-Aileen S. Marques
The dictionary tends to define sex and gender in a similar way.However as agents of social change, we must emphasize on the social sciencedefinition of ‘gender.’
SEX refers to thebiological differences between male and female. These differences are concernedwith physiology and are permanent and universal. GENDER refers to thesocially constructed roles, responsibilities, and expectations of males andfemales in a given culture or society.
Sex identifies a person as male or female depending on the:
· type of genitalorgans (penis, testicles, vagina and womb);
· type of predominanthormones circulating in the body (estrogens, testosterone);
· ability to producesperm or ova (eggs; ability to give birth and breastfeed children).
Genderencompasses the roles, responsibilities andexpectations that are learnt from family, friends, communities, opinionleaders, religious institutions, schools, workplace, advertisements and media.These are also influenced by customs/traditions, class, ethnicity, andindividual or institutional bias. The definitions of what it means to be femaleor male are learned after birth and these roles and responsibilities may varyamong cultures and change over time.
International Women's Day 2013 hasannounced the year's theme as "TheGender Agenda: Gaining Momentum."
Truly the impetus is now on gender!
Womenorganizations and activists have been emphasizing, the need to address Genderissues while working towards women’s empowerment and emancipation. We don’ttalk about male vs. female or woman vs. man; it’s actually man-woman vs.gender. The need of the hour is equality, security and empowerment of women.Women have the constitutional right to equality, the right to live withdignity, the right against discrimination among other rights. The InternationalConventions too bestow such rights on individuals/ human beings. Rights existand so does violence, abuse and exploitation. The only question I ask myselfquite often is “Can violence, abuse and exploitation co-exist with the right tolife with human dignity??”
· Close to 3 million girls are not only married by the age of 15 years, but have borne children atleast once.
· The dowry deaths alone totalled at 6787 with 3204 other cases registered under the Dowry prohibition Act.
· There were 58319 cases of cruelty by husband or relative against the married women. 37.2% of married women reported experiencing spousal violence in India (National Family Health Survey- III)
As a lawyer working with victims ofabuse and neglect, I strongly feel that the Right to life as enshrined in ourConstitution is the Right to live a violence-free life with dignity.
· The dowry deaths alone totalled at 6787 with 3204 other cases registered under the Dowry prohibition Act.
· There were 58319 cases of cruelty by husband or relative against the married women. 37.2% of married women reported experiencing spousal violence in India (National Family Health Survey- III)
As a lawyer working with victims ofabuse and neglect, I strongly feel that the Right to life as enshrined in ourConstitution is the Right to live a violence-free life with dignity.
Statisticsshow that among the crimes committed against women in 2006, the crimes of tortureand molestation together constitute 60.53%. Women continue to face domesticviolence, sexual harassment, dowry-related harassment, exploitation and abuse. Thediscrimination faced by the female sex is a manifestation of the patriarchalvalues inscribed in our society. Our culture and traditions continue to upholdthe practices derogatory to the dignity of women. Just to sight one example-the practice of kanyadaan- where the woman is given as a daan by her family tothe groom’s family.
The wayahead:
Violence Against Women (VAW) is amanifestation of historically unequalpower relations between men and women which has led to domination overand discrimination against women by men …”
Unequalpower relations are the result of pre-defined-patriarchal-gender
ü Re-define stereotypes within the family- Rolesassigned to men vis-a-vis roles assigned to women
ü Re-define derogatory cultural/ traditional practices.
ü Re-define language used- abusive
It is not
It is Man And Woman Vs. Pre-Defined-Patriarchal-Gender Roles
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