Gender Bias and Unequal Treatment
According to Wolfson, women are likely to be addressed in terms that demean their actual status. In contrast, men with the same status as women are likely to be addressed appropriately. Unequal treatments based on gender have been in existence for a long time. Gender stereotypes which have always undermined women capabilities in many societies have passed this from generation to generation.
Gendered Affectionate Titles
In social gatherings, women with names not familiar to the speaker were usually referred to with affectionate titles such as "sweetheart" or "dear" to show respect. These affectionate terms are only applied to boys by women who are old and not to men who are of the same age as these women. According to Wolfson, the use of affection terms are not reciprocal, women who receive these forms of address can't return it to the speaker especially if he is a man. This is a sign of giving women less respect (Wolfson 220).
Compliments and Sexist Praises
In most cases, women of high status as men are usually complemented more than men. In a social gathering comprising of lawyers from both genders, the speaker may give a compliment after a female lawyer has given her speech which may not be given to a male lawyer, for instance, "You are such a kind lawyer. I admire you, dear". Such compliments according to Wolfson are similar to praises given to children to encourage them to grow with good behaviors. Therefore, this makes females appear like children before the public. Besides, some compliments appear sexist and may be offensive (Wolfson 185).
Different Greetings and Addressing
As a server in a restaurant, I find myself greeting women differently from men, and I always see it as being respectful and "working my tip". Even with that low-level status, we still greet women and men not the same in most cases. When a woman is greeted, she gets more of an affectionate greeting versus men who still get a respectful greeting "hello darling" vs. "hello sir". Women are more likely to be called "sweetie," "love," "honey," and "babe" when outside by men and other women which gives them a lower standard than that of a man. When married, some women are addressed with their husbands' names. For instance, Mrs. Barak Obama vs. Mrs. Michele Obama. It's as if the woman has not earned her right to be called by her name.
Personal Observations and Conditioning
I myself have found that while at work I tend to greet my guests appropriately depending on age and gender, for instance, older couples are "sir" and "madam" while young couples are "sir" and "sweetheart". I never thought of what the meaning of my greetings meant, but I intended to honor the younger woman by calling her "sweetheart" and be more respectful not to call the man anything other than sir.
I have also experienced this while eating out with my family as well. When with my parents sometimes my father is always greeted with sir throughout the entire time as my mom is addressed as "my love" or "darling" (depending if we're in the south or north). We act this way and accept this thing because we have been conditioned this way from birth. Our parents have taught us to be respectful to one another and the man holds power and is in charge of everything.
Changes and Gender Equality
However, there have been significant changes that have occurred in the way both women and men are addressed regardless of their social status as from 1989. The governments in various countries in the world have given women the legal right to be able to sit at the table with men. Various policies have been formulated to ensure that there is gender equity and equality for both women and men in the societies. Both women and men have equal rights to own properties, to acquire quality education, to access better healthcare services, and to hold high posts in government and various institutions.
Currently, the number of women who have acquired higher education has increased, many women have become heads of various government institutions, and have delivered quality services just like men. Some have become great politicians who have come up with better policies to run various government projects. This has been successful through programs to empower both men and women.
Also, terms that denoted gender biases have been replaced with neutral terms addressing both men and women as equal beings. For example, the term "chairman" or "chairlady" has been replaced with "chairperson," "policeman" or "policewoman" has been replaced with "police officer." This has been done to show respect to both men and women indicating that they are both equal.
Conclusion
In the past, women of equal status as men faced a lot of challenges since they were addressed with less respect as compared to men. The use of non-reciprocal endearment terms when referring to women and use of complement terms were so demeaning to them according to Wolfson. Currently, the way both genders are being handled is the same. Women have equal rights as men.
Work Cited
Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives: Sociolinguistics and TESOL. Cambrige: Newbury House Publishers, 1989.
Wolfson, Nessa. "The Social Dynamics of Native and Nonnative Variation In Complimenting Behavior." The Dynamic Interlanguage. Springer, Boston, MA, 1989. 219-236.
