Most women believe they’ve got the short end of the stick in pretty much everything. Whether that’s true or not, I believe you make your achievements in life; as in it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman. So even if things are more difficult for you and the circumstances are not ideal, it just makes your achievement more worthwhile than that of someone who has it easy. In a way, it’s twice the work and therefore twice the achievement.
In all fairness, men’s lives aren’t easy. They have to deal with us and that’s punishment enough. Women want to be respected; they want their opinions to count and to have the same rights as men. That’s not much to ask. Some women want that plus the privileges of being a woman; they want doors opened for them, cloaks laid out before them and expenses covered for them. To be fair, we should either have the exact same rights as men or none; picking the ones we like just isn’t fair. Being a feminist doesn’t mean believing women are better than men, but that they are equal.
In the workplace, I believe women have it a little bit easier than men, in some positions. In this country – Egypt – women find jobs more easily than men. Most unemployed girls are unemployed by choice; they don’t want to work. Most unemployed men have no choice and are teased for it. It’s okay for a woman not to work but not for a man; especially if they are married and she pays the expenses. That’s considered the ultimate shame. While that may be double standards, it’s always been this way and I, like most, do judge any man who lets a woman pay his expenses.
In interviews, most girls get accepted based on their looks, outfits and style; it’s superficial. They get accepted because they deliberately mispronounced the R or faked cuteness and end up getting a high salary for useless, brainless jobs. Guys go through drilling procedures to get hired in the worst jobs, with half the salary and twice the work. I’m not saying that’s always the case, some guys are stupid, lazy and incompetent and some girls are hardworking and creative. It’s not a rule, I’m just saying that girls can get hired fresh out of college, sometimes out of school and are given decent salaries where at the same time, guys their age have to choose between unemployment and a crappy job.
That’s generally the case starting out, but when it comes to promotions, mostly men are chosen. Women are expected to give sacrifices for work, like being away from their house and kids (for some reason that’s not considered a sacrifice for men), which makes them unable to meet certain work demands like traveling, moving or working late. These things are put into consideration when choosing whom to promote. Women can start working easily but there’re likely to stay in that position their entire lives.
A lot of ads these days request women specifically for a job, which is still extremely sexist, because they’re not requested because they’re believed to be gifted in that line of business, but to be used somehow. At any rate, I’ve worked with more than enough incompetent men and women to make me wonder if there is in fact a bigger role of gender in candidate selection than actual ability.
Dr. Asmaa K. Marie
Education: Physical Therapy / Job Title: English Instructor / Published Books: Like Most & Most Likely
Drawing: Amira Elmissery
EDITOR: Nada Adel Sobhi