Did you know? As per reports, India ranks 135 among 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index of 2022.
Why gender equality a distant dream?
Even today, female foeticide is a prevalent issue in our society. Daughters are not brought into the world due to society’s general apprehension towards their gender. They are considered paraya dhan which becomes a burden on parents. As per reports, India accounts for 45.8 million missing girls in the world in last 50 years. One in nine females of age less than five are killed in India.
Even today, women are not allowed to have education and employment because these are not considered necessary for them. According to National Family Health Survey-5, 21,800 girls from urban and rural areas dropped out of school. Early marriage, assisting and learning housework, and lack of money were the primary reasons behind it. Women are told that marriage is their final destination and they should devote their entire life to sustaining their marriage and being good bahu and wives.
Men, on the other hand, are considered a privileged gender that has the right and responsibility to educate themselves, earn money and pay the bills. Every family wants a son more than a daughter because sons are considered the legal heir of the family property and the ones who will take care of the parents when they grow old.
Gender equality in India is a distant dream. No matter how many plans government introduces to encourage gender equality or how many voices speak up against women’s oppression, gender equality is still an issue in our country. And the reason behind this is the deep-rooted patriarchy that doesn’t allow people to learn feminist ways of living.
Burning questions
But how long will society discriminate between girls and boys?
How long do girls have to face inequality and injustice just because of their gender?
How long will boys be told that they are privileged because of their gender?
Wouldn’t this affect the mindsets of girls and boys?
Wouldn’t girls feel oppressed and weak because of being marginalized?
Won’t boys feel proud because of their gender and boss over girls?
What parents can do to #bethechange?
Although there are many other ways in which gender equality can be achieved. But one of the important ways is the how sons and daughters are raised. Parents need to change how they raise their children – both boys and girls. Here is how they can do that:
1. Treat daughters and sons equally
Parents must treat their daughters and sons equally. They should provide them with equal education, equal health care, equal food and equal opportunities to grow.
Recommended reading: Say No To Gender Based Parenting
Recommended reading: 5 Things To Teach Your Boys
2. Teach sons to respect girls
Parents must teach their sons to respect girls and treat them with equality rather than boss over them. They must make sure that their sons are not learning the ideas of toxic masculinity that make sons chauvinists. Parents must tell their sons that just because their gender is male, they do not get any favors. They should tell them that gender has nothing to do with how sons treat girls around them.
3. Stay away from gender roles
Parents must not impose gender roles on their sons and daughters. They must teach everything to both sons and daughters so that they don’t divide roles based on their genders. For example, both sons and daughters should be taught to cook and drive because these are basic life skills.
Recommended reading: 5 Tips To Raise Your Daughters As Confident Women
Recommended reading: Breaking Stereotypes: Changing Gender Roles In Modern Society
4. Raise both sons and daughters as individuals with choice
Parents must raise their daughters and sons not as women or paraya dhan and men or future assets but as free individuals. They must allow both of them to make choices and follow their dreams without any discrimination. Parents must give both sons and daughters equal opportunities to grow and equal chances to fail.
Conclusion: Gender equality a distant dream
We cannot predict when gender equality will be achieved because it is not a one-day task. It will take years of learning and unlearning to properly understand what gender equality is. And parents especially need to be careful about raising the future generation so that they reflect the change not the past.
