Jargon Free Forum

Gender Inequality

“Gender” is a socio-cultural term referring socially defined roles and behaviors assigned to ‘males’ and ‘females’ in a given society; whereas, the term ‘sex’ is a biological and physiological phenomenon which defines man and woman. In its social, historical and cultural aspects, gender is a function of the power relations between men and women where men are considered superior to women. Therefore, gender may be understood as a man-made concept, while ‘sex’ is the natural or biological characteristics of human beings.

Gender Inequality, in simple words, may be defined as discrimination against women based on their sex. Women are traditionally considered by society as the weaker sex. She has been accorded a subordinate position to men. She is exploited, degraded, violated and discriminated both in our homes and in the outside world. This peculiar type of discrimination against women is prevalent everywhere in the world and more so in Indian society.

Pre-session assessment

The total number of participants were 40 children in 11th grade. The following points were discussed with the children during the pre-session assessment:

Question to all students:

What were your first thoughts when you heard the term "gender inequality"? - During the discussion with the children, most of them were clueless about this concept. Many explained that discrimination between boys and girls in society is called gender inequality. Who believes that girls are gentle and boys are tough? - Most of the students replied that girls are gentle and boys are tough. There were a few who had a different opinion on this point. They did not consider that girls are gentle and boys are tough. However, most were in favor of the statement. Men are logical and women are emotional - All of them agreed with the above statement with one voice. Women are shy and men are not, etc. - There was a mixed response to this question. What are the responsibilities of a man/woman? - Some groups of students (both girls and boys) mentioned that a man should solve all the household problems and take care of his family financially. Some students mentioned that a man should get a good education and make the right decisions for his family. A group of students mentioned that a woman should take care of her family and maintain harmony between them. Some students said that a woman should exercise all her rights and have the right to go out and work. Other students said that a woman should work for her self-respect. How should a girl/boy be? - Some groups of students (both girls and boys) mentioned that a boy should be an ideal son/husband and father and give respect to his wife, as well as provide equal opportunities to her. Some students said that a boy should have respect in society and should not do things that can destroy his image or his family's reputation. Many students said that a girl should not think that she is not equal to a boy and should not go for child marriage. Some students said that a girl should have the right to education and be able to take up a job if she wants to.

Activity conducted during the session

#StartWithTheBoys: This short film by Vinil Mathew, starring Madhuri Dixit for Vogue Empower, tackles the issue of domestic violence from a different perspective. The film shows baby boys being raised with the phrase "boys don't cry," which can lead to bottling up emotions and dysfunctional behavior. The film emphasizes that there is nothing wrong with crying, but making someone cry is wrong. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ48uk1FhEg Muskan: This animated movie tells the story of a young girl named Muskaan, who learns that her pregnant mother is being forced to undergo a test to determine the gender of the unborn child, which will be aborted if it's a girl. Muskaan takes on the challenge to change the minds of her family members and break down prevalent gender biases and notions in society that lead to female feticides. Link: https://youtu.be/9HKlP4YKXu4Meena - Dividing the Mango: In this short film, Meena works hard every day but is always given a smaller portion of food compared to her brother Raju. When Meena and Raju decide to swap jobs for the day, Raju realizes how hard Meena works and decides to share his portion of food equally with her from now on. Link: https://youtu.be/OHaX-_cVEiU The Girl Story: This short film highlights the importance of educating girls, stating that "educate a boy and you educate an individual, but educate a girl and you educate a community." Link: https://youtu.be/CJAO5MQf05s

Post-session assessment

Where do all these thoughts related to gender roles come from? - Some students mentioned that they observe these things in their day-to-day life. What is his/her role in their house? - Some groups of girls said that their role in the house is to help their mothers and study as well. Many boys said that they help in outside work, while some boys said that they also help their mothers in household work. Some girls also claim that they do outside work as well. Are you actually equal? - Some students replied that they are treated equally in the house. Some girls said that they have equal freedom as their brothers in the house. Some boys said that they don't do any household work and think that it's a woman's work. Some students replied that they are not equal as their responsibilities are different.