Based on the Indian movie "Dor", I was supposed to write an article on Gender bias as an assignment. Well I felt like, why should I write about it so limited? I mean, when I just started writing about it, I realized that it's a major issue not only in India but all over the world.
As mentioned in "Looking for a better world" by Stuart J. Malkin, "Gender bias is as hurtful and destructive as any other bias."
Pondering about this topic I couldn't resist but recollect a research by Amanda Chapman of D' Youville College on "Gender Bias in Education". I remember when I was in school. "Sitting in the same classroom, reading the same textbook, listening to the same teacher, boys and girls receive very different educations". (Sadker, 1994)
In fact, upon entering school, girls perform equal to or better than boys on nearly every measure of achievement, but by the time they graduate high school or college, they have fallen behind.
Across the country, majority is the boys falling into trouble. They earn 70% of the D's and F's that teachers dole out. Ending up into juvenile court for some or other reason.
I mean seriously, how often do we hear about a girl being convicted for drug violation, or some murder or as small as stealing?!
In British Columbia, standardized testing indicates that girls outperform boys at all levels of reading and writing and in Alberta testing shows that girls, "significantly outperform boys on reading and writing tests, while almost matching them in math and science."
The socialization of gender within our schools assures that girls are made aware that they are unequal to boys. Every time students are seated or lined up by gender, teachers are affirming that girls and boys should be treated differently. When an administrator ignores an act of sexual harassment, he or she is allowing the degradation of girls. When different behaviors are tolerated for boys than for girls because 'boys will be boys', schools are perpetuating the oppression of females.
When I was in high school, there was this teacher who I don't have any idea why hated to see a girl and a boy talking with each other except about studies. I mean, what the hell is wrong with that? And she won't say anything to the boy but scolds the girl included!
Teachers socialize girls towards a feminine ideal. Girls are praised for being neat, quiet, and calm. whereas boys are encouraged to think independently, be active and speak up.
In our daily life, boys are taunted for throwing like a girl, or crying like a girl, which implies that being a girl is worse than being a boy. Assertive behavior from girls is often seen as disruptive by adults.
(Bailey, 1992) "The clear message to both boys and girls is that girls are not worthy of respect and that appropriate behaviour for boys includes exerting power over girls - or over other, weaker boys."
Fuck that!
In our Indian society, people look at a widow with an eye of disrespect. Why can't they treat her as a normal woman...For goodness sake her husband his dead what's her fault in that?!!
From childhood it's been made clear to a girl what are the things she should do and most importantly what she shouldn't! For boys, it's a complete freedom...like "go explore the world, it's all yours."
Right from the time when a girl is born her mother decides her future....a pure feminine one. 'How many mothers dream her daughter to be a soccer player or a boxing champion' ? But why can't they is the one question I wanna ask them. The most important thing to succeed in life is attitude. What can a girl do if her attitude has been molded in such a way that she couldn't even imagine of doing all those things which boys do? From the time she starts to learn, she have been taught that she will always hold a lower position that a boy and that a girl is dependent on a boy or her family.
I understand, that girls and boys hold a specific place in this world. "Girls become a mother, boys are the ones who make them a mother!"
But that doesn't mean we should treat girls with inequality.
A man and a woman are like, the wheels of a cart, balancing it as it moves on. None should be weaker or stronger than the other or else the cart may collapse.
And here's another major deal with genders. "Homosexuals, Bisexuals, Transgenders..." They are no different than us. I feel a surge of anger rising inside me when people talk shits about them. Why treating them as different eh? They are humans, people love their fucking pets more than them!
In India we see some transgenders roaming around on city roads or trains asking for money, talking rudely and misbehaving. That's why you hate them right? Have you ever gave a thought why they do all this? We make them do this. Our fucking limited mentality makes them do this. We treat them as outcasts, weird, freaks...people don't accept them in public...what option they are left with?
I tell you what, I have some homosexual friends. And there's this girl I love who is a bisexual. And you know what, they are better than most of the so called "normal" people that I know. I love them because of their nature. For me, they are as normal as any other human. People who think I'm a freak for this, can go fuck themselves!
A kind of person who considers close relationships to be rare and special. Trust, Care, Faith, Understanding, Love and Respect are not just words written in pages of books for me but I truly mean them, with all my heart and soul. I believe in true and ever-lasting friendship. Very anxious, unstable and complex. A person who believes in his own theories and follows his own principles. If you support them, I am obliged and I won't disappoint you.
If you don't, Prove them wrong.
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