Gender Discrimination in Indian Society

• In every society there are socio-cultural issues that needed to addressed and tackled. If we have to preserve our social and cultural values then we must need to pay our attention on major socio-cultural issues like casteism, dowry, gender discrimination, drinking, drug addiction etc. Gender inequality has been a social issue in India for centuries. An action, ritual or attitude would be said to be gender discriminatory if those actions, rituals or attitudes irrationally discriminate between men and women.

• Finding the answer to the question of what is the root of this gender inequality, we find two doctrines, one is liberal and other is conservative. According to the liberals, the root cause of gender discrimination is the different environments allowed for men and women in the same society. According to the conservatives, gender inequality is natural and there is hardly any role of social environment. The real reason is hidden in the physical differences.

• In India the girl child is always treated unequally. For example, many parts of India, the birth of a girl child is not welcomed is a known fact. Gender inequality is morally unjust and unfair. As per 'human rights' -- Every human being has equal rights. If this ultimate moral demand is not met, the person becomes self-centered and selfish. Society becomes deprived, chaotic and misguided.

Introduction

• In every society there are socio-cultural issues that needed to addressed and tackled. If we have to preserve our social and cultural values then we must need to pay our attention on major socio-cultural issues like casteism, dowry, drinking alcohol, gender discrimination, drug addiction etc. Gender inequality has been a social issue in India for centuries. That in many parts of India, the birth of a girl child is not welcomed is known fact. It is known fact too, that discrimination starts from even before that girl child is born and sometimes she is killed as a foetus.
• Gender itself is a serious misunderstanding word. The moment the word 'gender' is spoken, we mean the concept of weaker sex present in the society that is the female. Gender is a range of features used to differentiate between male and female and the masculine and feminine characteristics assigned to them. Sexologist, John Money, for the first time in 1955 the terminological distinction between biological sex and gender as a role. Previously the term 'gender' was not very commonly used to refer to the the relative status of men and women, it was used only grammatically.
• We should use the word gender as behaviour pertaining to each sex which is socially, religiously and culturally constructed. The word 'gender' refers to the different values, attitudes and behaviours that are attached to the roles of male and female by different social and cultural groups. For example, women cook and clean, men fly aeroplanes. Women take care of children and men are supposedly the bread earner in the family.
• The World health organization defines gender as:"Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms, roles and relationships and between groups of women and men. It varies from society to society and can be changed." Wikipedia shows "Gender is there a range of characteristics pertaining to, and differentiating between femininity and masculinity. Depending on the context, this characteristics may include biological sex, sex-based social structures (i.e., gender roles), or gender identity."
• Actually gender is a socially and culturally constructed definition of women and men. Gender is determined by the conception of tasks, functions and roles attributed to women and men in the society.
• Now we will know what is meant by gender discrimination. An action, ritual or attitude would be said to be gender discriminatory if those actions, rituals or attitudes internationally discriminate between men and women, and depending on irrelevant differences (that is physical differences) one group of them harms another group and exploits them. Gender discriminators are those who think that discriminatory attitudes, behaviours etc, centred on men and women are justifiable in the society.
• Morally gender discrimination is unlawful and unfair as it harms people belonging to a particular gender such as depriving a woman of her ancentral property right, which is still the norm in many societies. This reduce their importance in family life which is morally inappropriate.
• Gender discriminatory attitudes, customs, behaviours etc can be observe in all the countries of the present human society. For this discriminatory behaviour generally we think that one who is doctor is a man and one who serves must be a woman. We can easily understand the difference between a man and woman just by looking hair dressing, gesture, posture, walking and talking. If no one follows this discriminatory system approved by the society, we cannot easily accept it. Sometimes we make fun of it and sometimes we take punitive measures.
• Thus gradually gender discrimination occurs throughout human society which is not actually sex difference but gender difference or role difference according to sex.
• Finding the answer to the question of what is the root of this gender inequality, we find two doctrines, one is liberal and the other is conservative. According to the liberals, the root cause of gender discrimination is the different environments allowed for men and women in the same society. In every society, children are brought up in different environments according to their sex and in that way children become aware of their respective gender roles and gender inequality in the society.
• For example, on birthdays a son is given a toy motor car, gun or aeroplane etc and the daughter is given a doll, cooking utensils, cosmetics etc. Children's textbook also depict different images following the general role such as a picture of a father wearing suit-boot and going to the office while a mother is busy with cooking in the kitchen. Through this type of socialization process, people accept social discriminatory ideas and programs about men and women.
• The inequality between men and women is not natural, it is an artificial creation of our society. That's why morally this gender discrimination is unfair. According to conservatives, gender inequality is natural and there is hardly any role of social environment. The real reason is hidden in the physical differences. Men and women will play different roles according to their physical constitution and disposition, meaning that discriminatory attitude or custom are not unjust or inappropriate according to this doctrine.
• Now we will discuss a social history about Indian women. Then we can understand the issue of gender discrimination in India. Women had been faced difficulties for several centuries. We will try to draw a picture of how the social status of women has risen and fallen at different times in history. We have divided the period into three major ages i.e., ancient, mediaeval and modern.

• Status of women during the ancient age is presented under four sub-periods listed below:

  • i) The vedic period
  • ii) The period of epics
  • iii) The period of Jainism and Buddhism
  • iv) The age of Dharmashastras