Gender Equality: Analysis of the Current Status and Suggestions for Future Development

Abstract

This study centers on the current situation and future direction of gender equality. In the backdrop of global modernization, although women have extensively participated in social production and awakened to their rights consciousness, structural gender inequality remains deeply entrenched. Men still dominate social resources and decision-making processes. Traditional family concepts restrain women's freedom, and gender discrimination in the workplace remains prevalent. Despite the vigorous emergence feminist movements, improper thoughts and online public opinion have aggravated the confrontation between men and women, impeding the progress of gender equality. This study conducts a comparative analysis of the stances on gender equality at home and abroad, traces the historical roots of gender inequality from prehistoric society to capitalist society, and reveals the underlying social structure and economic foundation. A critical examination of the current gender equality ideology reveals issues such as an excessive emphasis on ideology while neglecting the realistic foundation, the pursuit of equality yet tacitly accepting male “privileges”, women's empowerment confined by the male-dominated framework, blurred boundaries between equality and consumerism, differentiated interests within feminism, and the confrontation between men and women. Based on this, this study proposes future strategies for promoting gender equality, emphasizing the need to transform the realistic foundation, enhance women's social value, increase women's access to social resources and voice, and strengthen social consensus and cooperation to drive the substantive development of the cause of gender equality.