Gender Issues

The topic of Gender itself is thought provoking. So what Gender is? Now gender is the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones). So the sex is the biological differentiation whereas gender is constructed by the society. The society differentiates all the roles of the members of the society on the basis of the gender. Gender dominates the work, the language, the idioms, the process and the entire life of the person. This is which when challenged led to war among the two gender (man and woman). The use of the women and not something else is worth noticing, as women is gendered differentiation. Gender not only influences the social roles and its construction but the psyche of the person as well. Taking into the account of the Indian society and the position of the women, there is huge discrimination from the birth till death among the man and the women. A close look in the customs and ritual of Indian society (especially pointing to the Hindu Religious system) everything is dominated by the gender. Man in Indian society is considered to be the master and women to be slave. The master can order the slave but not vice versa. The condition of the women in the Indian society was pitiable. As a male child is brought up, he is indoctrinated to be a man from very young age and if he’s not rough in his behavior he is considered to be inferior and compared to women. The taunts are Have you wore bangles in your hands? (As mostly, bangles are considered as a jewelry of women). Don’t cry like a girl. Buying doll for girl and gun for boy etc. From early childhood, the children are given the wrong message. Why only the girl should cry, not the boy. The boys grow up with the loss. As they cannot express their feelings suffer from the heart attack. As the girl child advances in her development, she is being taught to adapt the role of perfect women and perform duty of the family. Women who do not follow the domestic norm are looked down upon in society. Simone de Beauvoir in the chapter “Woman: Myth and Reality” of The Second Sex, de Beauvoir argued that men had made women the ‘Other’ in society by application of a false aura of ‘mystery’ around them explaining that woman referred as “the other.” As a very interesting to note the lines of Simone de Beauvoir that “woman is not born but she is made”.

Till date the girl child detection and her killing in the mother’s womb is continuously taking place in Indian society. Previously the girl child was killed after taking birth but now the new medical methods are used to do so. If they somehow are allowed to survive they have to follow the strict sociological patterns of their survival in the society and prepare themselves to become a good daughter, good housewife and then a good mother. As changes are taking place the women in India had crossed their houses. But with development in the thinking the Indian Laws are made to help for the protection of the women. The women are stepping out in their life and demanding an equal status like men. These are appreciable steps in the part of women empowerment, but nowadays they demand for the equality with men is worth noticing. Such as to have alcoholic beverage, staying out in the night and so on. Do these things decides the equality? Does fulfilling these things the women will be at par with the men. These are non-permissible, since it’s not the criteria for empowerment. This may lead to increase in un-safety and crime. Crime against women is seen every day, mostly done by both men and women. It also an upcoming question that who should be actually blamed? Many men question that should till date all the men be held responsible for all the crimes against women? Talking about the crime against the women, people wants to focus more on crime than criminal and find reasons to eliminate it. Since as the both the gender are involved in the crime against woman. They grapple to focus on the empowerment of the women instead igniting hatred among the two. Some answer this differently, by focusing on the change of the mindset of the people. Definitely, women empowerment is very necessary to fight against these situations. The problem lies in the mentality of society. The basic root cause behind these crimes is Patriarchy. Men and women both can be of this mentality that woman is inferior to man. And it shows in their acts or these crimes. So, it is necessary to first, eradicate this mentality. The issue of abuse is related to everyone not only women and men but to transgender also. Abuse is an issue, which has many dimensions more than legal socio-cultural dimensions affects more whosoever the victim. Best solution will be to make a value in society that criminal of such behaviors will be looked down like worms but unfortunately, the situation is just opposite. So we need to start from the beginning, means socialization from family so people will think hundreds time before committing such things whether at home or workplace or any other places.

When we talk of the societies in different part of the world, then surely the difference can be seen. The real difference is seen when a person from the Indian society reaches and starts to fit in the society which is totally different from India. The people especially women who migrated in the west have different experience altogether. An Indian lady who was born and brought up in the Indian society can clearly differentiate the status of the women in the India and Europe. The fears that an Indian women in her own society she feels is far more, than the security she felt in the abroad. Taking the case of Germany, the women are given equal importance, as man. No discrimination at home or work. Men are brought up like a house help unlike in India (though there is little change in mentality of people these days). Even children both boys and girls learn cleaning their room and plates in their play school. Both man and woman cook together and raise their children together as here mostly people live in nuclear families. There is no man or woman job. Indian woman felt much more secure and respectful here. Many a times this Indian lady have reached home after 12 in night from work and no bullying and no unwanted comments, this she could not imagine in Delhi yet (worked in Delhi and Noida for 4+ years). What to wear or not wear, whom to love not to love, what to do not to do parents don’t tell children after 18. Girls are equally independent as boys. The only point at which discrimination comes is woman after having a baby. Then she has to prove her worth as some times due to baby, she leaves early or has to take many leaves. But good thing is maternity leave here is 12 months.

Finally to conclude it is very necessary to look on the actual meaning of the empowerment and emancipation from that empowerment. The women in the Indian society need to understand the actual meaning of equality. Equality comes not by copying the other but to have respect of one who you are. To respect of one’s own decision and thinking and what one does for her fellow being in distress. The rules and laws should be used for the genuine purpose and not to harass a man when he/his family is innocent. Moreover, it’s the women who has a the capability to bring a new ones in this world, so it’s her responsibility to treat herself and teach them the importance of equality. The children always learn from what they see in their own home.

(This topic was discussed with Ms Sarika C saju, Asst. Professor in Sociology, RIE Bhopal and Ms Nishtha Saxena, Asst Professor in Education, Sant Hirdaram Cpllege, Bairagad, Bhopal. The discussion is drafted by Miss Deepti Kavathekar, Ph D Scholar, Jamia Milia Islamiya, New Delhi)