While a lot has been said about gender equality & women empowerment, it's time we do a little soul searching about our role in empowering and or dis-empowering a girl.
I hear a lot of young mothers telling their little weeping sons -"are you girl you are crying? Stop crying, be a man, be strong; if you cry you will become a girl". I get taken aback when so called educated men and women talk in this language. By making such statement, we are conditioning the young mind to believe that-
a) Boys don't cry, or it's absolutely incorrect for boys or men to cry
b) Crying is an act of weakness
c) Boys/men are strong & girls/ women are weak
The young boy will grow up holding these false notions very closely in his mind the consequence of which will be- he will be ill at ease to express his emotions; and will never accept a female as an equal forget better in any sphere of life. He has been raised with a possibly unknown gender bias.
Recently I got a shock again when someone who apparently appears to be quite modern made a remark that left me thinking. She said that " If ABC (her son) was a girl (daughter) I would never send her for swimming, look how tanned he is". I managed to keep quiet with somewhat difficulty. This kind of a statement is a clear message that it's not good for girls to have a not so fair complexion; after all fair skin sells faster & better in the marriage market.
Where is the discrimination coming from? When the parents themselves give such differentiating messages to kids, where will there be a level playing field? Even if the government, or an organization provide a level playing field, will these children, now adults respond equally and treat each other as equals?
There can be n number of laws and programs on gender equality, Sexual Harassment Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal, etc.; unless there is a change in mindset, the culture in an organization or society will not change. Not to undermine the importance of the laws, they play a vital role in enforcing safety and security and provide remedial measures; a mindset shift will create a feeling of security and belongingness.
