Voice of the Youth - Gender Equality

 VOICE OF THE YOUTH

Yatra Naryastu Pujyante 

Ramante Tatra Devata

It means that God resides wherever women are respected.

Women are most respected in our society. I have always respected every girl or woman.  But still, women are considered unimportant and a curse in many families. They are not given equal opportunities and independence as men. They are just allowed to do household work even though they have the required skill and talent whereas, on the other hand, the men are given more importance and opportunity. This mostly happens in conservative and narrow-minded families and societies. Due to this discrimination, the government has organized many schemes and campaigns to save and protect girl child and women. This has led to a positive change in peoples' minds towards girls' and women's education and development. All these campaigns conducted help to change the mindset of narrow-minded people and conservative male-dominated society, where women don't get equal opportunity. So, girls nowadays have been sent to schools and colleges for higher education.

Equality is taught to students right from the school level. Equal opportunities must be given to all human beings irrespective of their gender. If we talk about humans then a girl or woman will also be a part of it. So…. Now my question is that if all boys and girls are getting equal opportunities for study in good co-education schools, then why discrimination of gender takes place? 

When we talk about boys under the age group of 6 to 12 differences between two genders can be differentiated according to their dressings, sometimes hairstyles, voice sharpness, and maybe sometimes height. That's it. Otherwise, a girl is no different from a boy when it comes to physical abilities, they both have the same two hands, two legs, heart, and brain. Then why do schools discriminate? Even in the roll number system in the student registers, the girls are placed first and the boys are after girls. Why? I checked with other schools too; they don't have this system all according to alphabetical order. Even when a teacher has to give a punishment, girls are mostly let go though; they are guilty of something and they are backed up by teachers themselves. The rules in every school are always more strict for boys as compare to girls. This has happened with most of the boys going to school. At a tender age if a boy experiences the same discrimination, then he will always have a prejudice against girls.

One more observation is that schools with good ethics give opportunities to girls first irrespective of their ability but it goes insane when you see the girls are pampered whereas, boys are not treated equally to girls. From marks to punishments to everything the girls are pampered and the boys are not treated equally, it is a fact which no one can deny. This kind of act demoralizes boys. The girls are preferred more than the boys in anchoring, stage performances, or projects. The boys have to struggle to get a chance in it whereas, teachers invite girls to have an audition to get a chance. All have the right to grow and get opportunities in school activities. Women's rights are going insane in schools generally.

I think that the solution to this is equality. There should be human rights rather than women's rights. We all have to treat everyone equally and we have to be treated equally otherwise, that day won't be too far when there will be campaigns for men's empowerment. I was overwhelmed when I learned about the discrimination happening around me. Even my grandmother always asks my cousin sister that have you helped your mom with the household work and she never asked my cousin brother about this. I do believe strongly, that there should be no differentiation between girls’ and boys' work. Both should know household work like cooking, cleaning, laundry, ironing, climbing trees, sports, adventure, art, music, dance, etc. Both have to balance at home as well as at school to create a healthy atmosphere. Why can't we treat men and women as humans instead?  

Some of us know about the story of Ardhanarishvara. When Shiva and Parvati became one due to a mistake of sage Birungi. But this taught us a lot of lessons about gender equality. This depicts that a man can have skills like women or women can have skills like men. This is an ultimate example that tells us that both genders are capable of doing any job or work. A man can cook food or do household work and a woman can earn money or go to offices.

Our scriptures teach us a lot about gender equality. We learn a lot about equality in our lessons and textbooks then why don't we bring them into action? Why don't we make it happen? Let’s promise ourselves that we try our best not to discriminate in any situation. 

Student, Param Hitesh Shah

Grade:- VII