BOYS AND GIRLS : DIFFERENT RULES DIFFERENT ROLES

We have often heard people say that we are all one. We are all human beings. Everyone has the right to be treated equally. But in reality, is this applicable to our own lives? The society we live in lays down different rules for boys and girls. It tells us what boys and girls can or cannot do, what kind of profession is acceptable for boys and girls and what boys and girls are allowed or not allowed to do. The society we live is plays such an impacting role on all of our lives that we often tend to do things as per the satisfaction of the people around us , because we are way too conscious about what the society thinks of our actions. However, it takes a lot out of a man to live according to the rules laid down by the society and die as a respected person.

For instance boys are encouraged not to cry from a very young age as they are always supposed to be strong and sturdy. On the other hand ,  we believe that girls are emotional and sensitive and expect this to be the same in every case. Another notable fact is that, we often give boys toy cars to play with and give dolls to girls.  This is actually related to the society assuming all the boys and girls to be strong and sensitive. In reality, these toys are a way of telling children that they have different roles to play as the future men and women of the society. This is somewhat related to the rules that the society lays down when boys and girls choose their career in their upcoming years. Boys are always encouraged to take up career options such as a soldier, doctor, engineer and so on. Whereas, girls have fewer career options such as a  teacher and a nurse. Also, there was a very popular stereotype in ancient times that girls are not good at handling technology and hence were not allowed to take up such professions. On the contrary, career choices like nurse and teacher are often associated with girls and women because people assume that because of girl’s kind, sensitive and emotional nature, these jobs best suit them.

Moreover , it is important for us to not fall prey to such irrelevant prejudices and beliefs because, a person being strong or sensitive depends on his or her state of mind. Hence it is important for us to encourage the career choices of our friends, family, peers and neighbours irrespective of their gender.

These days, girls are being offered a wider range of career options and this is truly a remarkable change in the society. However, things have still not  changed enough. For example, when you think of a farmer, the picture which comes into your head  is  that  of a man rather than a woman. Even though most of the agricultural works are done by women, the picture which comes into your head when you think of a farmer is that of a man. This happens because of the stereotypes that were once followed or are still being followed by the society.

Another popular stereotype in the society regarding boys and girls is that, girls are physically weaker than boys. This is the reason, why many of the girls even today are not encouraged by their families to take up adventure sports as a profession.  These days most of the girls and women are involved in maintaining house chores. These chores normally involve tasks such as cooking, lifting, sweeping, pushing, pulling and the list goes on. It is very important to know that all these tasks require a lot of physical strength. Also, standing hours in front of the fire while cooking tires your backbone to a great extent. When women and girls have the strength to do the all these rigorous physical activities, it is not acceptable to say that girls are physically weaker than their opposite sex. Girls are both physically and mentally strong and can fly up to any height with the support of their families.

Also, the house work that women do is devalued by the society. Moreover, because of the assumption of all the girls being sensitive and emotional ,  care taking tasks are often associated and done by women. Though housework requires lot of hardwork , it is devalued by the society and domestic workers are often deprived of respect by their employers. Today most young girls and women in India are being hired as domestic workers and their salary is often very low in the form wages. A domestic worker’s chores are very tiring and their days can began as early as five in the morning and end as late as twelve at night. Thereby, after so much of   hardwork,  these domestic workers atleast deserve some respect. Also, the household chores done by women should be respected rather than being devalued. It is surprising to know that even in this moderenised era, people still believe that the high point of a girl’s life is to get married and have kids. However, it is in our hands that we ignore all these stereotypes and abolish all such prejudices and irrelevant beliefs from our society. Dowry system, sathi pratha, forced labour, child marriage and so on. We discriminate women in so many ways that the list is probably endless!

Inspite of the discrimination, inequalities and hardship laid down by the society, women have turned out to reach great heights. In a nutshell  ,we can say that women change the world. You don’t have to go around looking for one such woman, but look around yourself, you can probably find not one , but many! On the whole, always remember the famous saying, “ a country’s progress is always judged by the progress had by the women in that country ! “

By YASHSWINI.V, Bangalore