Gender Equality Essay Q&A

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Below are a series of questions from chapter nine of The Bedford Guide for College Writers that I will answer, in order to develop a possible topic and thesis for my next essay assignment.

• What issue or controversy concerns you? What current debate engages you? - I've been very interested in the debate for gender equality versus the argument that either men or women are less or more qualified than the other.

• What position do you take? How can you state your stand? - My position is for gender equality (or against mistreatment and discrimination based on gender.) I could state my stand using this thesis statement: Genders should be treated and respected equally and fairly, despite their genetic and biological differences.

• What evidence might you need to support it? - I may need to research exactly how genders are currently treated unfairly and find statistics and studies to show the negative impact of gender inequality and how our society would be positively benefited if both genders were treated as equals.

• How might you refine your working thesis? How could you make statements more accurate, definitions clearer, or categories more exact? - Maybe I could specify how genders are discriminated against and argue against that particular issue, if there is one. Or I could simply touch on multiple issues surrounding the topic of gender inequality throughout my essay and argue against each of those issues.

• What assumptions are you making? What clarification of or support for these assumptions might your audience need? - I'm assuming that my audience (classmates and professor) might be unaware of how genders are discriminated against. Also, I would like to talk about feminism in relation to this topic and explain the difference between the actual definition of feminism and how people (male and female) have interpreted what feminism is. I assume my audience would need this term to be clarified for them, and possibly other terms and labels people use to identify themselves and how they view gender equality, or lack, thereof.

• How might you qualify your thesis? What exceptions should you note? What other views might you want to recognize? - As a young female, I face certain treatment, assumptions, and judgment from others, mostly from men, based on my gender, at least in part. I have also noticed and observed how both genders are portrayed, stereotyped, and mistreated. I would say these things qualify me to discuss this issue and where I stand. Because men and women are wired and built differently, both genders have their strengths and weaknesses which are highly influenced by their gender and should be taken into consideration, but not used to discriminate. Another exception would be the institution of marriage, in which women must submit to their husbands, but only when it is logical, moral, and legal to do so. In that situation, men and women should work together as a team, but recognize their roles in the relationship and act accordingly. As mentioned in reply to the previous bullet point, I would like to recognize the idea of feminism as well as sexism. I would also like to point out that gender equality would benefit both genders because men are also mistreated and discriminated against, not just women.

Written by Hayley Leach