Gender Issues In South Asia Essay

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A person’s gender within Southeast Asia puts boundary limitations upon movement, political rights, ability to work, and general independence. Gender hierarchies do not rank individual gender but instead focus on a society’s interpretation of maleness verses femaleness on a binary scale. At one end of the binary scale is maleness manifesting itself within the public domain while the femaleness frequently focuses on private and domestic activities. While each country in Southeast Asia is unique in their address of gender, there are a number of prominent gender issues raised due to the gender hierarchy in Southeast Asia. Culture norms in Southeast Asia stem from a diversity in religious, developmental, and economic situations yet the overarching …show more content…

The type of work women do when trafficked is of direct consequence of gender hierarchies and reflects the social standing and limitations set upon women. The work is feminized and more often takes the form of emotional labor. Trafficked women who perform emotional labor, through prostitution and other services, work “primarily through a gender lens” (Kang). The ‘femaleness’ associated to women creates a sexual division of labor whereas women perform internal household duties which further isolates them within the private sphere. Women in Southeast Asia are less empowered than men due to societal constraints. The gender inequalities are a reality for women when it comes to “access to education and work opportunities and access to fair and timely justice system, as well as attainment of human and social rights,” (Global Report of Trafficking in Persons). Due to prevailing gender hierarchies, women and girls are seen as burdens on the family. Women and girls typically leave the family when they are married and integrate themselves within their new husband’s family. Poorer families may view their female children as a burden, financially and emotionally raising a child who will eventually leave the family and not take care of the parents during old age (Panter-Brick). Sadly for some families in Southeast Asia, the more profitable option is to sell the daughters and keep the money for their male children’s

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