Gender Inequality in America

👋 Welcome, everyone!

Our topic is gender inequality. We'll be discussing this statement:

Women were subordinated to men in the United States in the past, and they are subordinated in other countries today, but they have full legal, social, and economic equality in the contemporary United States.

• Rowan agrees with the statement.
• Zoe disagrees with the statement.

My name is Guide, and I'm here to support your discussion. If you need anything, start your message with “Hey Guide” 🤓

I agreed with this statement because women were very much subordinate to men in the past, and in some countries, if not most, still are. But women in the United States do have that privilege of being in some aspects equal to men.

Hello, I chose the slightly disagree option because while I do agree women have a larger range of equality in the contemporary United States, men are still socially and economically superior due to the previous subordination women faced.

I see your point, and I won't deny that there is a gender hierarchy in a lot of aspects, but for the most part, women, especially in the united states have a lot of privileges.

Rowan, when you say women have "a lot of privileges" in the United States, what specific legal, social, or economic areas are you thinking of? And how do you square that with Zoe's point about men being "socially and economically superior"?

It seems like you two might actually agree more than you initially think — you both acknowledge some form of gender hierarchy exists. The key question is whether that hierarchy is significant enough to contradict the claim of "full equality."

What would "full equality" actually require?

Women now in this day in age are able to buy their own home, to get their education, and in some jobs earn the same wage as men. That is where the men are economically superior because most of the time they will earn more money than women.

As before, women would need to rely on a man for everything. But now women are able to do things without them, not needing to rely on them for support.

I agree with that statement. Women do have more opportunities now and they are able to be independent

I think the word “full” isn’t accurate to describe the equality of men and women. Full equality would entail women and men being entirely and completely viewed as the same. No “but this” or “but that”.

i see your point, women aren't being entirely and completely viewed as the same, can you tell me more about that

Certainly, I think there’s a certain level of respect for women now, more than before I can say confidently. However, that respect will never surpass the respect men receive. Men will consistently be viewed as the “greater” being simply for being a man.

I’d love to hear more about the privileges you believe women have in the US!

Of course, I feel like the gender hierarchy has been very prominent back in the day, even between races. White women having more power than poc men and women, then it kind of filtered out to just men having hierarchy over women in general. But now I feel like woman are changing that hierarchy no matter their race, which is why they have more privilege. But this can differ between social classes, because this has been a big problem within our society, especially in this day and age.

I completely agree with you. I definitely do think that women now across all races are breaking many stereotypes and propelling the fact that women can be and are just as strong as men in every aspect of life

Zoe, you just said men will "consistently be viewed as the 'greater' being simply for being a man." But now you're saying women are "just as strong as men in every aspect of life."

How do you reconcile those two claims? Can women be viewed as equal in strength/capability while simultaneously being seen as lesser?

Absolutely. I believe that strength is subjective to the eye of the beholder. To me women are just as strong as men, to others they are not. When it comes down to it, if a man cannot do a job but a woman does it instead she will have proven that she is equally capable however, because she is a woman she will not be given the praise for it

Women have come so far in social status, and they are able to show that they are, if not better than, men in a lot of aspects that were male-dominated. I think we as a society should hold value to that, but of course, women are always shadowed by men, but that doesn't mean they are less equal to men. It's something that society should be able to fix, and overall get past the idea that women are always lower than men.

I agree. I don’t believe women are less equal to men, but societally women will always be inferior. It’s a harmful concept that refuses to go away

Rowan, you say women being "shadowed by men" doesn't mean they're "less equal" — but how can there be "full equality" if women consistently receive less recognition and praise for the same accomplishments?

You both seem to agree that women face systematic undervaluation despite equal capability. Doesn't that directly challenge the statement's claim about "full social and economic equality"?

That's true, women are almost always being shadowed, but that doesn't necessarily make them less equal, it just means society needs to fix its perception of the way women are perceived.

I agree. In actuality they are not less equal, they are just viewed as such. I understand your perspective

If we are talking about having full legal, social, and economic equality, then I believe women and men are equal in those aspects, but socially, there does seem to be a bit of tension in that area.

Rowan, you just said women and men are equal "in those aspects" but then immediately said "socially, there does seem to be a bit of tension."

Social equality was one of the three areas listed. So are women socially equal to men or not?

And if society systematically undervalues women's accomplishments — as you both seem to agree — how is that not a form of social inequality?

Socially, as in how society views men and women in the hierarchy that they have built. But legal social and economic equality they are equal.

Zoe, I think we both see each other's points and agree with each other. You made some really great points in this discussion.

Thank you Rowan I feel that you have also made some very important and interesting points throughout this discussion. I’m happy we are able to agree and disagree at the same time. It allows me to explore different perspectives❤️

I think that is what our society needs to see: that you are able to agree and disagree at the same time. Which is why I really enjoy reading the professor's book, especially the chapter where they talk about gender neutral restrooms. At the end of the day, everyone wants accessible, safe, and private restrooms, but it's difficult to understand that when everyone just likes to argue and be the correct ones.

Zoe, Rowan just brought up gender-neutral restrooms from the reading. The authors argue that despite disagreement, people share common ground on wanting safe, accessible, private restrooms.

Do you see a parallel between that example and your discussion here? You both seem to agree women face systematic undervaluation, but you're disagreeing about whether that counts as inequality.

Is this a substantive disagreement, or are you just using "equality" differently?

I think we might be using equality in this context a little differently but the message is the same

I agree Rowan, it’s hard to get others to understand different perspectives sometimes but that’s what society needs.

How are you using equality Zoe? I'm using it and seeing it as legally we are all equal, though in some social cases it might not seem like it. But under the law, we are equal.

I understand the legally equal. I think I’m using it on more of a morally equal way

Rowan, if women are legally equal but systematically undervalued socially — which you both agree happens — does the original statement's claim of "full social equality" hold up?

The statement didn't just say "legal equality." It said women have achieved full equality in all three areas: legal, social, and economic.

Women are mostly equal legally and economically, but socially, there are still a lot of areas where women are not yet socially equal. I can agree to that.

I’ve appreciated this conversation Rowan. I feel glad to have been able to share opinions with you

I think this discussion really helps us make good points on the topic and come to the conclusion that we both agree on. The sway guide also really helped us get into depth in our conversation, and even led me to thoughts I haven't even thought about yet for my argument. I realized a lot of things about women's rights, and I hope to learn more from others through this Sway chat and maybe also agree with others on here.👍

I agree. The sway guide was a really helpful tool to help us keep our conversation going.