Research on the Impact of Protecting the Rights of Vulnerable Women in the Framework of Gender Equality

Research Article
Open access

Research on the Impact of Protecting the Rights of Vulnerable Women in the Framework of Gender Equality

Ruijie Pan 1*
  • 1 Washington State University    
  • *corresponding author Ruijie.pan@wsu.edu
Published on 3 January 2025 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/2024.19502
LNEP Vol.76
ISSN (Print): 2753-7056
ISSN (Online): 2753-7048
ISBN (Print): 978-1-83558-751-5
ISBN (Online): 978-1-83558-752-2

Abstract

Nowadays, the global trend toward gender equality is heavily biased toward men, making it particularly important to ensure equal rights between men and women. As a result, there are numerous gender equality projects aimed at protecting women's rights. This stems from the complex challenges that women, especially disadvantaged women, are facing throughout their lives, making it difficult for them to escape and seek help. However, existing research on protecting the rights of vulnerable women has not fully considered the difficulties faced by this group. The theme of this article will be a study on the impact of protecting the rights of disadvantaged women on the framework of gender equality, focusing on the challenges faced by underprivileged women in the current trend of gender equality and providing a definition of gender equality. It will use the method of literature analysis, combined with major cases that have occurred, to analyze why women are disadvantaged and why it is challenging to protect their rights. At the same time, it will mention any challenges faced by vulnerable groups that existing policies may overlook.

Keywords:

Vulnerable group protection, Gender balance, Gender discrimination

Pan,R. (2025). Research on the Impact of Protecting the Rights of Vulnerable Women in the Framework of Gender Equality. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,76,136-140.
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1. Introduction

Globally, a gender framework is recognized as an important tool for guaranteeing women's and men's rights. The elimination of gender discrimination in national courts and international human rights treaties has strengthened the norms of gender equality in society and also led the way in the field of gender equality differently [1]. At the same time, to strengthen and consolidate these successes, the major international organizations are promoting projects for gender equality, especially for the protection of women's rights.

In this essay, the research question is why protecting women’s rights is unfair to the gender equality framework and why they think women do not have rights and are not equal to men. While vulnerable Women are facing various special challenges, such as extremely poor economic conditions, severe discrimination, difficulty in seeking sufficient legal aid, lack of voice, basic human rights, being controlled and used as tools by their families, etc., Most of them may not have access to education for their entire lives. In the existing literature, the cases related to the protection of vulnerable women's rights that can be included are not comprehensive enough. They mostly involve in-depth exploration and discussion of special situations rather than the usual social situation.

Today, even with all the struggles and efforts women can make, it can still be seen from many news that the status of women in many countries is significantly declining. Although already in a disadvantaged position, they have been further deprived of basic rights through newly implemented policies and oppressive environments. This continuous marginalization has severely undermined their ability to advocate for themselves, leaving them nearly powerless to resist. For example, women can’t fight to protect their basic human rights in their own countries, so they must turn to people from other countries to help helplessness in their countries. This research aims to raise awareness of women's challenges and highlight the need for women to advocate for changes that protect and uphold their rights.

2. Gender Balance

This research will employ a case study approach to explore these issues, providing a comprehensive overview and contribution to the field. The purpose is to challenge preconceived notions by demonstrating that the situation is far more complex than commonly imagined. The preconceived notion means the fixed stereotypes about both genders in society, especially towards females. At the same time, this concept does not impose the same gender expectations and social pressures on both genders, which can be manifested in the negation of women's self-social positioning, such as their obligation to dedicate themselves to the family, give up self-pursuit, and obey anyone, especially men's control over them. In other words, women are often the ones who must sacrifice more in the family.

The existing mainstream belief often holds that women must exist as more vulnerable parties to compromise. Once strong, successful, and independent women emerge they must face many rumors and gossip as normal situations and helpless. Meanwhile, many existing reports, materials, discussions, studies, etc., believe this situation is normal and should exist, as the author mentioned in his article [1]. Nowadays, gender discrimination has been socially normalized by many people, especially males, and this has flattened the rights situation faced by women. This study aims to reshape perspectives on women's rights and their struggles by critically examining the underlying gender biases and societal norms. The issue of gender balance has significant social implications in many countries, influencing policy and societal attitudes. It is highly controversial and has been debated in every society so far. This subject is very complex in much research, and most aspects involved are difficult to summarize. Even though 'gender equality' has become a widely accepted concept in many societies, women are still in a disadvantaged position in many areas, which shows that the implementation of gender equality in practice still faces great challenges.

2.1. Gender Balance Theory

Gender balance is defined as achieving both vertical and horizontal balance within social organizations [2]. Although this theory is limited to a binary understanding of gender, it is indeed one of the ways to move towards a more egalitarian, diverse, and inclusive society. The author contends that gender balance theory fails to address gender diversity and emphasizes that efforts to achieve gender balance in academia must consider broader societal contexts without altering the established distribution of social rights. That means men receive most social rights in terms of the percentage of participation, dominating in the areas of rights, positions, and practices. In conclusion, many laws exist, such as the "N Room Prevention Law” [3]. Many feminist protests to help balance gender equality, that is, the equal proportion of rights held by men and women in the same environment, are still difficult to achieve through any means or ideas [4].

2.2. Male Restriction

Male restriction and oppression of women's fundamental human rights have left most females in the regions dependent on males for their minimal freedoms. As a result, the male gender balance has increased. Although there is resistance to the tightening of political decrees around the world in the form of marches, protests, and disguised disobedience in an attempt to break down the current situation and to gain even a small measure of respite for disadvantaged women to protect their few remaining rights, it is not easy to see how this situation can be accomplished in a short time.

For example, in many countries, people's deep-rooted perceptions, education from childhood, and experiences lead to misperceptions about the social status of different genders. Young males tend to perceive that men are treated more unfairly than women by society, leading them to underestimate the longstanding challenges that women continue to face [5]. Unlike the perceptions of other groups who have more experiences with these situations, young males perceive that males and females are equally oppressed and victimized by society in the belief that the social climate is unfavorable to males. These perceptions have significant social implications, as they make it more difficult for women in vulnerable positions to seek help and protection, further eroding the few rights they have.

2.3. Impact

As a result of this negative social impact, movements to protect the rights of vulnerable females began to undergo significant and continuous changes in direction and tactics, centering on more intractable broader social issues. Based on the significant changes in the social environment, their strategy has shifted from focusing on legal reforms to engaging with the broader public, particularly those who can empathize or have similar experiences, aiming to foster collective action. For example, many Asian, European, and American countries are marching and protesting sexual violence against women. At the same time, many countries have changed their laws to protect women who are in an extremely vulnerable position due to frequent cases of sexual violence against women, even resulting in countless unfortunate deaths.

Their movement has evolved from silent endurance to actively advocating for cultural and legal changes and later revitalizing after periods of societal dormancy [6]. Until today, more movements like that have brought women-only social issues into the public discourse and obtained broader discussion. It’s only when people begin to realize these problems that they gradually discover the inequalities, irrationalities, divisions, oppression, resistance, and the real circumstances faced by both genders that lie deep within this so-called “gender equality” now.

3. Gender Discrimination

The fragile gender balance is beginning to falter due to the situation between genders in some parts of the world becoming critical. For example, in the broader social context, the original fragile surface balance is being gradually disrupted and fragmented as women's basic human rights are seriously undermined by the enactment of various laws that are only responsible for men's rights and interests. The original fragile surface balance means

This highlights the already significant imbalance between men's and women's rights, particularly in the unequal distribution of social resources. “Gender equality” is defined as the right of women and men to equal participation in the same situation. It also means that relatively stable gender equality can be achieved within gender organizations [2].

4. Gender Case Study

On the other hand, several cases are happening or used to happen worldwide. For instance, women in South Korea face serious threats, such as being photographed without consent ('creepshots'), experiencing molestation, being publicly shamed, being treated as objects, or being subjected to domestic violence. These threats have become daily concerns for women, requiring constant vigilance and impacting their everyday lives. The most severe example in their country is room number N, which caused many tragedies and triggered the occurrence of similar crimes. This is a digital or cyber-encrypted state of sexually exploitative crime, which operates in a highly encrypted communication software chat room created by a mysterious user in 2018 and appears to have multiple administrators and multiple rooms [7].

In South Korea, if a disadvantaged woman wants to complain about her rights being exploited and violated, as well as the crimes she has suffered, she will have to pay an unimaginable price [8]. For example, in many cases like Room N, many female journalists and female idols who seek truth for vulnerable female groups who have suffered from violence have faced countless obstacles. The evidence they collect will be rejected by the perpetrators and their protective umbrellas for various distorted reasons while facing threats to their lives. Even if they end up in court, they will still lose the lawsuit with a flawless argument and may even be forced to die. Although not yet harmed, some women have also been greatly affected in their lives. They need to change their habits, be more cautious, and spend more energy paying attention to possible accidents.

The victims in this case ranged from as young as 11 years old, with their personal information leaked and used against them [9]. The perpetrators employed advanced technologies to coerce and subject these victims to severe abuse. With as many as 260,000 people participating in it, there may even be culprits behind the scenes who have not yet been investigated, and the final punishment of the creator is only imprisonment. Room N is rooted in South Korea's deeply entrenched “misogynistic culture,” which has led to a culture of surreptitious filming in their society that is difficult for severely disadvantaged women to resist [10]. As a data result, most places that women might pass by have cameras attached to them, and women are photographed and commented on no matter what they are wearing.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the impact of protecting the rights of vulnerable women in the framework of gender equality does not actually exist, but in the current situation of gender equality, men as beneficiaries occupy a dominant position of power, protecting the rights of vulnerable women, and demanding equality and justice between genders is actually a challenging task. Beneficiaries will perceive this as infringing upon their interests, leading to countless planned accidents. Moreover, the culture of misogyny is deeply rooted in many countries; women are not seen as having human rights but rather as appendages and playthings of men. These concepts have influenced their thinking, causing them to have long lost the idea of safeguarding their rights.

Despite the existence of numerous idealized models and similar laws, there are also relevant laws to address crimes against women. However, based on the deeply rooted "misogyny culture" in many social environments, women are still at an extreme disadvantage and disadvantaged position. They face numerous crimes using new technologies and find it difficult to seek help for themselves through normal channels. Women are treated as objects in such a social environment, and any possible resistance will be suppressed shortly after achieving phased results. Nowadays, gender equality is only a fragile surface within the gender framework, and men occupy most rights and advantages, gradually depriving women of their original human rights through laws such as anti-abortion laws. Therefore, in this kind of social environment, safeguarding the rights of vulnerable women is an unreasonable behavior that infringes on the interests of men.

However, there will always be women who call for advocating human rights and gender equality, and brave women who have awakened their self-awareness will come forward to break free from the constraints of traditional concepts. They resist the traditional concepts they once identified with or were forced to identify with, strive to reverse their status, and influence more women to break free from isolation, confinement, ignorance, and obedience, as well as fight for their liberation and struggle. From then on, women gradually began to break away from past stereotypes, although the process was arduous.


References

[1]. Cook, R. J. (Ed.). (2023). Frontiers of gender equality: transnational legal perspectives. University of Pennsylvania Press.

[2]. Mittner, L. (2023). Gender balance. Taylor & Francis.

[3]. Mang, J., C., &Han, W. (2024) Reflection in South Korea: Deep pseudo sexual crimes cause women to 'panic' Global Times, 007

[4]. Wu,B., &Ma, X.Y. (2018). Research on Women's Participation in the Korean National Independence Movement Korean Studies Essays (01), 125-138 doi:CNKI:SUN:HGYL.0.2018-01-010.

[5]. Lee, Y. J., Na, J., & Kim, B. K. (2024). Age, Gender and One’s Perception of Discrimination Against Men Versus Women in Korea. Psychological Reports, 127(5), 2347–2367. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941221149175

[6]. Jung, K. (2014). Practicing feminism in South Korea: the women’s movement against sexual violence. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315887289

[7]. Jiang, W. (2020). Room N is right beside us See the World (08), 5 doi: CNKI: SUN:KSJK.0.2020-08-003.

[8]. Tu, S. (2024). Upgraded 'Room N', hidden digital violence Fangyuan (18), 64-67 doi:CNKI:SUN: FAYN.0.2024-18-017.

[9]. Pang, S. (2020). Revisiting the Protection of Underage Girls from the Korean "N Room" Case Hebei Education (Moral Education Edition) (06), 17 doi: CNKI:SUN: HJDY.0.2020-06-012.

[10]. Yu, F. (2020). The crime and punishment of "Room N" in South Korea Fangyuan (08), 64-67 doi:CNKI:SUN:FAYN.0.2020-08-029.


Cite this article

Pan,R. (2025). Research on the Impact of Protecting the Rights of Vulnerable Women in the Framework of Gender Equality. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,76,136-140.

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Volume title: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Global Politics and Socio-Humanities

ISBN:978-1-83558-751-5(Print) / 978-1-83558-752-2(Online)
Editor:Enrique Mallen
Conference website: https://2024.icgpsh.org/
Conference date: 20 December 2024
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.76
ISSN:2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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References

[1]. Cook, R. J. (Ed.). (2023). Frontiers of gender equality: transnational legal perspectives. University of Pennsylvania Press.

[2]. Mittner, L. (2023). Gender balance. Taylor & Francis.

[3]. Mang, J., C., &Han, W. (2024) Reflection in South Korea: Deep pseudo sexual crimes cause women to 'panic' Global Times, 007

[4]. Wu,B., &Ma, X.Y. (2018). Research on Women's Participation in the Korean National Independence Movement Korean Studies Essays (01), 125-138 doi:CNKI:SUN:HGYL.0.2018-01-010.

[5]. Lee, Y. J., Na, J., & Kim, B. K. (2024). Age, Gender and One’s Perception of Discrimination Against Men Versus Women in Korea. Psychological Reports, 127(5), 2347–2367. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941221149175

[6]. Jung, K. (2014). Practicing feminism in South Korea: the women’s movement against sexual violence. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315887289

[7]. Jiang, W. (2020). Room N is right beside us See the World (08), 5 doi: CNKI: SUN:KSJK.0.2020-08-003.

[8]. Tu, S. (2024). Upgraded 'Room N', hidden digital violence Fangyuan (18), 64-67 doi:CNKI:SUN: FAYN.0.2024-18-017.

[9]. Pang, S. (2020). Revisiting the Protection of Underage Girls from the Korean "N Room" Case Hebei Education (Moral Education Edition) (06), 17 doi: CNKI:SUN: HJDY.0.2020-06-012.

[10]. Yu, F. (2020). The crime and punishment of "Room N" in South Korea Fangyuan (08), 64-67 doi:CNKI:SUN:FAYN.0.2020-08-029.