Non-religious viewpoints on Gender Inequality

With the Higher RMPS exam fast approaching, I’ve been thinking about possible questions for this year (2026) and how I would approach them. Today, I’ve mostly been looking at the Relationships section so thought I would share just in case it helps anyone’s revision!

Evaluate the non-religious responses to moral issues arising from gender inequality and exploitation. (20)

The first thing I’m thinking about is how this topic is broken down on the course specification as that does help give me a structure for what to look at.

• In the media
• In society
• In religion

Gender inequality is when men and women are treated unequally or unfairly, this can occur in the media, society, and religion to name just a few aspects. [We’re showing the examiner that we know the subsections they want us to write about!]

Then I want to work ‘backwards’ through my question starting with establishing I know what exploitations and inequality are!

Exploitation is where inequality reaches a point in which men or women are effectively abused on the basis of their gender e.g. being paid less for the same job. (KU)

Thought: What moral issue arises from this?

The first moral issue arising from gender inequality in the media is the male gaze. This is the theory that even though women are seen on screen more than in the past, this is still through a man’s eyes because they represent 90% of directors and 96% of cinematographers. (KU) This leads to the concern that women are not being fairly represented through film and often are being exploited by their sexuality being used to sell more tickets or products. (KU).

Thought: What is a non-religious response?

A non-religious response is Kant. He believed that all humans have equal value because they possess the ability to reason and should be treated equally. (KU) He said that for an action to be moral, it must pass the universalizability test i.e. would you be happy for it to be a rule for all time and in all places. (KU) Secondly, it must pass the humanity test and not use people as a means to an end. (KU)

Thought: And how would that non-religious person respond to the issue I’ve identified?

Therefore, Kant would respond to the issue of the male gaze and say that as people are being used to gain views this would be unacceptable because they are being used as a means to an end. (A) Secondly, he wouldn’t approve of the inequality in the gender split of those producing film as it isn’t valuing all people equally. (A)

Thought: Do I agree with this response?

I agree with Kant because if the media isn’t representative of society, this can have a much greater impact because children could view films etc. and believe that this is how the world really is and fail to realise that it’s through a man’s eyes. (E) I agree that people shouldn’t be used for views because it’s objectifying people and this isn’t the standard we want to say is acceptable within society. (E) [It’s important that people realise that looks are not the most valuable thing about them and the ‘male gaze’ often gives that impression. (E)

Thought: What is a second moral issue?

A second moral issue arising from gender inequality in the media is ‘sneaky sexism’ in advertising. On the one hand, the Advertising Standards Agency banned gender stereotypes from being portrayed in 2019 so we can hope to see less obvious harmful stereotypes. (KU) However, there is a concern that sexism is now less obvious and harder to spot within advertising – men are still portrayed far more than women, they speak far more (KU)

Thought: Do I want to stick with Kant or get more KU by introducing a second non-religious viewpoint? I do like Utilitarianism…

Another non-religious response is utilitarianism. An action is right if it creates the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. (KU) John Stuart Mill (famous utilitarian) also said that ‘higher’ pleasures should be prioritised above ‘lower’ pleasures. (KU) Higher pleasures are those which allow self improvement e.g. education, and a lower pleasure is one which an animal is also capable of e.g. eating. (KU)

Thought: What would they say about the whole sneaky sexism issue?

John Stuart Mill might have responded to the issue of sneaky sexism by saying that it is wrong to have subversive views hidden in the media because this does not allow for open dialogue and limits education (a higher pleasure). (A) Making money from advertising could be seen as a lower pleasure because it is just about greed or meeting basic needs, rather than really focusing on self-improvement. (A)

Thought: Do I agree?

I agree with John Stuart Mill because society can only truly progress if men and women are treated equally, and this can’t happen if people are just trying to ‘get round’ the standards that we’ve set. (E) Right now, by sexist messages being more hidden, it’s impossible to assess the true impact on wider society so John Stuart Mill’s approach – asking what is less animalistic – gives a practical way forward. (E)

Thought: Anything else?!

Gender inequality in society can be found in the way that we enforce gender stereotypes for example, failing to provide equal play opportunities for children. This is a moral issue because on the one hand, having a clear gender identity could help someone to be confident in who they are, KU but on the other hand, if we fail to provide opportunities for children to develop necessary skills through play e.g. to learn communication skills, this can have a really damaging effect on mental health. KU

Referring back to the Utilitarian response – Utilitarians might respond to say that unequal play opportunities are not a moral issue provided the children are happy in the way that they are playing. A For example, if a boy wants to just play with LEGO then making him play with a tea set would cause unhappiness. A But a utilitarian could also say that not providing equal play opportunities is a problem because of the long term unhappiness it can cause. A For example, if a boy doesn’t develop language skills to adequately express emotion this is one of the root causes of the rising male suicide rate. A

Thought: I’m now at the point where I’ve got more than enough marks – and I’m hungry so will go eat lunch instead of adding more evaluation!

Remember – you don’t have to include these specific issues – there are a LOT you can include relating to gender inequality. But the top grade essays will follow this structure 🙂