gender Rights: Will Women Ever Enjoy the Same Rights as Men?

Charles Fourier, the French utopian socialist philosopher, once remarked that 'the extension of women's rights is the basic principle of all social progress. Indeed, societies around the world have increasingly adopted enlightened attitudes towards women. Though it may be true that women used to take discrimination in the past and were denied equal treatment, a new level of consciousness is now evolving in societies. As such, new sets of legislations and social mores are now being instituted and practiced. Women's rights are the progressively advancing, and it is only a matter of time before women enjoy the same rights as men.

Women's rights are regarded as freedoms inherently possessed by women. These rights encompass the right to education, the right to vote and the right to equal wages and employment opportunities. Though such rights have been progressing, these has been a large disparity between the developing countries and that in developed countries.

In developing countries, the marginalization of women remains widespread. This is partly due to the large impact that tribal groups have on society's social fabric. Indeed, in many developing countries, religious fundamentalism poses a barrier to the development of women's rights. For instance, in countries such as Pakistan and Iraq, the practice of honor killings, where men kill women for coming into contact with other men, still in place. This may be attributed to the lack of education in such countries, as the less education religious leaders receive, the more reactionary their views tend to be, especially on issues like women's rights. Furthermore, in such nations, societies are largely patriarchal, and notions of male superiority permeate the social fabric.

Conversely, in developed countries, women enjoy more equal rights than those in developing countries. This is largely due to education and economic progress. With education, views on the role of women have become more enlightened. It has also enabled women to find employment, hence empowering them financially. As countries progress, the economic value of women in the workforce has been recognized. As such, women in developed countries are given opportunities to develop themselves and compete along men in the workforce. Developed nations also possess more resources to educated women. In contrast, developing nations may not be financially equipped to provide women with education.

The key to achieving greater gender equality and advancing women's rights is thus education and economic progress. With these two factors, catalysts of change would eventually bring about a shift in mindsets. For instance, in the Age of Enlightenment, Mary Wollstonecraft, regarded by many as the foremost women's rights activist, wrote her treatise 'A Vindication of the Rights of Women.' This sparked off the women's rights movement, where many other women's rights activists campaigned for greater women's rights. This shows that with education, a greater consciousness will be bred, and engineers of change would eventually challenge social norms and bring about changes to societal views

Today, many laws and treaties against the discrimination of women have also been put in place. One such treaty is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Indeed, there has been an almost universal ratification of the women's rights treaty. The United Nations also set up a Commission on the status of women, and conferences on women's issues show the commitment to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Cynics may argue that attitudes of male superiority are so deeply entrenched in some societies, especially in developing countries, that they become exceedingly difficult to change. They argue that tribal values are more medieval than those enshrined in constitutions, thus laws would not be sufficient to achieve greater gender equality. Indeed, in many developing nations, notions of male superiority are pervasive. However, the implementation of laws that shows that there is an increasing awareness among such nations about importance of women's rights, which is a key milestone in the process of achieving greater gender equality.Laws also provide greater accountability for the equal treatment of women, hence furthering the cause for greater women's rights.

Retractors may also argue that even in developed countries, women still do not receive equal treatment. They point out that many women still do not hold senior positions in the workplace, and still face a glass ceiling. However, in developed countries, women's suffrage is largely guaranteed. In Singapore universities, the total female enrolment also outnumbers that of males, while the number of female members of Parliament is greater than the number of males. This shows that women are steadily making progress and it is only a matter of time before women achieve the same rights as men.

In conclusion, though women used to face discrimination in the past, things are changing, as women become empowered by education and economic progress. With the advent of globalization, ideas of women's rights would also be transmitted around the world more quickly, and the wheels of change would turn faster. As such, women would eventually enjoy the same rights as men, even though progress might be slow.