Final answer:
Men and women perceive gender equity differently largely due to the effects of gender stratification in the workplace. This phenomenon impacts professional opportunities, prestige, earnings, and unpaid domestic responsibilities, with policies and cultural change needed to address such inequalities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Men and women may perceive gender equity differently due to varied experiences with gender stratification. Stratification can harm both genders by perpetuating unequal treatment and pay in the workplace, as well as imbuing different levels of prestige to certain jobs. Men's work is often valued more highly, a pattern evident globally and historically. Gender roles not only shape professional opportunities and earnings but also influence unpaid domestic labor, with women generally shouldering more responsibility at home. Economists have linked gender-based earnings gaps to early exposure to sexism, indicating that women from areas with more pronounced sexist attitudes tend to earn less throughout their lives.
Strategies to mitigate such disparities include addressing the devaluation of 'women's work', promoting equal representativeness in various job sectors, and enacting policies to ensure equitable pay. It is also important to recognize and challenge societal norms and biases that underpin gender discrimination, striving for a culture that values all contributions equally. Moving towards this direction can reduce the effects of gender stratification, benefiting society as a whole by tapping into the full potential of its workforce.