Gender equality continues to be a prevalent issue in society today due to the persistent gap in terms of access to opportunities for women and men. Gender equality is a fundamental human right that every human being is entitled to regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexuality or religion. The roles men and women play in society are socially determined and as a result the gender gap is wide. Stereotypically, women are known as the ones to stay home and cook and clean while the men are at their jobs earning money. However, gender roles in society are constantly changing. Traditional views of men and women have changed over the years. The contrasts between conventional gender roles and modern interpretations of it are subtle yet still looming even today. Although much has changed since the 20th century and we are closer than ever to achieving gender equality between men and women, there are underlying issues and societal norms that prevent this from being accomplished. We continue to have very traditional beliefs on what is distinctively ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’. As a result,both men and women alike are forced to defy the status quo to pursue their dreams. Everything we do must conform to societal norms and if it doesn’t, we are stereotyped. However, gender does not define a person. We are all human beings and women should not be inferior to their male counterparts.

Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.  Hillary Clinton once said, “women’s rights are human rights, and human rights are women’s rights.” Every human being has rights and gender equality will always be one of those rights. Gender equality is a global phenomenon that affects men and women worldwide. As wide as the gender gap is, most women especially in developed countries have more opportunities today than ever before. However, no country has truly attained gender equality. We need to close the gender gap in areas such as health, education, employment and political participation. The future of our world relies on the young women of today.

We live the gender stereotype without even realising it. From an early age, we are conditioned to believe that our sons must wear blue and our daughters must wear pink. We are disillusioned to believe that we must fit into these socially constructed brackets of so-called “gender roles”. Realistically, we should not feel the need to conform to these ideals as they do not define us as human beings. What society fails to realise is that we are not all limited to these traditional gender roles. Gender equality is not just an issue for women. Men are also stereotyped by gender roles and as Emma Watson passionately outlined in her HeForShe speech, gender equality is not just a woman’s issue but men’s too. Every boy, man, girl, woman in this world has a right to gender equality. If women are given the opportunity to believe that they can achieve the things that men can then we would be one step closer to attaining gender equality. Every human being should be entitled to these equal rights.

Due to the rise and dominance of social media in the 21st century, women and girls worldwide have been given a new voice that has never been heard before. We need to unlock the potential of women around the globe and empower them. Society has conditioned us to believe that women cannot achieve the things that men can. In reality, gender roles are just social and behavioral norms that are are considered appropriate in various social settings. Gender roles should not be restricted to what is considered “normal” by society. Political leaders, CEO’s and engineers to name a few are predominantly men while educational services and fashion are predominantly female-led industries. New Zealand is ranked sixth globally in terms of gender equality and political empowerment, according to the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report 2012, but we are 16th for gender pay equality, and only 15 per cent of our top companies have senior women leaders according to stuff.co.nz. We need to educate our sons and daughters alike to believe that they CAN be CEO’s if they set their mind to it. They CAN be political leaders if they work hard. They CAN pursue their dreams if they push themselves and break the gender stereotype. The next generation of girls could well be the ones to narrow our nation’s wide gender gap. However, will the gap ever be fully closed? Or will gender equality be one of those global issues that cannot be truly achieved?