Feminism: Is Discrimination Really An Issue?
- The Philosopher
- Sep 6, 2016
- 5 min read
There are many claims that women are discriminated against simply because they are women. Is this true? How and when are women discriminated against? What do we mean by discrimination?
First, let's look at the way we use the word discrimination. This is the Merriam-Webster definition:
The practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people
The ability to recognize the difference between things that are of good quality and those that are not
The ability to understand that one thing is different from another thing
Notice that the second two definitions are not actually negative concepts. It is discrimination which allows us to see that one chair is made well, and from good materials, while another chair may be poorly made from cheap materials. Discrimination is what allows us to understand that cats and dogs are different, and thus have different needs. So, discrimination is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has become a trigger word for a lot of people. Let's look at the first definition, "The practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people." Notice the insinuation; it is unfair to treat people differently. As we established in the last post, different does not automatically mean better than or less than. But this language implies that different treatment is unjust.
Question; is your relationship with your best friend exactly the same as your relationship with your grandmother? Most likely, you discuss different topics, engage in different activities, and maybe even behave differently with your friend than you do with your grandmother. Does that mean you are treating one of those people unfairly? The relationships look different, but that is partially due to the fact that people are different. Each individual person is unique, with their own interests, opinions, skills, and dispositions. No two relationships in your life will look the same because no two people are the same.
So is discrimination wrong? Well, yes and no. Treating people differently is not necessarily wrong, but treating people in a lesser manner is wrong. But let me make something clear; it does not matter why you are treating someone poorly. God calls us to treat everyone as we would want to be treated, with kindness and respect. Anything less is wrong regardless of who that person is and what your reasons are. So while negative discrimination against another person is wrong, the heart of the issue is not why you treated someone poorly, but that you treated them poorly in the first place.
Second, let's look at how and when women experience discrimination. Anytime a woman is singled out and treated differently solely because she is a woman, we would will call it discrimination. However, as we have already discussed, discrimination is not automatically a negative or wrong behavior.
Let's look at salary inequality. Are woman consistently paid less that men? Well, it depends on the profession you're looking at, but for the sake of argument, yes, in many cases they are. Is this wrong? Our instinct is to say, "Of course it's wrong! It's discriminatory and evil! How dare they?" But that reaction is based on very little information. For instance, why are women paid less? Is it just because they're women, or are there other factors involved? An individual may be paid a lower salary than co-workers because they are less efficient, less experienced, or work less valuable hours (this does not apply to all professions, but in the food industry, which hours you work can directly effect how much work you actually do). While it may be disappointing to be paid less, it is not necessarily a question of prejudice. It may be a case where appropriate discrimination determines that you are not currently the best or most effective worker in the office.
But what if you are the most experienced, hard-working, effective worker in the business, and you are still being paid less? In that case, you may want to have a chat with someone about getting a raise. Obviously, the numbers are such that we cannot deny that women seem to receive a lower pay rate than men in the same profession and this may be partially due to the fact that they are female. But, we must also recognize that a woman is being paid less is not necessarily being discriminated against. People want to assume that they always deserve the best, and if they receive less than that it is an injustice. Bu the reality is that sometimes people are just paid less because they don't deserve as much, even if they are a woman. The same thing happens to men, but because they have historically been "dominant" no one questions it if a man happens to make less than his female co-workers.
Another example of discrimination between genders is the standard phrase, "Women and children first!" True, this is an example of discrimination that works in our favor, but it is discrimination nonetheless. For years there was a mindset that woman ought to be shown preference and consideration. Men were taught to respect and protect women. We would like to complain about inequality and injustice, but the truth is discrimination goes both ways. There are situations where being a woman is getting you special treatment or preference.
Suppose a man tried to grab a woman's purse, and in response, she pulls a knife and accidentally kills him. There is a trial; should she be found guilty of murder? More often than not, she would not be found guilty. Now suppose a woman tries to steal a man's computer bag, and in response, he pulls a knife and accidentally damages the nerves in her hand. There is a trial; should he be found guilty for inflicting this injury? Probably not, but because she is a woman and he is a man, he will likely serve time for acting in self defense. Think about your own reaction to the stories; did you instinctively feel defensive of the woman both times? We constantly discriminate between men and woman; and females are not automatically the victim in these snap judgements.
In conclusion, yes, woman do experience discrimination, but that is not always a negative thing. And yes, woman are sometimes in situations that are not ideal, with circumstances they would not prefer, but that does not always mean they are being victimized. How can we tell when discriminations have gone from harmless to hurtful? How do we know the difference between an unpleasant reality and an active prejudice? And how do we approach these issues as Christians? How does God call us to respond? These are questions I'll address in the next and final post on Feminism.
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