7 reactions to our video on Gender Sensitization

"Gender sensitization is an effort to show how gender shapes the roles of women and men in society, including their role in development, and how it affects relations between them." - Bhowmick Soma.

Boys like to play with cars,
And mummy says men are from Mars.
Girls like to play with dolls,
And also to shop at malls.
Daddy says boys shouldn't cry,
And girls should learn how to make a good potato fry.
Isn't our work supposed to be 50-50 in the house?
But the wife is considered the weaker spouse.

Even though Meera can run any race faster,
My teacher says her husband will be her master.
But what if I am a girl and I want to be an electrician?
Or if I am a boy who wants to be a fashion designer?
Men cannot cook and women cannot drive they say,
They think our thoughts can be moulded like it were clay.

To highlight the need to remove beliefs pertaining to gender bias and help understand the need for gender equality through gender sensitization we interviewed teachers, parents and students about their thoughts on the issue. The interviews compiled into a video which was featured on our facebook page, website and even on The Logical Indian has received some interesting comments. Here are a few of them:

Mrs. Pavithra Reddy brings out a crucial point that sensitization comes from home and put its brilliantly that it is the responsibility to teach their children to respect different genders equally:
"yes i too agree India Needs Gender Sensitisation .. But being a mother i strongly believe it should come from our own home before we poke the schools for this issue"

Ms. Srividya Mouli’s experience speaks for itself on how gender sensitization helps in getting rid of social evils:
"I work in a co ed school in a pocket of the country where female infanticide and gender inequalities are high. We have been conducting sensitisation sessions for staff students and parents for over two decades and the magnitude of the situation makes it essential to be aware."

Ms. Pavana Srinivas highlights a very important issue linked to gender sensitization-that of making society safer:
"Gender sensitisation must b made compulsory in schools....it shud b started at young age,...if not u can just imagine what they would grow up as...it will also reduce incidences of sexual abuse and domestic violence...."

Many people confuse gender sensitization with biological factors that are biological as Mr. Aashay Sukhthankar explains this:
"I hope gender sensitization will account for more genders and provide education on the difference between sex and gender. Masculine and feminine traits are not the only genders present in society. Gender isn't binary. India still has a LONG way to go in this regard."

Mr. Sudhanshu Chankanyal talks about the patriarchal society's role in the issue and how children learn from their parents:
"Well I'm in the support of this matter. Actually its because of the patriarchal society or thinking among the families and from there the child learns their role in the respective society according to the gender.. unsure emoticon this should be taken as initiative.."

Prof. Vasantha Rajan puts down the need for teachers to help students understand gender equality and to stop stereotyping women in our society:
"Well I do agree,it requires enormous skill and sensitive to teach this subject.the first task of the society to treat women not a product to use and throw but a fellow human beings.we need lots of opinion leaders and top successful professional s who keep preaching and practicing gender equality not the way most of our politicians and even other leaders treat women.children follow what they see not what you tell them.therefore all though education like this will bring some improvements,but this need to backed up by media news makers and others.ours is patriarchal society and the mind set is always to treat women as subordinate class.to bring about a change among younger generation is a Himalayan task.unless all cooperate backed by this type of teaching the change may not be total."

Mr. Vijay Bansal puts down the need for gender equality in order to progress as a society:
"It is good to see that we have started debating the importance of gender sensitisation. It is all the more important & relevant when we realise that many of our problems emanate out of gender bias in our society; and these can be easily sorted out if we learn to respect & interact with an individual on equal footing irrespective of his/her gender. Rather, we have to learn to respect the individuality of a person irrespective of gender/cast or creed/religion/race, etc. etc., and then only we will truly be an evolved, educated, progressive, & independent society ."

Biases deny equal opportunities for everyone and stop us from progressing. Schools need to equip themselves to teach children that gender roles are interchangeable and that children are free to choose what they want to become or do depending on their likes rather than their biological make-up. We would love to hear your views or experiences on gender issues. Please write to us at jaagorein@gmail.com or tweet to us @jaagoRe. You can also comment on our facebook page - JaagoRe.

You can watch the video here