Speech
Women will never be equal to men. The symbol of gender equality is the male gender symbol, and the female gender symbol with the equal sign in the middle symbolizes that men and women should be equal and deserve the same rights. The symbol of an equal sign has a slash through the middle, splitting the symbol, where the man sits higher than the woman to show his hierarchy, this symbol shows where we are as a society right now. The simplicity behind the symbols they use makes this symbol comprehendible by someone as young as ten, while still captivating the minds of older audiences. Constraints involve Kairos because changing policy is a slow intense process, and it all depends on the right time where the majority of the UN will have to push policy forward. Gender equality has not been reached, everyone should have the ability to have equal rights, opportunities, and representation. Both symbols of gender equality fight for social change using different rhetorical choices, and contrasting lenses, leading to different audiences based off of education.
The symbols use visual rhetoric to appeal to the audience through aesthetics that lead the viewer to ponder the reality of gender equality. For the first symbol, the red is near the planetary symbol standing for female, and the blue is on the male half of the symbol. Humans are trained to think since infancy that pink is for girls, and blue is for boys, we are raised to believe gender has color, and this symbol plays on that fact. The mixing of the colors halfway shows that red and blue work together, and they can be equal together, as they form the color purple. Neither of the colors overpower, they are equal, and they meet to create a beautiful purple. The second symbol symbolizes reality. The equal sign is a boring gray, which can be interpreted as the concrete jungles of corporate America. The equal sign is split in half, separating the man and woman. The man sits on the higher end of the slash, whereas the woman remains on the lower half. NPR states, “Women earn about 82 cents for every dollar a man earns. For Black women, it’s about 65 cents. For Latina women, it’s about 60 cents” (Smith). Even in 2023, women are treated as if they are beneath men, as if they deserve less for the exact job because of their gender. Both visuals are simple, together the symbols convey that women and men are not equal, and women are treated less than men, but hopefully, society can move towards equality that is as harmonious as the purple created in the first symbol.
Lens shape the way one interprets a civic artifact. Both symbols can be interpreted by the social movement lens, and the identity rhetoric and criticism lens. We can see the first symbol in social movements as it calls for change for the future. This symbol can be used to promote social change in any environment. This symbol can be seen on posters calling for gender equality, but it can also be seen on bulletin boards in workplaces to convey equal rights within a place of employment. It leaves the audience to ponder if the symbol is true yet, and how we can shape the future to promote equality. The second symbol shows where we are as a society right now, and it calls for change, as we see the woman sitting below than man. In an ideal society, they would both sit on top of an equal sign that does not have a slash through it. People can often forget the reality, that is displayed by this symbol, and it calls for social change as it suggests the inequalities women face. Both symbols can be viewed through the identity rhetoric and criticism lens, where gender determines how passionate one will be on gender equality. Many believe that we are equal enough, or change will take too long to go out of their way to advocate. Women are faced with the reality of gender inequality daily, so they tend to be more determined for change.
These symbols might be everywhere around the world, but the facts are not. The symbols do not say it will take 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to fix discriminatory laws, and 140 years for equal representation in leadership in the workplace, and 1 in 5 women are victims of child marriage (unstats.un.org). However, both symbols open the mind of the viewer to accepting the inequality and move towards educating themself. The first symbol is a little more complex, and you have to read into the fact that it is calling for a future of equality. The second symbol is straightforward where an elementary-aged child can see the equal sign is split and the man sits above the woman because he’s more powerful. The first is harder to understand compared to the second because it is not reality, whereas the second symbol is the truth we are living in right now. These symbols are designed to bring to attention reality, and call people to educate themselves further.
Rhetorical choices such as aesthetics and visual details shape how effective the symbols are at advocating for gender equality. Both symbols call for social change and can be viewed through the social movement lens; however, education on the gaps between the genders factors into the passion one will have for gender equality which is the identity rhetoric and criticism lens. Symbols lead the audience to educate themselves further as the topic of gender inequality is brought to their attention. Gender equality will not occur soon unless we make the public aware of the gaps that women must jump over to be treated the same as men. Every person wants their daughters to have the same rights as their sons, so fight for change now.
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