Chapter 5 - Gender Bias, Stereotyping and Empowerment

Question- Explain the causes of gender discrimination.

Related Short Answer Questions

1. Under which narrow ideology of the people, a distinction is made between boys and girls?
   
2. How does economic factor affect discrimination between boys and girls?

Answer -

The reasons for gender discrimination can be clearly understood under the following points :

1. Beliefs and Traditions
   One of the main reasons for gender discrimination is Indian beliefs and traditions. Here, seeing the face of a living son, there has been a description of salvation from hell and the belief of getting the Shradh and Pindadi work done by the son. Women have not even been given the right to burn the pyre, due to which the son is also given importance and the male is considered the main in running the lineage, in the fetters of these beliefs and traditions, our Indian public, whether it is educated or not. Illiterate, completely bound, as a result of which boys are given importance and sometimes girls are killed in the womb. Most of the girls are also brought up as a burden and always have to live under the umbrella of men. It has been described in Atharvaveda that a woman should be under the father in childhood, in her youth under her husband and in old age under her son. In this way women are sacrificed for existence, beliefs, traditions and protection. If women look towards men in every sphere of life, then it is certain that the primacy of men will be established. It will be surprising that when a woman herself, despite being a woman, differentiates between boys and girls. Thus, beliefs and traditions are the main reason for increasing gender discrimination.
   
2. Narrow ideology
   One of the reasons for the difference between boys and girls is the narrow ideology of the people. Boys will become the support of their parents’ old age, they will run the lineage, they will be educated and they will progress in the house, while there is an atmosphere of mourning when a girl is born. Because dowry will have to be given for her, groom will have to be found for marriage and till then security will have to be provided and people consider it a waste to spend money in education. At present, girls have done the work of breaking that narrow thinking and myths, yet the work of girls is considered limited to the stove and due to not accepting their participation, the importance of girls is underestimated as compared to boys. Gender discrimination increases.

3. Lack of awareness
   Gender discrimination arises due to lack of awareness. There is still a lack of awareness on gender issues in the society, due to which discrimination is done at the level of care, education and nutrition of boys and girls. At the same time, following the mantra of ‘son and daughter equal’ in the awareness society, the upbringing and education of daughters are provided like women. Due to lack of awareness, it is believed that the work of women is confined within the boundary wall of the house. Therefore, expenditure should not be made on their education and upbringing and due to gender discrimination proper arrangements are not made for the development of girls. As a result, due to not ensuring their participation in the economic field, the attitude of the people towards them also does not change and they always consider themselves inferior to the boys. Therefore, boys are given more importance than girls.
   
4. Illiteracy
   The role of illiteracy in gender discrimination is also important. Illiterate people persist only on the myths and superstitions prevailing in the families and societies and keep following them without thinking. As a result, the importance of the boy is considered more important than that of the girl. The first right on all the goods and facilities is given to the children. Through education, the person has started discussing that like boys, girls are playing a leading role in every field and boys and girls are equal, if girls are given proper encouragement and opportunities, then they can take a leading role in every field can discharge. An educated person thinks that if there will be no women, then mother, sister, daughter and wife will not exist and the educated person also looks at it regularly and feels that women are not behind men in any field. They are walking shoulder to shoulder with them. Thus, gender discrimination also results from illiteracy and ignorance.
   
5. Financial crisis
   India has a large number of families facing financial crisis. In such a situation, they give priority to boys as children than girls, so that they can share in their labour and share the burden of economic responsibilities, but girls are neither able to ensure their participation in labour nor do economic responsibilities. Can afford because of being uneducated. Parents keep girls as alien money and they spend a large part of life’s earnings in the form of dowry in the marriage of the girl and the boy does not have to do the same. Thus, in financially crippled families, boys are desired more than girls, due to which gender discrimination flourishes.

6. Government apathy
   Government apathy is also a factor in increasing gender discrimination. The government does not take strict action against those who do sex in gender and the work of feticide and female feticide is going on unabated in secret hospitals and private clinics. Even in public places and government offices, women are looked down upon as compared to men and instead of eliminating the sense of insecurity prevailing in them, work is done to increase it, which increases gender discrimination.

7. Cultural practices
   Indian Culture has been male dominated since ancient times. Although the examples of some strong women, scholars are definitely found as an exception, but history is witnessing that woman like Sita and Draupadi also had to suffer the consequences of being women. In Indian culture, the presence of men is inevitable even in religious and sacrificial works and women are prohibited from doing some works. In such a situation, the man becomes dominant and the woman’s place is secondary. This situation takes the form of gender problem by becoming the whole of women and not of men and women of any one class or community.

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