You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
The position of women has changed a great deal in many societies over the past 50 years. But these societies cannot claim to have achieved gender equality. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
It is true that women in recent years have been given an equal opportunity as men to participate in some areas such as politics, education etc. They are given 3% quota in members of house representative in my country, Indonesia, and the numbers of women who enter the schools are getting higher and higher every year. However, there are some areas that societies still restrict the equality between men and women. I will discuss further this issue through the essay.
I believe that women are still seen as the weak person in the classical stereotype in traditional people, particularly in some remotes area. The traditional way of thinking still believes that women should stay at home and do some house works such as washing clothes, cooking some food, cleaning the house as well as growing the children. This condition tends to restrict the freedom of women to enter the higher education as well as participate more in political area or economical area. The case of Indonesia women migrant labour, moreover, who get violence from the boss also proves that gender equality has not been accommodated yet. People tend to suppose that women are weak and men are the superiority who have more power that women which lead to the case of violence done by men to women.
Some people believe that the idea of gender equality has been approved through the policy of 30% quota in the political position, however, this kind of policy is unfair considering the number of women right now three times bigger than that of men. This policy is not representative enough.
To sum up, the idea of gender equality should be upheld comprehensively in all sectors of life. It should be supported by government through balanced policy without discriminating such kind of gender.
[ Written by – Soni Ariawan ]
Sample Answer 2:
In recent days, it is quite common for women to involve in several areas such as workplace and governmental institutions and this is totally different from the past decades. Some assert that it is easy for women to participate in some kinds of environment. However, some people believe that women cannot gain the gender equality because there is still injustice with the women position. I totally disagree with this viewpoint and this essay will look into the reasons.
The first reason is that women have similar rights to men nowadays. There is no gap between men and women because they have equal accesses to contribute to society. As a fact that there are many women who involve in workplaces even some of them gain an important position such as an employer in certain company. It proves that women have a leadership capability as same as men. Moreover, people think that men are stronger than women thus they cannot take position equal to man. However, I personally believe that women already have the same capacity as men. Take military service as an example, women recently join in military such as police and army. Therefore, there is no reason to say that women cannot reach something like men do.
In addition, women nowadays have freedom to express their opinions even becoming the agent of change. There are plenty of women as the representative of government such as being a politician even ministers or presidents. As the result, the power of women and men are similar to the government position.
It is true that women sometimes are restricted to be a leader for some case such as being a decision maker in the family life. However, the involvement of women in some parts of society proves that they have an equal position and power in this world.
In summary, it is not hard for women to obtain education and pursue their career nowadays. They even are able to be a great member of society. Therefore, both men and women are in the equality of gender because they have the same rights in this life.
[ Written by – Tuty Starlet ]
Sample Answer 3:
The existence of women in major sections of the society has given big changes over the past 50 years in many societies across the world. However, these societies cannot state that they have obtained gender equality. I personally disagree with this statement based on several facts that happen in my country.
In Indonesia, since the action that has been done by R. A. Kartini (an activist of gender equality many years ago), many people show appreciation to women due to what women can actually do for their country in general. As it seen for the past 15 years, the positions of women in politics are increasing. Indonesia’s people have experienced being led by a woman as their president, women as mayors in some cities and also many activists today are women. This shows that people have accepted and can claim that they already gained gender equality to a larger extent.
Moreover, not only in politics and social actions that women made changes on but also in education and entrepreneurship. There are numbers of women who get into higher and higher level of education. We can see this phenomenon in schools or colleges where the percentages of female students are higher than male students. It contradicts the situation in the past in which only males could experience formal education. The number of women in charge also increases in entrepreneurship. There are many CEO or manager spread inside this country from small company to the biggest one.
To sum up, it is true that there are still many violent happen against women, prostitution including underage women and also murder cases to women all over the world that indicating inequality of gender, but the percentage of women in politics and other aspects of society has proven that society has claimed the achievement of gender equality.
[ Written by – Rani Namserna ]
Sample Answer 4:
‘Born as a woman’ is not a problem anymore. In recent year, women already have a big role in society. In contrast, people still debate that equality of gender is hard to pursuing. I will outline this issue with reasons and examples.
We have seen the power of women in many issues. In term of education, women have the right to learn every subject that they want to. Take the number of women students as an example. In many departments, women are more dominant in number than men students. Not only in the term of students but also lecturers and university’s bureaucracy, many women have crucial positions as men’s do, such as becoming vice-president of a university. In addition, women’s role is clearly seen in the political term. Nowadays, in Indonesia, at least 3 women become ministers in the centre government. It shows that the society has received the presence of women.
A clearer example that we can see is women’s role in a family. In the past, women only took care of their children, cooked for their family, and cleaned the house, as housewives. But today, women do greater activities. They become housewife and career-women at the same time. Even in many cases, women become breadwinner while their husbands remain as househusbands.
It is true that in some cases, in some parts of the world, there are still distinguish between man and woman, but it cannot be denied that woman has been more appreciated nowadays.
To sum up, I must say that women achieved gender equality in many ways of life such as education, work chance, and family. Based on these arguments, I tend to disagree that societies cannot claim to achieve gender equality because there are different evidence in real life defeat this view.
[ Written by – Wiwik Astuti ]
Sample Answer 5:
Even in this modern world, gender equality is a matter of discussion and debate not only in developing countries but also in developed countries. Though women came to the mainstream of societies and empowered themselves than the past, I feel that women need to go the extra mile to rub their shoulders with their opposite gender and get gender equality.
Firstly, many cultural settings bring down the female participation in the key position. To be more precise, in many countries, especially in the third world, social beliefs and customs act as a barrier of female political and administrative entry. They believe that the women’s main duty is bringing up the children and carry out the household chores. This concept brings about to less participation of women in the decision-making process of a community. So, women need to pull her socks up to reach a significant position from these kinds of societies. Recent UN reports reveal that the social norms are the major threat for women empowerment is the best epitome.
Secondly, the less educational status of female gender interrupts gender equality. It is true that the education bridge the gap between male and female. In many nations, female education statistics is comparatively very less than their males. At this juncture, the well informed and proactive male’s domain come about in all sectors. Hence, the female will be sent to the backyard of society. Moreover, educational backwardness leads to lack of confidence which cause reduces communal participation. Renowned female education backwardness countries such as Uganda and Cambodia bear up significant gender inequality among the third world is the best epitome.
However, an army of people claims that the gender equality has come to reality in some developed countries. Perhaps it may be true to some degree but, it cannot be denied that the gender equality in the world will be completed only after it achieved in all over the word regardless of cast, creed and geography.
Put it into the nutshell, though the women participation increased in many social settings, we cannot claim a full gender equality until women participation is in equal level in all sectors of society.
[ Written by – Basil Pallah ]