Equality

Equality

The concept of equality or inequality within political circles has often led to heated debates among individuals who feel that they are not treated equally. This is often the case with members of minority groups such as racial and gender minorities. Equality measures often become controversial and sensitive issues in democratic countries, where everyone seems to have the idea that they should receive the same treatment as everyone else, never mind the fact that they do not accord different people the same treatment. Constitutions and awareness of individual rights have enhanced the concept of equality. Equality politically means that people have the same opportunity and a chance to raise their concerns to the government. People feel that they belong to a government that ought to uphold their rights, and they feel that this gives them the liberty to be more vocal concerning injustice and inequality. In most cases, people equate inequality to injustice.

Equality can refer to different things. For instance, human characteristics are often the basis of inequality. Factors such as sex, religion, gender, age, social status, ethnicity, race, and intellect among others, contribute to differences in equality among humans. Human beings have these different characters, yet the main notion among people is that they are all equal. This means then, there is a distinguishing factor that makes human beings equal. It means that there are certain qualities, whether perceived or real, that exist within humans, which make them feel equal. These similar factors distinguish human beings from other species and beings, since people do not claim to be equal to those other elements. In many cases, people speak of equality of treatment when referring to equality. This is the notion that all men are of worth and that they should be accorded the same dignity and respect (Dahl, 2007). This form of equality disregards the physical attributes that people have since these only serve to highlight inequalities among different people.

Equality means that no one is accorded privileges and no one is treated better at the expense of another. It means that everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources. Equality means the absence of discrimination and other forms of prejudices-whether racial, sexual, gender, or social discrimination. Equality means that no one is above the law, and no one receives more protection from the law than another does (Dahl, 2007). Then, there is the inclusion of religion, with some religions emphasizing on the fact that all people are created equal, and they are equal before God. In an already functioning government or system, equality can then lead to the unfair treatment of the less privileged within the society. Since equality demands lack of preferential treatment, it then means that the less privileged within the society will receive the same opportunities and resources as those who are more privileged. Since the weaker will receive the same resources, they will not have more chances of succeeding. This means then that the rich will remain richer, and the poor will continue to struggle.

Political equality means that everyone has access to power. People feel that they should be in a position where they are able to manage public affairs and hold public office. This is irrespective of race or gender. Equality guarantees that no one should feel intimidated when seeking for public office in a place where he or she is regarded as a minority. Political equality means that there are remarkably few, if any, limitations that would prevent one from exercising his or her right to engage in political affairs of a country, holding and participating in elections, standing or seeking employment in a public office, or having the freedom to express ones thoughts and feelings. Many democracies claim to have political equality. In the definition of political equality, this would mean that women have the same avenues and opportunities for power. It would mean that women would not feel intimidated to vie for political posts. It would also mean that, in a country that is largely white, an African American, Native American, or any other group in the minority has the same chance and opportunity to seek for a political seat in the country. This does not always happen, as other factors determine political success of candidates. Thus, equality does not consider people’s stereotypical views or other such characters. A person in the minority is bound to feel threatened to run for political office.

Women have fought for political equality in Canada for a long time. They have been fighting for their right to recognition and representation from the time they achieved success when they were allowed to vote. The first woman in the House of Commons was elected in 1921. Although this was many years ago, progress in achieving political equality has been slow (Jhappan, 2002). Canada is a democracy, and it claims to have equal opportunity for representation. Yet, despite this assurance and the added guarantee in the constitution, the country continues to experience incidences of inequality. Women have equal rights, but they are yet to receive equal opportunities, which will ensure political equality in the country. Women make up the largest share of the country’s population. If there is equal distribution of resources, then it means that women should have more resources than the men do.

Women face many barriers to political equality. Many people are of the idea that women do not need any privileges, since they determine their own success. Women who show an interest in politics continue to experience stereotypical views from both men and women. There are those who hold the notion that women have a designated place within the home, and they should not be involved in politics. This view, though not widely spoken of, seems to be silently accepted. The fact that most people feel that women are responsible for their own success means that there is very little being done to ensure they achieve political equality. There seems to be no active of favorable legislation, which guarantees women the chance to participate in politics. One of the definitions of equality recognizes that no individual or group should have privileges over the other. This then means that women should not be accorded special treatment just because they are women. It means that they should have the same resources as the men, in order for them to achieve political equality. This definition does not consider the internal and familial barriers that women face. These barriers prevent women from utilizing their resources fully. This then means that women do not have the same opportunities as the men do, though they may have the same rights on paper.

Women have been able to realize economic and education equality, because they have received support from legislation. Over the years, women have had to fight for changes in legislation, which has in turn guaranteed them the same opportunities as the men. This means that given the right platform women can achieve political equality. They can be able to get rid of the barriers that block their paths to equality and ensure maximum impact of the resources at their disposal. Political inequality relates to other forms of inequalities such as race, gender, and ethnicity. Women in ethnic minority communities face more political inequality, than women who are in the majority. For instance, aboriginal women have more barriers to overcome to achieve any success politically. They have to face the fact that they are women, and that they belong to a minority community. These barriers widen the political equality gap. There has to be gender equity for equality to be realized.

Treating women and men in the same way does not guarantee equality (Jhappan, 2002). In fact, in some cases, this often leads to enhanced inequality. Women and men live under different conditions. People take it for granted that women are responsible for taking care of their families, bear children, and maintain their homes. Some see it as an ordinary thing that women have to take care of their husbands. With all these responsibilities, it becomes increasingly hard for women to participate in politics, let alone succeed politically. Political equality in Canada means that women have to work harder than the men do to ensure their success in politics. Therefore, women need different treatment. They need to be treated differently than men, for them to achieve equality (Jhappan, 2002).

The provision and guarantee of equality on paper does not ensure that an individual will be treated equally. One has to overcome many personal barriers, ingrained in people. One cannot force someone to change his or her conviction. For instance, some people are convinced that women are not in a position to lead a country or to make a positive impact in a country. They are not convinced that women should lead in any way. This is despite the evidence that that person might have. Whatever a person does, he or she cannot change that person’s mentality. This type of reasoning means that however much women try, they have to work harder to get more votes, whether from the public or from their parties.

One of the definitions of equality means the distribution and spread of resources and opportunities in an equal manner, regardless of the status of the people. Hence, when the same resources are distributed to a community or group that is less privileged, it will not benefit that community as much as it will benefit those who are already in privileged positions. This means that even in equality, there is always a sense of inequality. Therefore, equality does not mean uniformity or sameness. It does not mean the same level of distributed resources. It means that the resources should be distributed in a way that will benefit the people in the same way. It means that different people will have the same opportunity and that one group will not have to face more obstacles than the other will.

References

Dahl, A. R. (2007). On political equality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press

Jhappan, R. (2002). Women’s legal strategies in Canada. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press