Equality for woman stuck in bottleneck
Recently, a video advertisement of automaker Audi invoked a heated discussion. In the video, a happy couple was taking an oath at their wedding. Suddenly, the bridegroom’s mother came in and went directly to check the nose, ears and teeth of the bride to ensure that every part of her daughter- in- law was authentic. After the video came out, it quickly received a tide of criticism for its apparent discrimination against females.
Subsequently, Audi apologized for it, citing its lack of comprehensive consideration of the advertisement’s ideas and details.
However, the apology failed to satisfy its audience. The criticism of Audi is not for the details of the advertisement, but for its concepts of women, which impairs gender equality.
Your article titled Offensive Audi ad reminder of women’s unequal status showed the lagging development of gender equality and the discrimination against women in China. I cannot agree more.
In today’s China, although women have more and more realized their value and garnered outstanding achievements, they still face discrimination in different fields, especially in the workplace.
According to a March report of Zhilian Zhaopin, a recruitment platform in China, more than 80 percent of females hold the view that there is sex discrimination in employment. When females and males apply for the same jobs, some companies tend to recruit males who are as capable as or even less capable than females. And for females who have already had jobs, pregnancy will become an obstacle for their promotion.
The discrimination against females has existed for a long time. First, traditional concepts of women are hard to eradicate.
For example, Confucius’ “three obediences and four virtues,” a set of basic moral principles emphasizing women’s subordination to men, has existed for thousands of years and exerted farreaching influence on China.
Affected by these concepts, many people in modern society still insist that women should find an ideal husband and stay at home to do housework. Women who make progress in work are sometimes regarded by men and even other women as lacking a feminine touch.
The laws for protecting females’ rights are still far from perfect. For example, there are no specific regulations on the definition and penalty of gender discrimination in the workplace. Therefore, even though some women face discrimination in the workplace, they are likely to choose to tolerate it instead of resorting to law.
With the implementation of reform and opening- up, China has made progress in many aspects. However, gender inequality is still a bottleneck which makes it difficult for Chinese women to reach their full potential. It is hoped that more efforts can be made for early realization of this goal.