Gender Equality
Gender equality – the equal legal status of women and men and equal opportunities for its realization, enabling persons of both sexes to participate equally in all spheres of social life.
Gender equality means the existence of equal conditions for women and men in the realization of all human rights and opportunities to participate in political, economic, social, and cultural development, as well as the equal enjoyment of its results. Equality is necessary for human development. Achieving gender equality is necessary for the normal functioning of social, economic, cultural, and political systems. The unequal status of women manifests itself systemically.
At the same time, the affirmation of equality requires reflection on various aspects of life. These may be shaped not only by sex differences, but also by age, race, class, national, ethnic, and regional characteristics, sexual orientation, mental and physical disabilities, language, and religious beliefs.
The development, analysis, and creation of legislation and legal policy must be carried out with consideration of gender differences. This presupposes an understanding of the nature of relations between women and men, the different social realities, life expectations, and economic circumstances faced by women and men. In particular, women may be in a more disadvantaged position because of race, skin color, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, region, different levels of ability, and age.
Legal policy and law must respect and take this diversity into account. As history shows, identical, depersonalized treatment of women does not yet ensure their equality, because such “equal” treatment ignores the specific character of each person’s life.
A gender concept of social development and social transformations aimed at social progress presupposes a public and state view of the lives of both sexes as equal; a balance of opportunities for their development; the overcoming of all forms of historical injustice toward them; the assessment of the results of their activity; and the creation of conditions for the self-development and self-expression of women and men as equal in rights, freedoms, duties, and responsibilities (Melnyk, 2004, pp. 289–290).
See also: Gender Equity, Gender Inequality, Sexism.
References:
Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men.” (2005). Retrieved from http://zakon5.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2866-15 [in Ukrainian].
Melnyk, T. M. (2004). Pravovi aspekty genderu [Legal aspects of gender]. In Osnovy teorii genderu: Navchalnyi posibnyk [Foundations of gender theory: A textbook] (pp. 283–326). Kyiv: K.I.S. [in Ukrainian].
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