- One may be excused if he/she feels the subject matter is not only done to death by the vociferous proponents but also tantamount to a futile exercise undertaken with little hopes of achieving parity despite efforts from various quarters. Humankind has leaped leaps and bounds on the back of humongous technological advancements in the last couple of decades and needs no further elaboration. Humanity, in general, is amid perpetually revolutionary inventions and innovations are a known fact. As such, none of the countries would wish to be left behind to be a part of the fast-evolving world.
PC: Firat Sever
- Unfortunately, the anachronistic and unyielding male chauvinism, misogynistic viewpoints, patriarchal mindset, and general disregard for according gender parity, equality, unbiased treatment, and healthy respect towards women is still a work in progress. Having achieved not much on this front, every government worth its salt would wish to narrate at length how they are provisioning level playing fields for women to not only stake claims at hitherto considered male domains but also encourage/empower them to choose at par with their male counterparts. However, the deeply embedded patriarchal mindset continues to view females as second only to males even as the former keeps shattering the barrier with regularity is an undeniable fact.
- Thus, it comes as no surprise to see girls outperforming boys in the recently announced CBSE Class 12 exams, and not for the first time for sure. In higher education as well, their gross enrolment ratio is more than that of male students. Sadly, too much of Indian society still remains less interested in what the two genders are achieving in marching in lockstep like this, than in whether they are coming within touching distance while doing so. Disgusting to also see to what extent authorities go to enforce prurient viewpoints in this day. Last week, unbelievably, some of this salacious breed cut the long steel bench at a bus stop near a Thiruvananthapuram engineering college, just to stop male and female students from sitting close to each other.
PC: Onmanorama Staff
- Instead of being either cowed down or going on a rampage, the students replied with a laptop protest – they packed into the now segregated benches one in the other’s lap. Their happy, confident expressions are a reminder that teen rebellion has non-angry avatars too, which can be as transformational as they can be joyous. This being the case, why not harvest young minds to see the reality and virtues of gender parity yielding deserving results from now on? As schools and colleges are where the two sexes first encounter each other in large numbers, animated interactions here can really help build new understandings and break oppressive hierarchies. Elders, civil society activists, profound thinkers, educators, and NGOs should also do more to facilitate conversations about extending gender parity rather than showcase machismo. The time to walk the talk is now.
