There are various views on gender inequality among modern scholars. While some connect gender inequality with the development of material property and the domination of males, others find examples of nations with no signs of gender inequality. Graeber and Wengrow (2021) write that there were no periods in human history when people lived in a completely egalitarian society, but they always tried to destroy the existing hierarchy. At the same time, Leposwky (n.d.) uses the example of the Vananti society discovered in the mainland of New Guinea, which used to have an egalitarian society without evident signs of male domination. It shows that gender inequality was attainable throughout history, which signifies that it is not an unavoidable part of being human.
People have tried to create an egalitarian society throughout history, but there were always different groups of oppressed individuals who were not regarded as part of the community. Therefore, there was always the vulnerable category of individuals left behind in the attempts to make society equal for everyone. The example of achieving equality as the primary principle in the American democratic social order illustrates this idea. For many centuries, equality for everyone was equal access to civil rights for white free males, which excluded people of color, women, and enslaved people from this social system. This case shows that even when people think that they have achieved equality, they might disregard the most vulnerable group of the population. The situation with gender inequality is an example of this dominance of one social group in the community, which makes all individuals think only about the rights of the majority. Thus, when the dominant group is ready to share its privileges with other categories of people, gender equality becomes possible.
References
Graeber, D. & Wengrow, D. (2021). Do things have to be this way? Sapiens. Pdf file.
Leposwky, M. (n.d.). Gender in egalitarian society: A case study from the Coral Sea. n.p. Pdf file.