Webinar on Gender issues
We actively participated in a webinar organised by Women study cell, Peet Memmorial training college, Mavelikkara on 20th October 2020. The webinar was based on "Gender issues in different perspectives and strategies for addressing them".
Resource person:-
The programme was concluded with happy feedback from everyone. All participants expressed their satisfaction about the webinar.
The concept of gender equity refers to fairness of treatment for men and women according to their respective need. This may include equal treatments in terms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities.
Gender discrimination continues to be an enormous problem within Indian society. Women are given a secondary status within the household and workplace. This drastically affects women's health, financial status, education, and political involvement. Women are commonly married young, quickly becomes mothers, and are then burdened by stringent domestic and financial responsibility. They are frequently malnourished since women typically are the last to receive medical attention. Only 54% of Indian women are literate as compared to 76% of men.
Dr T.C Thanks Jan
Associate professor
St.Thomas college of Teacher Education
Pala , Kerala
E-certificates were presented to the participants after the programme.
A brief note on Gender bias in India
Gender is a common term whereas Gender discrimination is meant only for women because females are the only victims of gender discrimination. Gender discrimination is not biologically determined but it is determined by socially and discrimination can be changed by proper efforts. Denial of equality, rights, opportunities and suppression in any form on the basis of generes Gender discrimination.
Discrimination from womb to death, females are facing lot of discrimination against them. Some of them are:-
* Abortion of female gravid with the help of scanning.
* Feticide
* Not giving enough and nutritious food.
* Not allowing to go to school.
* Not giving needy health care while in ill health.
* Early marriage
* Eve teasing, rape and sexual harrasment.
* Dowry
* Divorce , destitution even for silly or without any reason.
Causes of gender discrimination:-
* Educational backwardness
* Caste
* Religious beliefs
* Culture
* On the name of family history
* Races
* Low income
* Unemployment
* Society
* Attitudes
* Family situation
Review of literature:-
(a) Sonalee Desai (1994)
Parents have several incentives for not educating their daughters. Foremost is the view that education of girls brings no returns to parents and that their future roles, being mainly reproductive and perhaps including agricultural labour, require no formal education.
(b) Kalyani Menon Sen and A.K Shivakumar (2001)
It is found that girls in India are discriminated against in several ways - fewer months of breast feeding less of nurturing and play, less care or medical treatment of they fall ill, less of 'special' food, less of parental attention. As a result, girls are far more susceptible than boys to disease and infections, leading to poor health and a shorter lifespan.
(c) Berta Esteve - Volart (2004)
It described that gender discrimination against women in the market place reduces the available talent in an economy, which has negative economic consequences. Gender discrimination takes many forms. Many social practices seen as normal from a religious or cultural point of view have women out of the economic mainstream.
(d) Anna- Maria Lind (2006)
It stated that India's population still leads traditional lives in rural areas. Religious laws and traditions still determine the lives of many people, particularly women.
A total of 260.6 million women exercised their right to vote in April-may 2014 elections for India's parliament. India ranks 20th from the bottom in terms of representation of women in parliament.
India passed 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments in 1993 , which provides for 33% quotas for women's representation in the local self government institutions.
Political activism and voting are the strongest areas of women's political participation. To combat gender inequality in politics, the Indian government has instituted reservations for seats in local governments.
India has a multi- party system with the 24 registered parties at the national level. The 3 largest parties in India are the Indian National Congress (INC), the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP),and the Communist party of India (CPI). Political parties have increased outreach among women voters, as India's party system has become more competitive. This has included the creation of women's wings in the largest parties. The BJP's wing is the BJP Mahila Morcha, the INC's wing is All India Mahila Congress, and the CPI's wing is the National Federation of Indian Women.
Although the constitution of India removed gender inequalities among caste and gender, discrimination continues to be a widespread barrier to women's political participation.
To overcome issues of discrimination and violence, women's organisations have focused on the empowerment of Indian Women.
Empowerment of girls as empowerment of society:-
* Kishori shakti yojana
* The National Programme for nutrition for adolescents girls provides additional nutrition to underweight girls.
* Kasturba Gandhi Balika vidyalaya and National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level(NPEGEL)
* Palna or cradle baby scheme
* Scheme of Dhanalakshmi
*Ujjawala
Legislation for safeguarding the Rights of the girl child :-
* Pre - conception and pre - Natal Diagnostic Techniques ( prohibition of sex selection) Act 1994.
* The prohibition of child marriage Act 2006.
* The prevention of Domestic Violence Act 2005.
* The Indecent Representation of Women (prohibition)Act 1986.
* Immoral Traffic (prevention)Act 1956.
Women Action Group (WAG)
WAG is a registered woman headed non -profit organization dedicated for the welfare and development of the poor, rural, dalit, and tribal community, specifically women in under developed Salem district of Tamilnadu, India.
WAG is a non- governmental organisation founded in 1983 Whose work centres on empowering women and girls to enjoy their rights in violence free and rights conscious communities.
WAG programmes focus on prevention of violence against women, promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights and prevention of HIV. WAG has grown from a small pressure group into a significant organisation, internationally recognised among activists for its women's rights and human rights work.
The famous WAG is the All Women's Action Society (AWAS)
AWAS aims to create a society where all persons , particularly women are treated equally. This includes advocating for policy changes to ensure women's rights and gender equality. Empowering women , facilitating social transformations, and supporting women facing crisis situations are other objectives of the organisation.
The AWAS facilitates training sessions for gender sensitization, harassment, rape awareness, leadership and political participation. They train a variety of workers in various institutions such as banks, colleges, hospitals and churches. The training sessions can be requested by any organisation and they offer customized sessions.
The organisation also contains 5 different functioning portfolios:-
* Advocacy and networking
* Informations and communications
* Organisational development
* Public education
* Training and services
Organisations fighting for gender equality:-
* UN Women.
* Association for Women's Right in Development.
* Woman kind Worldwide.
* Center for reproductive rights.
* Plan International
* Women for Women International.
* Equality Now.
* Women's Environment and Development Organisation.
* Global Fund for Women.
* Rise up.
* Gender at work.
* Europeans women's Lobby.
* International center for Research on Women (ICRW).
* Time's up
* International Alliance of Women (IAW).
* International Women's Development Agency (IWAD).
Role of teacher to develop attitude of gender equity:-
Teaching tolerance's social justice standards are based on the work of Louis Derman Spark's four goals for anti - bias education. Divided into four domains- Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action - the standards recognise that, in today's diverse classrooms, students need knowledge and skills to reduce prejudice and recognise and act against unjustice. While it is important to teach about injustice towards women, it is also important to acknowledge gender equity as it relates to identity, diversity and action.
6 ways to promote Gender Equality in classroom:-
* Be reflective and be objective.
* Get feedback from colleagues and students.
* Use gender - neutral language when appropriate.
* Explain the context.
* Seat and group students intentionally.
* Use project based learning.
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