“A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.” - Gloria Steinem
There is depth in this quote; “a society where people can be themselves without worrying about their gender”. I don’t know how many of you actually take this seriously, but for me, ‘gender equality’ is the most important issue.
People say that India has evolved and is moving towards a new direction. However, this is one nation wherein you can find two societies, two faces, and two beautiful bifurcations.
These two bifurcations are entangled with each other in such a way that it’s hard to differentiate them. The modern India is working and progressing whereas, deep within that modern outfit, lays a conservative India igniting baseless rituals and beliefs.
Being raised in a middle class Brahmin family, I have experienced conservative and liberal thoughts closely. I have witnessed the transition of conservative thoughts to liberal living as well. My parent’s immediate families have conservative thoughts and thus raised question when my mother decided to open a boutique. But, my father’s support helped her cross that thin line of conservativeness.
Wining in-house battle wasn’t enough since we were to make ourselves ready to face the society in which we live. People questioned her decision and many suggested that her profession may hamper my father’s reputation. Undoubtedly, this did raise some tensions but thankfully we overcame that.
Having witnessed the belief so closely, I have questioned that ‘Why society has an objection with working women?’, ‘Why women are considered a weaker section when they are the ones who wake up early and sleep late?’, and ‘Why do we blindly follow the set rules defined for both sexes?’
I personally feel that ancient India was far more liberal than the modern one. Yes, there were rules defined for each sex but both sexes were given equal importance. Today, there is an inequality that is visible yet people are afraid to take a move.
Gender Equality is not about allowing women to work but to consider them as competent as men and giving them equal respect. India is one such country where you would witness the hypocrisy of the citizens.
Indians worship a lot of God and Goddess. In our culture, Gods and Goddesses are given equal stature, which depicts the expectations from the society. Sadly, the message is lost somewhere. We may be living in a century where India is considered as the youngest nations and the world is having their eyes on us. But, in deep India, when a girl child is born, parents get sad. They are still considered a liability. On the contrary, those people worship Goddess Laxmi for wealth.
Goddess Saraswati is considered the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. But, even today the large population question over girl education. Goddess Durga is worshiped and is known for her strength. But, even today domestic violence is a major issue. People are ready to worship Goddess Kali but would certainly expect their wives to be fair and beautiful.
I know, you must be thinking that this all prevails in the deep uneducated India. Look around you and tell me does it actually happen? Reservations have certainly helped women to get jobs and positions in corporate world but their battle for their identity is still on. Many of you might agree to the fact that women in corporate world still face issues of gender discrimination.
This discrimination exists in the terms of salary, delegation of work and responsibilities, and most importantly, safety. Sadly, even today women are considered as a medium to get attention. The best example would be the presence of female models in appealing outfit during motor exhibitions. Do we actually need them there?
I, on the other hand, find it hard to adjust myself to this conventional thinking. No matter how much we speak about Gender Equality, nothing would work until we, you and me, start the change. Quoting personal example, my father allowed my mother to not only open her boutique but also supports her, whenever she needs help.
This might be the smallest contribution but this indeed is a first step. My mother ensures that she hire female employees so that girls, who are in search of their identity, can get a chance to learn some skill that would be helpful to them in future. Leaving behind these small examples let me quote a bigger and better example.
The company where I presently work, Mobisoft Infotech, ensures that they give chance to women with talent when most of the companies hesitate to have them. The truth is, when a woman employee is hired, the general perception that comes in mind that they won’t work for longer hours, they won’t be able to match their counterpart males, they won’t be as creative as male, and other similar beliefs.
This happens as this is a male dominating society and thus women are considered less competent than men. I recently realized that my present company has different perception than the usual. The company believes that women can be at par with men, provided they are given a platform.
Moving ahead on their belief, they give chance to women irrespective of their gender. Not only that, they have created a friendly environment wherein they feel safe to work and excel. The ratio is maintained between both sexes so that their belief is met.
Corporate companies can influence the masses if they can adhere to this belief. Women are not a weak community. They are at par with men and can excel in professional life if given a chance. The way we worship Goddesses and seek blessings for our life, similarly we need to take certain steps to give them a chance and a platform to prove their excellence. Gender Equality can be met if people like us take small steps and try to bring a bigger change.
