Gender inequality in the society arises as a result of the existing differences in gender roles. Gender inequality thus can be defined as a situation whereby individual members of the society, men, and women, do not consider one another as being equal, therefore, subject unequal treatment to one another due to their gender difference. Drastic changes and improvement have been witnessed in the twenty-first century where women have been empowered to live in dignity and freedom in equal measure as their male counterparts. In the nineteenth century and part of the twentieth century, gender inequality, especially against women, was very rampant. Women were subject to varied forms of inequality and oppression which included; being subjected to socioeconomic disparities, health inequities, and destructive traditions which discriminate. The progress of women in these societies was limited as they were barred from accessing equal opportunities offered to men such as education, employment and, health rights. Though progress has been witnessed, gender inequality and oppression specifically against women continues to manifest itself differently because of inherent complexities of race and ethnicity in the global society. Various scholars such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels have explained the causes and mechanisms of gender inequality and oppression. This paper will further compare and contrast inequality and oppression views expressed by these scholars.
Mrs. Gilman in her various books such as “The Yellow Wallpaper” elaborately examines the image of a woman in the American society. The book was written in 1892 and during this period the patriarchal form of society was the norm whereby women only occupied secondary roles. The roles women occupied were mainly determined by their patriarchal cultural and social systems which denied the female to have voice, identity, and physical freedom in the society (Boris, 2017) . Gilman further discusses the disparities of women in the society which mainly oversexed them hence limiting them to certain privileges in life. Women were overworked, underpaid and having jobs both in and out of the home. Despite making a huge contribution of keeping the household together they still disrespected and not reimbursed for their contributions. Women’s role involved nursing kids and maintaining the household and was not allowed to make their own money. The female gender had no economic and political rights and was expected to follow gender norms that were aligned to them according to their specific sex. On top of that, they had no form of independence in dressing according to their choosing or preference as they were expected to dress modestly without looking too trashy (Boris, 2017) .
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Women who had the same qualification and education level as their men colleagues were still underpaid yet performing same job functions. From the short story in the “Yellow Wallpaper,” we see Jane’s attempt to break free herself from the existing bonds in a medical profession dominated by men. Her attempts become futile as she is subjected to a forced treatment known as the “resting cure” thus denying him the freedom and independence to take part in intellectually stimulating activities in the medical profession. The resultant negative effect of the “resting cure” is seen when the Jane’s psychological state of mind is damaged. Such treatment subjected to Jane clearly showed the social injustice and inequality imposed on American women in the late nineteenth century. In her book Women and Economics , Gilman suggests that the position of prominence in women’s movement is partly influenced and modified by the surrounding environment. Gilman further states that peculiar economic conditions that causes women’s oppression in the society includes depending on the male for food. Man being the feeder of a woman thus possesses inherent power thus becomes the strongest modifying force in a woman’s economic condition thereby creating a condition of dependence. Overdependence on men as a source of food and livelihood limits a woman’s power and will to indulge in creative and challenging ventures, thereafter rendering them passive, weak, and incompetence in matters that affect their lives directly. Gilman further argues that women in the society will therefore find themselves using “sex-distinction” not only to attract a mate but also to gain livelihood as well. In return, a woman becomes modified to sex to an excessive degree.
Karl Marx, an economist, and philosopher explained gender inequality and oppression by focusing on workers who were experiencing poverty in the society while surrounded by others who had wealth and power. Karl Marx used Marxism and conflict theory to argue that the society members, the rich and the poor have conflicting interests. The rich control financial and physical resources and the poor are therefore left with no alternative but to work for the rich and paid meagre wages for their hard work. The rich maintain their control by controlling the law, the police and the media which manufacture ideas about the society. The poor are educated to believe that capitalism is good for their well-being which makes them vulnerable to exploitation by the bourgeoisie (Carver, 2017) . Marx argued that inequality exists in the society because of the state and the rich exercise control over the poor in the society by directly exercising power over them and by directly controlling their minds through the use of ideology or ideas. The masses are therefore trained by the state to believe in ideas that make them slaves to systems such as the justice system, the police, the law, and the army. Marxists strived to establish a classless society through the abolition of capitalism which would first end all inequality and thereafter gender inequality. Feminists have further developed the Marxist theory to suggest that inequality exists because men oppress women as much as because the rich oppress the poor.
According to revolutionary Marxist analysis, the very nature of capitalism underlies women's oppression in the modern world because the proletarian family is a necessity for the capitalist system. Bourgeois reformists continue perpetuating the lie that capitalist system can still have the capability of offering substantial progress for women in the society. It is through capitalism that workers, especially women are vulnerable to exploitation through wage labor. Through wage labor exploitation, the sexual division of labor is imposed by capitalism and women are therefore obliged to fulfill the wife/mother role to ensure that the system has a steady and reliable supply of labor (Carver , 2017). The oppression of women results because the capitalist system focuses and emphasizes the reproduction of the proletariat and its labor power. Therefore, for the revival of the male laborer, the wife has to cook food, clean house and clothing to replenish her husband's ability to work effectively for the boss the next day (Boris, 2017) . Furthermore, for women to ensure the continuation of one generation of the workforce to the next, they should perform their biological role in giving birth and social role of rearing children.
Fredrick Engel’s in his book The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State, argues that gender inequality is as a result of the rise of private property and class society. His arguments expound on Marxist conflict theory and thus viewed as a classic Marxist. Engel argues that though capitalism meant progress for women as it brought them into the social workforce, they still remained oppressed because they bore the burden of family labor (Carver, 2017) . According to Engel, as stated in the Communist Manifesto, capitalism enhanced the growth of exploitation of women in the workplace thus destroying the proletarian family.
References
Boris, E. (2017). 4.2. Subsistence and Household Labor. Handbook Global History of Work , 3 , 329.
Carver, B. (2017). Lost Worlds and the (Un) Natural History of Gender. In Alternate Histories and Nineteenth-Century Literature (pp. 151-205). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
