Learning about Gender Equality
BY ADMIN PUBLISHED August 30, 2020, UPDATED January 19, 2023
The teacher announced that we would be playing a game. It was supposed to be a Girl v/s Boys, where she would pose some questions that we were expected to answer. She checked for our readiness, and we excitedly shouted, “Yess!!”
It was a rapid fire. “Who are smarter?” “Who volunteers more often?” “In your opinion, who do you think is better at Sports?” The boys said in one voice that they were smarter and better in sports. The girls promptly disagreed and said that they are better than boys.
A few of my friends opined, ‘Boys get into trouble more often’…then came the rejoinder; ‘but it depends who it is’…another friend proudly mentioned, ‘Girls can wear make-up and can carry it well…boys cannot!’. The battleground was laid out. ‘Girls always engage in gossip’…’Boys are stronger and faster’…the list was endless!
After a while, it began to register that the responses smacked of gender stereotypes. ‘Make-up’ was for ‘girls’ and ‘strength’ for ‘boys.’ The biases were evident even in the primary grade. One needs to pause and ponder. Who is responsible for reinforcing them? For example, when the role for a ‘devil’ needs to be assigned, a ‘He-devil’ is mostly preferred than a ‘She-devil.’So, who gets picked to play the part? Obviously, the most mischievous boy…the Machiavelli!This way, we end up attributing certain characteristics which are specific to boys and yet others which are common to girls.
As children, we mostly learn from our parents and educators. Therefore, it becomes imperative for them to exert caution. As role models they need to foster gender equity.They must monitor their interactions with young girls and boys and speak in a language which is unbiased. Children must develop the understanding that both girls and boys have choices, can achieve whatever they aspire to be and are in no way inhibited by their genders.
Here are 5 ways to sensitize the kids about gender equality.
1. Stop labelling
We should stop promoting stereotype thinking from early age like ‘pink’ for ‘girls’ and ‘blue’ for ‘boys’, ‘dolls’ for girls and ‘cars’ for boys, Girls can be emotional but Boys don’t cry, aggressiveness is quality of a boy and a girl should be calm. Such things create a gender wall between boys and girls in early years.
2. Entertain no excuses
Parents and teacherscan help kids to lean about gender equality by never using any kind of excuse based on gender. For example, ‘boys can lie but girls should not,’‘girls should help in household work’, but boys are exempted, Sports are a domain which is apt for boys; and so on.
Do not use sentences like, ‘It’s a boy’s game’, ‘Boys can be noisy, but girls are expected to remain calm.’ We should teach kids not to judge anyone based on gender.
3. Do not distance boys
Sometimes, parents and teachers tend to behave harshly with boys. For example, if a boy and a girl are talking in the class, the reaction of the teacher is much harsher towards the boy than the girl. Being a boy, I feel that boys are labelled easily-naughty, liar and useless -these words are used more freely for the boys. This makes us sad and we feel side-lined.
So, the teachers and parents should focus on boys as much as on the girls and make sure that no one feels left out.
It is the duty of society not tocentrethe discussion of gender equality around girls alone. It affects boys as well. Gender equality should take care of both girls and boys so that in future they both respect and have empathy towards each other.
4. Role Models
Another way to crush gender inequality is to discuss different role models. Like a firefighter who is a woman or a cook who is a man. Children should be encouraged to think that role models or career choicesare not based on gender but on the passion of an individual.A woman can choose to be firefighter and a man to be a Chef, if they find the profession is best suited to their interests.
5. Developing respect for the opposite gender
Learners should be made aware of the importance of developing respect for the opposite gender and recognize the contribution of each in maintaining a safe and secure environment. This way, they will not only avail every opportunity but also appreciate the worth of every individual.
At DPSG Palam Vihar, Gurugram, we work around all the above-mentioned principles and stay away from biases. We learn to respect people for their attributes, dispositions, and values. Our educators emphasise on the necessity of being a good human being instead of a good ‘boy’ or a good ‘girl’. This is what makes me a proud DPSGite!
In my opinion, it is time we talk about gender equality in the open and as early as possible. We should stop treating daughters and sons differently. It’s important to give them love and chances equally from the time they born. So,I urge all readers to give a chance to us boys and girls to decide who we want to be as human beings.
Bye for now! Hope all of us work together and move ahead on a path called Gender Equality.
This blog is contributed by our Student Naman from Class V.
