Societal Issues Faced By Women Ageing 25 And Above

Though we have heard a lot about women empowerment around the globe, still women backwardness is also very clear from the incidences that we hear every day. Women all over the world face social issues, problems and lots of restrictions against them. Still, the modern age women have to face many more problems in their daily life and struggle to live their dreams. Illiteracy, lack of proper education, responsible for household works, rape, sexual harassment at the workplace, etc. are some big issues for women everywhere.

1. Domestic Violence - Around one in four women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes. According to new research, women who suffer at the hands of domestic violence are stuck in their situation for nearly three years, on average, before getting the help they need. More than 85% of victims are in contact with professionals - on average five times - in the year before they get help.

2. Breastfeeding - In December Louise Burns was asked to cover herself with a napkin while she breastfed her child in Claridge’s Hotel. She was made to feel “humiliated” as though feeding her child in public - a completely natural thing to do - was somehow wrong.

Since then, mothers across the world have shown their support for public breastfeeding by posting brelfies (breastfeeding selfies) and Prime Minister David Cameron has said, ‘it's "totally unacceptable" for mothers to be made to feel uncomfortable when feeding their babies in public. But more still needs to be done to end the sexualization of women's bodies and quash any stigma still attached to breastfeeding.'

3. Sex-selective abortions - We cannot change the fact that around the world, female fetuses are aborted on the grounds that a male child is considered preferable to a daughter. Clearly, we need to find a way to tackle the underlying issue.

4. Trafficking - Men, women, and children are trafficked within their own countries and across international borders. According to charity Stop The Traffik, the practice affects every continent and every country - that most definitely includes the UK.

According to Equality Now, 20.9 million adults and children are bought and sold worldwide into commercial sexual servitude, forced labor, and bonded labor and trafficking women and children for sexual exploitation is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. They say women and girls make up 98% of victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.

5. Stalking and harassment - According to Women’s Aid, stalking is one of the most common types of abuse. Government figures support the claim, showing around one in 25 women aged 16-59 are a victim of stalking every year. Police said the number of women being stalked is growing due to the internet. A source said to the Express: “The prevalence and popularity of social networking sites means that stalking can be done at the touch of a button, rather than the old style of stalking, which involved waiting at someone’s house and following them wherever they went.”

6. Gender pay gap - The gender pay gap is the average difference between a man's and a woman's remuneration. The pay gap is contributed by the following factors- Cultural Barriers, Occupational Segregation, Education and Training, and Unpaid Work. If we say Men and Women are equal, they are equal in each and every respect and hence, a woman has the right to equal remuneration to man.

7. Trolling - Being trolled, or the act of trolling, is something women have to deal with increasingly as the Internet becomes more social. With the rise of social media, the problem has become more pervasive. In addition to on-the-job harassment, they are brutally trolled on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites for their stand on political or civic issues.