Equality for all, equality in every field, pay equality, and equality in every aspect of life are the trend these days. Everyone, from young children to older adults, is preached about the saliency of equality.
Even when there is such a high demand for equality, the obvious question arises as to why equality has not been achieved. Well, there is a simple answer to this “there is never an equal outcome” in simpler terms, the result of equality is not equal, which enables society to stay unequal. Henceforth true inequality is next to impossible.
Societies worldwide are organized hierarchically. With the elite and economically more robust section- the corporates stay at the top. In contrast, the labor class and economically weaker sections stay at the bottom level of the hierarchy. Albeit, many Brits or even people worldwide, for the matter, might have little positives to say about the monarchy. Still, it is a given that they are in the upper echelons of society. That is precisely the problem. People don’t like hierarchy but always follow one, be it a group leader for a class presentation or someone leading a protest. Most people agree that the more tech-savvy the world becomes, the more there is a need for hierarchical organizations.
Hierarchy doesn’t just establish orders but also gives us an identity. People from different social strata face different impacts regarding life happenings. Losing a job is terrible, but it is worse with the hierarchy as it doesn’t just impact your wealth but also your self-esteem and social standing. A person who is an expert in a field will always be viewed with more respect than a mediocre.
Source: https://culturalconflict.wordpress.com/tag/hierarchy/
Equality might sound good, but it is human nature not to pursue it.
A recent study has found that the more we try to move towards an egalitarian society, the further the gender gap widens. This is because as the social conditioning and lifestyle of men and women become increasingly equal, resources become scarce, so both genders tend to compromise and make do with what they get. Females typically choose a more feminine profession, while males stick to more masculine professions. There is a broad division in STEM professions mainly. This might be surprising as more women than men are currently pursuing college degrees worldwide. So why is this? Well, studies indicate that personality traits based on gender are divided into categories: selflessness, patience, risk, trust, optimism, and pessimism. Men and women inherently have different choices. This gap further widens in wealthier nations and decreases in less wealthy nations. The trend is slightly better in Nordic states due to their progressive taxation policy and autonomy promotion.
But as one looks at the top ladder, we still see men primarily because societies have concentrated more on egalitarianism in the terms that more women should be in the workforce than organizational egalitarianism.
There have been various talks on the inclusion of LGBTQ+ and provisions for equality. Still, one has to ask themselves, when these people choose to identify differently, would their inclusion make them equal? Would they still not be seen differently from the societal norms? And what is inclusivity? It is to cater to the needs of all strata of society. It is not discriminating against someone based on their sex, caste, or gender. Recently, however, the meaning of inclusivity has shifted to the inclusion of all races and body types in an organizational structure, often ignoring their merit.
Source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/3thingsconsulting/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/
Take US Vice President Kamala Harris, for example; her credentials are a topic of debate, and are often criticized for being nowhere near Vice Presidents before her. She was still elected as VP because. One can’t help but ask if this was all a political gimmick to attract votes from people of one community. The same is the case with the Canadian parliament. They aimed to show equal gender representation, so much so that the percentage of women in the Canadian parliament is more than the percentage of males in the parliament. Their credentials, however, are argued to be not so good. People are mocking the current government and its ineffectiveness. This kind of equality which compromises quality and threatens to collapse the governing system, can prove very harmful. But society now labels this as ‘inclusivity’ and ‘feminism,’ even if it might compromise on the highest decision-making level.
Source: https://www.porchlightbooks.com/blog/changethis/2019/merit-based-egalitarianism-for-a-just-society
Men and women are given the same opportunities in developed nations; however, the outcome differs, be it pay or the kind of work they do. This doesn’t concern sexism as much but is more related to gender roles and male and female preferences.
Women give birth, due to which they have to take maternity level. Leftists argue that they should be given a salary even during the leave because it is a natural process, which in a utopian world should be the case as it is not something that can be controlled; it’s a biological process. However, one has to consider that corporates are about rolling in the cash. If you can’t bring in the monetary value the company is investing in you, is the pay justified- that is a difficult question.
Men at large have more market value than women because, according to studies, they tend to work overtime more than women in jobs and are more willing to do the heavy lifting. The equality issue is that it comes with terms and conditions. This impossible infrastructure is still standing due to the labor working 24 x 7 on it. That brutal labor force is made up of 99% men. Feminism strives for equality for women, but that is confined to the corporate sector, not hard labor. Moreover, traditional gender roles hinder women’s ability to work more, as traditionally, women are expected to take care of the house, their spouses, and kids.
Source: https://miro.medium.com/max/750/1*dl3pbGIw8FFKHvAhSJSv1g.png
Biological differences between the male and the female body also play a massive role in the type of job men and women do.
And is true equality even desirable in the first place? What are the ramifications, and how can they benefit or harm society? Given Natural endowment, these questions become increasingly difficult to answer.
No two children are born the same or in the same social and cultural conditions. Each child has different opportunities in the initial stages of life given to economic and financial conditioning. But equality of opportunity in further stages widens inequality.
A person’s qualities and talents are directly or indirectly related to gender, class, and race. The catch here is that all these different conditions are usually seen as signs of inequality, so if one shouldn’t benefit from their social conditioning, why must one do so regarding their natural conditioning?
Source: https://bigthink.com/the-present/genetic-lottery-harden/
Attractiveness, a genetic lottery, natural health, and climate all contribute to success in different fields. So, suppose these barriers were to be removed. In that case, society might become equal, but non-merit equality will negatively impact productivity and output. Not everyone is tall, so does everyone become a model? Someone is better in science than others, so just because someone is naturally smarter, should someone less intelligent be given the equal opportunity just because this person does not benefit from natural endowment like the other person? Can human society still keep developing that way?
The truth is equality should be based on hard work and outcomes rather than equal opportunities because that is impossible to provide when even two babies born in different parts of the world start from different starting points.
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