Gend In Education 3 19
I was reminded of International Women’s day (which was commemorated yesterday, 8 March) upon looking at the cover of The Economist- sprawled with the word ‘Gendercide’, followed by the subtitles- ‘What happened to 100 million baby girls?’ The article that followed was on the topic of the abortion of daughters in Asian countries like China and India, and how the phenomenon remains widespread, because of cultural reasons as well as increased accessibility of ultrasound scanning.
Well, I don’t even have to go as far as talking about China and India, to discuss the good old topic of women rights and the empowerment of women. Having a conversation with my grandmother regarding the choice of university courses I should pursue in future, I told her of my interest in taking Economics. And to that she replied that girls shouldn’t take economics, because the career in a finance industry is a tough and hectic one, and it’s a career reserved for men. She then went on to lament about how I had given up the opportunity of taking medicine (yes, that choice was eliminated a year back after dropping all my sciences) because that would make for a good career for women. By entering private practice, my working hours would be more flexible and I would have more time to take care of the household, my children and so on.
Yes, even after centuries, the notion of women as the main caretaker of the family has not diminished, especially in Asian societies. In Western societies, this probably does not hold- Take the United States as an example, where the labour force comprises of about 52% of women. This contrasts with Japan, where the portrayal of women is still that of a subservient wife, a caring mother, and a filial daughter, and only 24% of women are employed in the work force. The disparity between the perceptions of the role of women here seems very much a result of different cultural beliefs in the East and West.
Back at home, my circumstances certainly differ greatly from girls in China, India or Japan, for instance. My opportunities are not limited because of societal perceptions. Rather, my parents believe in education for their children, and invest a lot in education regardless of our gender. But once in a while, I still think about the role of women in today’s world, when the existence of the entrapment of women confronts me in the face. Like the conversation with my grandmother, which was thought provoking in some way- How did she come to form such a perception? I wonder how it was like in her time; it would probably have been a lot worse. The role of women probably stopped at that of a house maker, and women in politics and business were unseen and unheard of – or maybe even shunned as they were deemed to be ‘irresponsible’ for failing to carry out their task of setting up a family.
To tackle the problem, I wouldn’t talk about the traditional solutions of increasing the education opportunities for women, enforcing stricter legislations… these have been much talked of already. I hold my stand that the empowerment of men will lead to the empowerment of women. By advocating the mindset that men can be house husbands, the cook in the house, the man that stands by the door and bids goodbye to his wife as she goes to work, I believe that the empowerment of women will be in sight. It is not just showing the world that women can be politicians and CEOs as well. The acceptance of men in traditionally ‘women’ roles serve as a step towards gender equality. ‘Equality’ suggests likeness and similarity; in this case, the similarity in the roles of the different genders. While there will always exist a gap, we should work towards narrowing the gender gap by accepting that both genders can carry out similar tasks that are within their reach. This probably sounds too good to be true; too far to be reached; but certainly, aspirations exist for a reason and I do hope that the empowerment of women, and men, will be attained in small but steady steps.
For now, I guess I’m lucky that I am born in society where the gender disparity isn’t anchored deeply. I count my blessings when I realize that I am not one of the 100 million girls who have been so carelessly aborted, because of their parents’ belief that girls are inferior to boys. I thank the stars when I know that I’m not just an 18 year old girl who will soon marry a man whom her parents decided on, through the help of a matchmaker.
I am thankful that I’m a girl born in a society where ‘women hold up half the sky’ is not just a saying, but a truth that will gain recognition slowly but surely.
