Women’s Issues for 2021 and What You Can Do About Them

It’s true women’s rights have improved since the suffragette movement in the 20th century. But there is still a tremendous need for upgrades when it comes to women’s issues. A big reason reformation is slow to manifest in policies is due to female underrepresentation about leading issues women face in societies around the world.

Now more than ever women are taking control of female-centric topics that are too often overlooked in government. Here are a few honest insights about issues today that women are called to lead the conversation about positive change and reform for gender equality.

Workforce Equality and Equal Pay for Women

According to the US Department of Labor, women make 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man in 2021. While this is an improvement compared to the meager 53% fewer women earned compared to men in the 1970s, there’s still a long way to go to bridge the pay gap.

Furthermore, women struggle to hold a position in the labor force. The number of females in the workplace has plummeted drastically since the pandemic. It’s estimated that 2.3 million women dropped out of the workforce compared to 1.8 million men during the Covid-19 outbreak.

This is largely due to skewed gender roles. To explain, mothers have been quitting their jobs during the pandemic to educate and care for their children amid school closings, while fathers retained their (better paying) jobs.

Lastly, women are still struggling with gender discrimination in the workforce. Although federal law in the US prohibits denying a woman promotions based on her sexual orientation, studies show women still experience restrictions when striving for upward advancement in the workplace. Even in 2021, men continue to dominate positions of leadership in the workforce, even in female-centric industries.

Research deduces that work-related inequality might boil down to women holding more responsibilities in the home, particularly in a maternal capacity. In other words, the current perspective continues to consider promoting men over women with children because a mother may be viewed as unable to focus fully on work due to the needs required in the home, childcare, etc. This and the previous observations made here are distorted perceptions of women’s capability of multitasking and managing work with their personal lives.

Healthcare Issues for Women

The polarizing issue of abortion is still a raging hotbed of dispute. Religious or political views aside, many women believe they should have full control of their bodies without interference from government restrictions. Whatever your belief about abortion is, if you’re a woman, you should have the right and freedom to make your own decisions about the course of your pregnancy without political involvement. This is one among many ongoing topics in terms of reform in women’s healthcare issues.

Another consistent concern is advocacy for women’s healthcare in the event of physical abuse or sexual assault. In the past, a woman who was a victim of domestic violence or rape had very few resources and these heinous crimes were left unreported and the resulting injuries left untreated. While local and state law enforcement has improved in this area, the statistics of assault against women are still alarmingly high. Consequently, activists are working towards getting better healthcare treatment for female victims of sexual abuse and domestic violations.

For example, there is a growing movement rallying for free screening for sexually transmitted infections and other healthcare services to women who are victims of sexual assault. Furthermore, advancements have been made in mandatory tests in cases of sexual violence such as forensic rape kit tests that collect DNA samples of the offender resulting in his capture and incarceration. While progress is being made in terms of convicting those who commit violence against women, there is a lot of work that needs to be done when it comes to treating female victims of emotional, sexual, and physical violence.

What You Can do to Support Women’s Issues in 2021 and Beyond

While the plight for female equality continues to advance, and improvements are on the horizon, there is plenty of room for amelioration and enhancement in terms of awareness of women’s issues. Here are a few tips for showing support and getting active in women’s rights.

Get Educated: As with any reform or civil movement, it’s important to educate yourself about the issues at hand. Take the time to do research. Weight the facts against fiction surrounding current infringements of women’s rights. We’re all familiar with the adage, “forewarned is forearmed”. The more you know, the more you are equipped to handle the big issues that threaten the liberties of women around the world.

Set an Example: This may seem obvious, but as a woman, your best way to support women’s rights is to adhere to a lifestyle that honors and respects the sensitive issues all females face. One way you can do this is by instilling strong female values in your children and within your community.

Start Small, Start Local: Tackling equality issues for women is a delicate process. You can’t expect to harpoon the federal government with your findings and statistics and expect immediate results. More often than not, it is centralized, local, small steps that result in getting the ball rolling towards reform for women’s rights.

Start small with a group of friends, co-workers, and associates who share your passion for women’s rights. Launch a game plan to inform your local community about how women’s needs matter and prepare examples about how female issues can be better addressed in the community. As your local actions begin to snowball and gain momentum, you can start to broaden your reach and raise your voice in county, state, and even federal legislature which can render inroads into big reform for women’s rights in higher governmental branches.

Closing Thoughts About Women’s Issues in 2021

As a global society, women are making progress in detaching themselves from the old, stereotypical ideals of being viewed as second-class citizens bearing babies and wearing aprons. However, there is still more groundwork to be done when it comes to eradicating discrimination, gaining equality, and enjoying freedoms such as healthcare and support that is specific to women’s issues.

As a woman, you have a lot of influence and hopefully, this article about current concerns for women’s issues will inspire you to raise your voice for reform and improvements in government for women’s safety and equality.