GENDER DISCRIMINATION

GENDER DISCRIMINATION

Gender is a common term whereas gender discrimination is meant only for women, because females are the only victims of gender discrimination. Denial of equality, rights and opportunity and suppression in any form on the basis of gender is gender discrimination. Females are nearly 50 percent of the total population but their representation in public life is very low. Gender discrimination is not biologically determined but it is determined socially; and this discrimination can be tackled through proper and perpetuate efforts.
Half of the world’s population is female. They are doing two-third of work of the total work in the world but receive only one-tenth of the world’s total income. Nearly two-third of the women are illiterates and they possess only one percent of the total world’s assets. In the world only one-fourth of the families are headed by females. India is a male dominant society and gender discrimination is habitually customized.

Kinds of discrimination:

• Foeticide - Abortion of female foetus with the help of scanning.

• Not being allowed to go to school (Denial of education).

• Not being given necessary health care when ill.

• Early marriage.

• Eve teasing, Rape and Sexual harassment.

• Dowry.

• Divorce, Destitution even for insignificant or no reason

Causes of Gender Discrimination

• Educational backwardness

• Caste

• Religious beliefs

• Culture

• In the name of family history

• Customs and beliefs

• Races

• Low income

• Unemployment

• Society

• Attitudes

Solutions for Gender Discrimination

To find a solution to the problem of gender discrimination, the E4SD factor would be very useful. The E4SD factors are:

1. Education

Education imparts knowledge, develops skills, changes attitudes and improves self-confidence. It provides employment opportunities and increases income. Hence educating women is the best weapon to combat gender discrimination and to uplift their position in society. Not only females, the whole society must be educated to ensure equal rights for females.

2. Employment

Employment provides income and security, and improves the economic position of the women. Employed women are given greater importance by the family members. Employment gives economic independence for the women.

3. Economic Independence

? Religious beliefs

? CultureIn India, it is traditionally believed that the young woman depends on her father, in the middle age, she depends on her husband and when older, she depends on her son. Economic independence is imperative for women’s development as it will release women from their subservient and dependent position, and provide them greater autonomy. Economic independence of women also helps in the national economic development.

4. Empowerment

Empowering women with the support of laws, education and employment will lead to the social acceptance of women as equal to men. Empowerment of women will not only mitigate their economic dependence, but will also result in the utilization of their true potential and lead to greater national development.

5. Self-confidence

Due to prolonged suppression, Indian women, and especially the uneducated and unemployed women have little self-confidence. Women need self confidence to fight against all the atrocities against them and to live self esteemed lives. Hence, boosting the morale and self confidence of the women is the key to fighting atrocities against women.

6. Decision Making

In the family as well as in the society, the woman is denied the privilege of decision-making. Mostly it is the men who take the important decisions in the family and in the society. This makes women voice-less and reduces their importance in the family as well as in the society. So, to end gender discrimination women must be empowered with the authority of decision-making.

Child right and Child abuse

Let them enjoy their rights

Following are a Few Rights in the immediate   Purview of India:

The Right to Education: 

50% of Indian children aged 6-18 do not go to school Dropout rates increase alarmingly in class III to V.

The Right to Expression:

 Every child has a right to express himself freely in whichever way he likes. Majority of children however are exploited by their elders and not allowed to express.

The Right to Information:

 Every child has a right to know his basic rights and his position in the society. High incidence of illiteracy and ignorance among the deprived and underprivileged children prevents them from having access to information about them and their society.

The Right to Nutrition:

 More than 50% of India's children are malnourished. While one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished.

The Right to Health & Care:

 58% of India's children below the age of 2 years are not fully vaccinated. And 24% of these children do not receive any form of vaccination. Over 60% of children in India are anemic. 95 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their fifth birthday. 70 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their first birthday.

The Right to Protection from Abuse: 

There are approximately 2 million child commercial sex workers between the age of 5 and 15 years and about 3.3 million between 15 and 18 years. They form 40% of the total population of commercial sex workers in India. 500,000 children are forced into this trade every year.

The Right to Protection from Exploitation: 

17 million children in India work as per official estimates. A study found that children were sent to work by compulsion and not by choice, mostly by parents, but with recruiter playing a crucial role in influencing decision. When working outside the family, children put in an average of 21 hours of labour per week. Poor and bonded families often "sell" their children to contractors who promise lucrative jobs in the cities and the children end up being employed in brothels, hotels and domestic work. Many run away and find a life on the streets.

The Right to Protection from Neglect: 

Every child has a right to lead a well protected and secure life away from neglect.


By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention, national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community.
India has made some significant commitments towards ensuring the basic rights of children. There has been progress in overall indicators: infant mortality rates are down, child survival is up, literacy rates have improved and school dropout rates have fallen. But the issue of child rights in India is still caught between legal and policy commitments to children on the one hand, and the fallout of the process of globalisation on the other.

Related news

Schools say no to gender sensitization
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/Schools-say-no-to-gender-sensitisation/articleshow/20722282.cms#write


Literature on "Sex" and "Gender sensitization"
http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1254836.cms

Gender equality-Constitution of India

Article 14 
Ensures gender equality. 
Article 15 
Prohibits discrimination on grounds of sex. 
Article 16
 Provides for equality of opportunity in public employment. 
Article 15 (3)
 Permits the State to make special provisions for women and children. 
Article 39
 Enjoins the State to provide an adequate means of livelihood to men and women. 
Article 51 A (e) 
Makes it a duty of every citizen to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women. 

GENDER EQUITY & EQUALITY

GENDER EQUITY & EQUALITY 

Gender Equity is the process of being fair to men and women.
 To ensure fairness, measures must often be put in place to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from operating on a level playing field. 

Equity is a means. Equality is the result. 

Equity: 
The distribution of rewards in society according to some criterion of merit, i.e., procedural justice and fairness. Outcomes reflect individual contributions. 

Equality:
 Giving the same reward to all, regardless of their contributions. 
Gender inequality is still very evident in this respect, as indicated by the following United Nations statistics: 
Women perform 2/3 of the world's work 
Women earn 1/10 of the world's income 
Women are 2/3 of the world's illiterates 
Women own less than 1/100 of the world's property 

What are some of the situations in which we see gender differences?

Social:

 Different perceptions of women's and men's social roles: the man seen as head of the household and chief bread-winner; the woman seen as nurturer and care-giver.

 








Political: 

Differences in the ways in which women and men assume and share power and authority: men more involved in national- and higher-level politics; women more involved at the local level in activities linked to their domestic roles. 

Educational: 


Differences in educational opportunities and expectations of girls and boys: family resources directed to boy's rather than girl's education; girls streamed into less-challenging academic tracks. 

Economic:
 Differences in women's and men's access to lucrative careers and control of financial and other productive resources: credit and loans; land ownership. 

Sex and gender sensitisation: COMMON GENDER STEREOTYPES

 COMMON GENDER STEREOTYPES: Below are lists of common female and male stereotypes.  Women are: -  Men are:  Dependent - Independent  Weak - Powerful  Incompetent - Comp...

COMMON GENDER STEREOTYPES

GENDER STEREOTYPES 

Gender stereotyping means preconceived ideas whereby males and females are arbitrarily assigned characteristics and roles determined and limited by their sex. Sex stereotyping can limit the development of the natural talents and abilities of boys and girls, women and men, as well as their educational experiences and life opportunities.

Gender stereotyping refers to discrimination based on one's sex. It may involve unfair treatment or infringement upon the rights of a certain sex requiring them to act in a certain manner. It is greatly influenced by culture and upbringing. 

Below are lists of common female and male stereotypes. 

         Women         Men  

• Dependent - Independent 

• Weak - Powerful 

• Incompetent - Competent 

• Less important - More important 

• Emotional - Logical 

• Implementers - Decision-makers 

• Housekeepers - Breadwinners 

• Supporters - Leaders 

• Fearful - Brave 

• Peace-makers - Aggressive 

• Cautious - Adventurous 

• Flexible - Focused 

• Warm - Self-reliant 

• Passive - Active 

• Followers - Leaders 

• Spectators - Doers 

• Modest - Ambitious 

• Subjective - Objective 

• Soft-spoken - Out-spoken 

• Secretaries - Bosses 

• Nurturing - Assertive 

• Gentle - Strong 

• Cheerful - Forceful 

• Caretakers - Achievers 

Can you add more?

SEX AND GENDER

The concepts "sex" and "gender" may be defined as follows: 

"Sex" refers to the biological differences between women and men. They are generally permanent and universal. 

"Gender" refers to the socially constructed roles and responsibilities of women and men, in a given culture or location. These roles are influenced by perceptions and expectations arising from cultural, political, environmental, economic, social, and religious factors, as well as custom, law, class, ethnicity, and individual or institutional bias. Gender attitudes and behaviors are learned and can be changed. 

What are some of the situations in which we see gender differences? 

Social: Different perceptions of women's and men's social roles: the man seen as head of the household and chief bread-winner; the woman seen as nurturer and care-giver. 

Political: Differences in the ways in which women and men assume and share power and authority: men more involved in national- and higher-level politics; women more involved at the local level in activities linked to their domestic roles. 

Educational: Differences in educational opportunities and expectations of girls and boys: family resources directed to boy's rather than girl's education; girls streamed into less-challenging academic tracks. 

Economic: Differences in women's and men's access to lucrative careers and control of financial and other productive resources: credit and loans; land ownership. 


COMMON GENDER STEREOTYPES 

Below are lists of common female and male stereotypes. 

Women are: - Men are: 
Dependent - Independent 
Weak - Powerful 
Incompetent - Competent 
Less important - More important 
Emotional - Logical 
Implementers - Decision-makers 
Housekeepers - Breadwinners 
Supporters - Leaders 
Fearful - Brave 
Peace-makers - Aggressive 
Cautious - Adventurous 
Flexible - Focused 
Warm - Self-reliant 
Passive - Active 
Followers - Leaders 
Spectators - Doers 
Modest - Ambitious 
Subjective - Objective 
Soft-spoken - Out-spoken 
Secretaries - Bosses 
Nurturing - Assertive 
Gentle - Strong 
Cheerful - Forceful 
Caretakers - Achievers 


GENDER ROLES 

The biological differences between men and women do not normally change; people are either male or female. However, the characteristics they are perceived to have, and the roles and responsibilities assigned to them, differ among societies, cultures, and historical periods. 

Gender roles are the activities ascribed to men and women on the basis of perceived differences. "Division of labor" is a term used in gender literature to mean the roles and tasks assigned to women and men on the basis of perceived gender characteristics and attributes, instead of ability and skills. 

Men's Roles 
Today, in the world's more industrialized countries there are few lines of demarcation between men's and women's occupations. However, in many less industrialized societies men have more visible and recognized roles than women, largely because men are paid for their productive work and women are not. In these societies, men's roles usually involve jobs which are assessed and counted in national censuses and accounting systems. Men do not usually perform domestic or household tasks. 

If they have community management roles, these tend to involve political organization and leadership. Women handle community organization and hands-on activities. 


Women's Roles 
Women's roles in most societies fall into three categories: productive (relating to production of goods for consumption or income through work in or outside the home), reproductive (relating to domestic or household tasks associated with creating and sustaining children and family), and community management (relating to tasks and responsibilities carried out for the benefit of the community). Women must balance the demands of these three different roles and should be recognized for their contributions. 

The tasks women usually perform in carrying out their different roles do not generally earn them an income. Women are often defined exclusively in terms of their reproductive roles, which largely concern activities associated with their reproductive functions. These reproductive roles, together with their community management roles, are perceived as natural. But because these roles do not earn income, they are not recognized and valued as economically productive. Women's contributions to national economic development are, therefore, often not quantified and invisible. 

In many societies, women also carry out productive activities such as maintaining smallholder agricultural plots in farming systems. These tasks are often not considered work and are often unpaid. Women may also perform many roles which attract wages in both the formal and informal economic sectors. But women's economically productive roles,
in contrast to men's, are often undervalued or given relatively little recognition. 

Gender roles and responsibilities vary among cultures and can change over time. For example, in India, unskilled labor is considered "women's work" while in Africa it is "men's work." In Europe and the United States, the contribution men make to domestic activities is becoming increasingly important and visible. 


GENDER EQUITY & EQUALITY 

Gender Equity is the process of being fair to men and women. To ensure fairness, measures must often be put in place to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from operating on a level playing field. 

Equity is a means. Equality is the result. 

Equity: The distribution of rewards in society according to some criterion of merit, i.e., procedural justice and fairness. Outcomes reflect individual contributions. 

Equality: Giving the same reward to all, regardless of their contributions. 
Gender inequality is still very evident in this respect, as indicated by the following United Nations statistics: 
Women perform 2/3 of the world's work 
Women earn 1/10 of the world's income 
Women are 2/3 of the world's illiterates 
Women own less than 1/100 of the world's property 

Constitution of India 
Article 14 Ensures gender equality. 
Article 15 Prohibits discrimination on grounds of sex. 
Article 16 Provides for equality of opportunity in public employment. 
Article 15 (3) Permits the State to make special provisions for women and children. 
Article 39 Enjoins the State to provide an adequate means of livelihood to men and women. 
Article 51 A (e) Makes it a duty of every citizen to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women. 
http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1254836.cms