Defying gender roles- Riya Dhiman

We defy typical gender roles

By: Riya Dhiman

I came across this picture on the internet that is winning millions of hearts. Want to know why?

This is the image of Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud, who recently shared a picture with her son photographed before the company went public. The image encapsulates what it means to be a working mom who has not given up on her dreams due to motherhood. It encourages other women to embrace their dual identities as career-oriented employees and caregivers to young ones.

Women have always been an integral part of our community. From fighting for Independence from British Rule to going out in space, women have always tried their best with the resources they had to contribute positively to society. Despite that, it is sorrowful that only a section of women has those resources to excel.

The Indian Constitution is the longest in the world. Yet, young females do not have the freedom they should have. You may be wondering, what is the root cause of this inequality. We will come to that soon.

As years have progressed, the Indian youth has developed a changed mindset on the traditional gender roles. Hence, today our society does not look the way it looked like a few years ago. The youth of the modern-day has an ambitious mind - males and females alike. Women have always been urged by society to embrace an ideal womanhood. They have always found themselves amidst illusions.

When we think of prominent Indian females, why do only a few names come to mind? Why is it that every female has not done the work she wanted? It is because, they were not given opportunities or education. The root cause of this inequity is the traditional mindset of society and defined gender roles it wants everyone to fit in. But what can we do at our level?

Let us think about a solution at an elementary level, where inequity starts. An obvious but less explored area is, biased mindsets.

We need to remove ignorance from the patriarchal order and introduce a rational outlook. Since long, the patriarchy has tried to maintain status quo in a false belief of social gains. However, research has found that gender inequity would only raise gains for the society not just as a whole but also to the stronger members of the society. Of course this can't be done without their support hence a case for creating awareness and removing bias.Thought process and behaviour must be changed. Equality, respect for rights , must become values that guide and shape relations between women and men from all backgrounds.

There is an urgent need for Gender equality to become a people’s issue. Both men and women must work together to ensure rights and freedoms for all citizens.

Remember Sud’s picture in the beginning? The image sends a lot more. In order to gain support for gender equity, its practice should start from the very basic unit of society- house. Men and women shouldn’t have to choose between work and home; they can excel in both avenues if they find support. We should create a support system to function both at home and work.

Indian society is in a state of transition and is gradually moving towards a change: from being anchored in pre-defined gender roles to a more liberal place. We are now in a position to imagine a society where every gender can get the rights it deserves. A significant part of youth has realized that no progress is possible without the support of the other gender. There has been a lot of change due to youngsters defying typical stereotypes. However, there is more that is yet to come. We have a long way to go.

REFERENCES:

• [Chowdhury, Aparajita, and Manoj Manjari Patnaik. “Empowering Boys and Men to Achieve Gender Equality in India.” Journal of Developing Societies, vol. 26, no. 4, 2010, pp. 455–471., doi:10.1177/0169796x1002600403. ]

• [Mathu, A. (2008). Gender and Development in India: The Indian Scenario. India: Kalpaz Publications.]