If we talk about gender equality we're not talking about 'being the same'. Men and women will never be the same but they should have equal opportunities.
Biologically we have differences in our bodies that will forever result in different results in life. So women will never have bodies (there's always exceptions) that are capable of very heavy lifting (although exceptions exist!), and men will never carry babies (except for men that were women before and still have a uterus maybe :-)) and have to deal with those literal scars and high risk of depressions.
Gender equality is about all those jobs women don't get an equal opportunity for but are not explained by biological differences. Jobs that have only historically been done by men since women were not yet allowed to even vote for their own and their families future, let alone make decisions. Jobs women are actually able to do despite our biological differences but we are still held back from because 'culture' decides we have to behave according to a norm that we never were part of shaping :-)
I mean 'technical' jobs that require brains instead of muscles, like engineering jobs or software development jobs. That's just an example by the way, there are more fields of work that lean towards being seen as 'male'.
I believe if we can raise our kids more equally we could even see women in construction work. For now research shows for example that children are treated differently at playgrounds. Boys can climb a pole and parents look at it from a distance. Girls climb the same pole and some parent or teacher will stand next to her to help her of grasp her 'might she fall'. This makes no biological sense since boys and girls bodies are not actually that different muscle wise or acrobatics wise. But the girl doesn't learn to trust her body to do those physical things - the boy does.
So he is in a way 'raised' to be 'able' to do the physical jobs we've mentioned before, she doesn't. And since this has been the case for centuries women that actually now do show interest in those jobs (see Techslut's example) get laughed at, ignored, or will have to live with the fact that they can do the work but be subject of sexual comments all day. So that doesn't help break the cycle to say the least, and keeps 'male' jobs 'male only'.
I have a friend who is an engine mechanic and is really really tired of men looking at her funny when she fixes their car and making offensive remarks about her sexual preference (because being a car mechanic must mean she's a lesbian) to her face. Another acquaintance used to be a crane operator. She liked the heights. She quit because no contractor would hire a construction worker who happens to have a vagina. Among reasons sited: they'd have to set up an additional bathroom on site which would add to costs.
You want to know why women stay away from such professions? Because they're tired of this bullshit. And I say this as someone working in a male-dominated world, where just in the past week I've been called "domineering" for speaking my opinion and literally IGNORED when a question was asked about a "male" subject (computer hardware). I was the only one in the room who answered. Three times in a row. And ignored. Because vagina.
But my point stands. Asking why more women don't go into construction is like asking why more men don't go to become nail technicians. Our culture makes us assume all kinds of things about people by the job they choose. No matter how great you are at making amazing manicures, or how much money you make doing it, if that's your job, people will mock you for being feminine and assume you're gay.
If we talk about gender equality we're not talking about 'being the same'. Men and women will never be the same but they should have equal opportunities.
Biologically we have differences in our bodies that will forever result in different results in life. So women will never have bodies (there's always exceptions) that are capable of very heavy lifting (although exceptions exist!), and men will never carry babies (except for men that were women before and still have a uterus maybe :-)) and have to deal with those literal scars and high risk of depressions.
Gender equality is about all those jobs women don't get an equal opportunity for but are not explained by biological differences. Jobs that have only historically been done by men since women were not yet allowed to even vote for their own and their families future, let alone make decisions. Jobs women are actually able to do despite our biological differences but we are still held back from because 'culture' decides we have to behave according to a norm that we never were part of shaping :-)
For example? Which Jobs do you mean? Apparently not construction worker or fixing engines in a coal mine.
Or am i wrong?
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I mean 'technical' jobs that require brains instead of muscles, like engineering jobs or software development jobs. That's just an example by the way, there are more fields of work that lean towards being seen as 'male'.
I believe if we can raise our kids more equally we could even see women in construction work. For now research shows for example that children are treated differently at playgrounds. Boys can climb a pole and parents look at it from a distance. Girls climb the same pole and some parent or teacher will stand next to her to help her of grasp her 'might she fall'. This makes no biological sense since boys and girls bodies are not actually that different muscle wise or acrobatics wise. But the girl doesn't learn to trust her body to do those physical things - the boy does.
(If you want to hear someone else explain this better than I ever could: For your viewing pleasure: https://www.ted.com/talks/caroline_paul_to_raise_brave_girls_encourage_adventure)
So he is in a way 'raised' to be 'able' to do the physical jobs we've mentioned before, she doesn't. And since this has been the case for centuries women that actually now do show interest in those jobs (see Techslut's example) get laughed at, ignored, or will have to live with the fact that they can do the work but be subject of sexual comments all day. So that doesn't help break the cycle to say the least, and keeps 'male' jobs 'male only'.
I have a friend who is an engine mechanic and is really really tired of men looking at her funny when she fixes their car and making offensive remarks about her sexual preference (because being a car mechanic must mean she's a lesbian) to her face. Another acquaintance used to be a crane operator. She liked the heights. She quit because no contractor would hire a construction worker who happens to have a vagina. Among reasons sited: they'd have to set up an additional bathroom on site which would add to costs.
You want to know why women stay away from such professions? Because they're tired of this bullshit. And I say this as someone working in a male-dominated world, where just in the past week I've been called "domineering" for speaking my opinion and literally IGNORED when a question was asked about a "male" subject (computer hardware). I was the only one in the room who answered. Three times in a row. And ignored. Because vagina.
Did not look like you had been ignored at steemfest though.
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Having pink hair and being really loud helps!
But my point stands. Asking why more women don't go into construction is like asking why more men don't go to become nail technicians. Our culture makes us assume all kinds of things about people by the job they choose. No matter how great you are at making amazing manicures, or how much money you make doing it, if that's your job, people will mock you for being feminine and assume you're gay.
K. Thanks for your opinion.
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