111 GENDER INEQUALITY Over the past few decades, women have been struggling hard to achieve gender equality. Nowadays, even if women are better represented in politics and business and get a better education than in the past, complete gender equality has not been achieved yet, especially in some countries, where the gender gap is still big. Some of the causes of gender inequality can be identified as the following. Fewer education opportunities: globally, women still have fewer opportunities to be educated than men and many girls do not even finish primary school. The differences in the level of education have a big effect on the girls future perspectives and opportunities. Work discrimination: some societies believe that only men can do certain jobs, which are generally the best paid ones. Women often do unpaid work and, in some cases, even if they are a part of the paid workforce, they do extra work that is not recognised by adequate pay. Little or no legal protection and personal autonomy: according to statistics, more than one billion women in the world do not have legal protection ONLINE RESOURCES Hidden gures gender gap: divario tra i generi pregnancy: gravidanza to root: radicare 262 EXTRA O R D 5 WS 6 against domestic sexual and economic violence, persecution or molestation at work, at school, and in public. Moreover, many women around the world do not have the right to decide about their body: for example, the access to contraception and birth control is often very difficult, almost half of pregnancies are not planned, and these mothers often become economically dependent on another person or the government, which limits their freedom. Religious domination: extremist religious beliefs and ideologies restrict the freedom of people in the countries where they establish themselves, increasing gender inequality. Social prejudice: the prejudice of a society towards the role of women has a significant impact on gender inequality. In many societies, some prejudices about gender are deeply rooted in people s minds. Progress can be made through laws and structural changes; however, in some areas of activity, for example women s leadership in politics and business, social prejudice often prevents big changes in the roles women have in society. Match the words with their definitions. 1. Gender a. A break or space between two objects. 2. To educate b. The male or female sex. 3. Discrimination c. The use of different methods to avoid pregnancy. 4. Birth control d. The action of ruling a group of people or an organisation. 5. Gap e. The group of people employed in a business. 6. Workforce f. To provide instruction, training, or information. 7. To plan g. To decide in advance. 8. Leadership h. The prejudicial treatment of different categories of people. GROUP WORK Prepare a presentation on one of the following women who, in different ways, have experienced gender inequality or fought against it. Search the Internet for information. Rosalind Franklin Malala Yousafzai Emily Pankhurst Amika George