ABSTRACT
Some cultural theorists, however, reinforce ideas of specific, and often derogatory, inequality between women and others. These asymmetries—which easily become inequalities in popular as well as academic discourse—are in themselves worth discussing. More to the point for this particular topic would be discussion about why the fundamental right to vote was awarded to women in the United States nearly 150 years after the country was founded and why proposed constitutional amendments guaranteeing equal rights for women and men have foundered since that time at both state and national levels. Spirited discussion can be had, more so if the surrounding culture is high in power distance and highly masculine in the Hofstede system. In all countries, work is necessary and a primary form of self-definition and self-regard. Regarding compensated work only, it is also a worldwide phenomenon that women’s work is compensated, on average, at about 65–70 percent of men’s.
