Globalization and Gender Inequality

Although some claim that globalization has a global long term positive health and social influences by increasing growth rates, employment and financial autonomy, it has been shown that this “trickle down” theory is not correct. Money and wealth are definitely appropriate and beneficial to those on the top of the socioeconomic gradient. However, the assumption that such financial and social benefits will trickle down to the needy is not a real fact.

 Despite that both genders in the low socioeconomic gradient are negatively affected by globalization, women seem to be more at risk. Women are considered as “shock absorbers” of the economy in the developing countries. Although our readings last week addressed lower wage, dead end jobs, food insecurity and other financial, health and social factors as negative influences of globalization on women, I want to target the psychological aspect.

Being from one of the developing countries, I personally encountered the taste of inequality when I was declined my right to be honored as a top student in the high school due to not being among regular school students. Homeschooling was treated as an option for criminals, elders or FEMALES! The Egyptian community, till now, has abasement thinking to homeschooling females. When I started working and become affiliated with the department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health, I suffered again the gender inequality problem. Despite being highly educated, some of my colleagues and professors treated me in a way of being a person with half efficiency, only, due to being a working wife and a mother. It took me a couple of years of extreme hard work and stress to prove them wrong.

Although, in the era of globalization, women can have more opportunities, they are usually under threat not only from a financial aspect but also from a psychological one. They are usually under-estimated, ignored and under continuous psychological stress which eventually destroy their health, families, communities and that will, consequently, have serious global implications. Such culture that lead to the social construction of reality in a majority of developing countries that females are low standard citizens should be addressed. In my opinion, It is considered as a severe sort of structural violence and social injustice towards females. Building successful communities and achieving progress in every aspect is mainly based on females who should gain not only their financial rights but also their psychological ones!