Gender and Social Exclusion

Gender and Social Exclusion Name Institution Due Date Gender and Social Exclusion Introduction As much as the world may want to lie about it, social exclusion is still an issue in the 21st century. The term social exclusion is one that has become quite common in Europe. In Britain, for example, the term was first used in 1997. According to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2004), the term was coined in an “attempt to define not just income poverty, but many other forms of disadvantage that exclude people from mainstream activities and society.” The government of Britain came up with a definition of social exclusion that sums up what it entails. UK’s government thus defines social exclusion as “a short-hand term for what can happen when people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, discrimination, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime, bad health, and family breakdown.” The above definition appears broad and includes other issues that arise as a result of social inequality “and intergenerational disadvantage” (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004). In simple terms, social exclusion can be said to be a form of discrimination or intentional marginalization which disadvantages a group of people. Social exclusion is an evil that has made sure that the world remains as is for a long time. The article from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continues to note that social exclusion creates a vicious cycle. The problems are linked and, in the end, it becomes intergenerational with children of socially excluded parents following in the same footsteps. Social exclusion is an expensive endeavor and countries all over the world are cutting children’s dreams short by not providing them with equal opportunities for advancement. While at face value it may seem like the problem affects only a small group of people, in the end, an entire country, economy, and society loses. In this article, the focus will be on social exclusion and its relation to gender. The subsequent sections will thus discuss the thin line between gender and social exclusion, the implications of social exclusion in the developed world, how different countries discriminate on the basis of gender and finally provide an explanation of why social exclusion is still an issue in the 21st century. What does gender have to do with social exclusion? Marlaine Lockheed (2010) notes that “social exclusion can arise through long-term persecution (for example, via slavery or homeland dispossession) and through membership of certain identifiability different social and ethnic groups. This phenomenon creates barriers to education for children – and especially for girls.” In a world that has often glorified men over women, it is no surprise that women are marginalized. In some countries, women have been denied some basic rights with men still considered superior over them. Traditionally, women were confined or were limited to household chores. This continued until women started to voice their displeasure at being considered inferior to men. Names such as Anna Wheeler, Louisa Garret Anderson, Juliette Adam, and Jane Addams do ring a bell because they belong to the group of women who decided they want change. So, for women, long-term persecution is real and, in some countries, women are still limited in what they do. A good example of the relationship between gender and social exclusion regards education. According to a 2012 article by UN Women, “women make up more than two-thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate people.” Liz Ford (2015) confirms the above statistics by noting that 496 million women are illiterate which is equivalent to two-thirds of the world’s illiterate. She, however, reveals one additional fact that leaves one shocked. She notes that this statistic “has remained stubbornly unchanged for the past 20 years.” This is indeed shocking keeping in mind the fact that the world has made tremendous progress in other sectors. One fact remains unchanged over the years though, and it is that “educating girls and young women promotes and enhances social and economic development” (Lockheed, 2010). Even if this is the case, women are still less educated than men and have fewer chances of advancing in life as a result. The UN Women (2012) notes that “every additional year of primary school increases girls’ eventual wages by 10-20 percent.” But in many developing nations, girls never get to experience the privilege of acquiring employment let alone an additional year in primary school. So, social seclusion on the basis of gender is a problem and will continue to be one unless more women are given the opportunity to advance themselves. In their study, Saito et al. (2012) discovered that women’s mortality rates for the socially excluded are high for people aged 65 years and older in Japan. This is no coincidence and the more the world continues to look down on women, the more it will continue to lose more of them. What effect does it have on communities in the developed world? The first effect or impact of social exclusion in the developed world is poverty. At face value, the developed nations have everything, and everyone is in a position to be who they are. However, this is not the case. While poverty levels of developed nations are not as high as in the developing nations, the poor do experience extreme levels of poverty in the developed world. In his article, Dean (2016) notes that there are variations of poverty. There is extreme or absolute pov...