Estonia Gender Problems Essay

Throughout history, wo hands necessitate constantly strugg conduct for equal rights. However, purge after wo men discombobulate gained increased comparison in many countries, sex activity discrepancy still exists on an international scale. The European country Estonia, in particular, faces a noniceably greater bed cover between mens and womens rights in comparison with its European neighbors. Despite the Estonian sex activity par Law passed in 2004, sexism and sex activity stereotypes are still for the most part prevalent in Estonias giving medication and society. The problem of sexuality inequality has negatively impacted Estonian women in sparing, social, and political aspects of life in Estonia.One major result of sex activity inequality is the limiting of economic opportunities for women. Because of traditional gender stereotypes, Estonian women are believed to be less(prenominal) expensive in the workplace than men. This form of sexism has heavily impacted the a bility of women to sustain and maintain 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 rate for women, Estonias open gap (the difference between men and womens wages for the same job) is currently the highest in Europe women are paid over 30% less than men for the same profession (Domsch 73). Since Estonian women are economically deprived by unfair employment and salary, many women are forced to perish 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 take to social prejudice against women. Since Estonias internalization into the Soviet due north, gender roles have been deeply ceremonious into Estonian society. These gender roles dictate what women are allowed to do and what small spheres of figure ou t they have on economics, government, and politics. Gender roles have also inevitably led to sexism The relationship between men and women on a societal level 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 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 used feminist propaganda to encourage women to work, women were frequently treated below the belt 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(prenominal) the household, where men are expected to exert dominance over their wiv es, 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. some other 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 sour 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 aspec ts.For example, a recent meditate showed that roughly 8% of Estonian government positions are held by women, part only 20% of parliament members are women (Morten para. 4). The small percentage 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 clearly 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 largest pay gaps between men and women in Europe, Estonia has a significantly imbalanced gender ratio for employment. Furthermore, sexism has also led to the diminished 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 mischievously limited by gender inequality.