Gender Bias

An Eye Opener.....                                            
While working for DPS Lucknow I got an exposure to the issue of gender bias. It all began with the workshop “Growing up Equal” .It was organized by DPS Society with the cooperation of UNFPA for the sensitization of DPS school teachers on the crucial issue of Gender Inequity in general and Female Foeticide in specific. The concerned stakeholders i.e. DPS Society and UNFPA felt the immediate need to work on the declining child sex ratio in the substantial part of the country especially prevalent among the affluent and urban section of the society. As a part of this initiative teachers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal were invited to participate in the concerned workshop.  The entire workshop was facilitated by technical expert and consultant from UNFPA assisted by Master Trainers from various DPS Schools.

The workshop was a very well planned program and the activities were very interesting .It gave scope for a lot of discussion automatically nudging the participants towards leading questions. I was quite surprised that even among us, educators so to say, there was an apprehension to come clear out and say it. There were many who felt that if one has a baby boy their status in society increases, they feel proud and relieved, especially if it is their second child. Yes, Gender bias exists deeply rooted in the hearts of many individuals. I guess, it showed how strongly I felt about the issue for  I went on to become a teacher facilitator for the same program.

 We were, as a team, made responsible to sensitize this issue. I found the whole experience of conducting the workshop with the team of selected teacher trainers very enriching and fulfilling. As a teacher trainer I realized the responsibility bestowed upon us to gently yet firmly make the participants sensitive to the issue of declining sex ratio and hence the issue of female foeticide. Most importantly I learnt to understand and listen to viewpoints and experiences of others. By observing Ms Tripurari and Dr Rama conducting the sessions I learnt how to respect others opinions and at the same time leave an impression, a  ‘food for thought’ and not be over persuasive and pushy. Many heart wrenching stories came up during our discussions. We kept track of several newspaper articles with headings such as ‘Another Girl Child Abandoned’, 'Newborn baby girl dumped in the garbage’, Mother of newborn baby girl goes missing’. ’No brides for grooms’. Here is one of the newspaper articles that sensitized the issue:

The mystery of the missing girl child begins to unfold.
There is no tradition of having a girl child

18 boys, 6 girls and a skewed sex ratio
NANOWAL (FATEHGARH SAHIB)
WHEN the slim road lined by shrubs with a sprinkling of pink blooms and brown dust completes a gentle ‘S’, you know you have reached Nanowal. A village rich in buffaloes and boys. Last year it celebrated the birth of 18 boys and six girls.
The falling sex ratio is no news here, for Nanowal is part of the Fatehgarh Sahib district, which recorded the country’s lowest sex ratio of 754 in the age group of 0-6 years in the 2001 census
The landed Jat Sikhs, who form 70 per cent of Nanowal, have almost given up on them—this year, all the six baby girls born in the village belonged to SCs, the Jats only had sons. It was the same the year before last when the village saw 11 baby boys and two baby girls
Balwinder Kaur, wife of Sapinder Singh Sohi, the eldest of three brothers in a prosperous Jat Sikh family, tells you how it isn’t easy being the mother of daughter. ‘‘For a perfect family, a son is a must no matter what,’’ she murmurs. Daughters are dispensable. Which is why Sarabjit, her younger sister-in-law, who already has a baby boy is not planning any more children.

Please don’t think this issue exists in villages. It exists very much among the educated. Use of Ultra sound and other technological methods have made the job easier for adults wishing to have only male child. Indiscriminate usage has led to a much skewed sex ratio.

Child Sex Ratio : India’s scenario

The sharp decline in Child Sex Ratio in the age group of 0-6 years has raised an alarm. Census 2001 has shown a decline of 18 points, from  945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001.

Child Sex Ratio for the last four decades shows that it has been declining continuously and the decline has been the sharpest from 1981 onwards (chart below).

State-Wise Child Sex Ratio in India

Child Sex Ratio in the States and Union Territories
Sl. No.
State
0-6 Sex Ratio
Absolute Change


1991
2001

1
Punjab
875
798
-77
2
Haryana
879
819
-60
3
Himachal Pradesh
951
896
-55
4
Chandigarh
899
845
-54
5
Delhi
915
868
-47
6
Gujarat
928
883
-45
7
Uttaranchal
949
908
-41
9
Maharashtra
946
913
-33
11
Nagaland
993
964
-29
12
Goa
964
938
-26
16
Orissa
967
953
-14
17
Jharkhand
979
965
-14
18
Andhra Pradesh
975
961
-14
19
Karnataka
960
946
-14
20
Meghalaya
986
973
-13
21
Bihar
953
942
-11
22
Uttar Pradesh
927
916
-11
23
Assam
975
965
-10
24
Madhya Pradesh
941
932
-9
25
Chhattisgarh
984
975
-9
26
Rajasthan
916
909
-7
27
West Bengal
967
960
-7
28
Tamil Nadu
948
942
-6
32
Kerala
958
960
2
1
India
945
927
-18

Imagine a world with no females. What do you think it will be like? Spare some time here close your eyes and imagine waking up and finding only men going about their business. Is the scene a happy one?

Do you think the value of females will increase as a result of scarcity? I doubt it.
In Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and  Delhi lack of brides has led to trafficking of women from impoverished states like Bihar for menial amount of money. Women are being bartered. In some case there is sharing of wife between brothers.

The society is responsible for the current status of girls and women. Empowering them is the only way to go about this. Ages of suppression of female gender has made them dispensable. If at all anybody can turn around, it is us ‘females’ who can do it.

What could be reason for not wanting a girl child? Why does one feel disappointed? Are boys a better species of human beings?
Following points generally are put forth

  • Boys are strong; they can take care of themselves. Not true, boys need more help than girls in day to day living. They may be physically strong (….not all). Girls are mentally much stronger and more resilient. The very fact that women have allowed gender bias to go on to such an extent is proof enough of their resilience.By the way, the average age of women is longer than men. Girls are less prone to addiction of alcohol or tobacco. They are more respectful and helpful towards their elders.

  • Parents feel that a son will remain with them and take care of their need while a girl will get married and go away .Who has made this rule? Why should a girl always leave her home and go away. Why can’t it be more flexible and a consensus be arrived at as to who will move. These days’ boys are out of the house, state and even the country, so this point is as it is getting invalid.

  • Boys carry on the name. Why can’t a girl carry on with their own maiden name? These days girls are retaining their maiden and along with husband’s name. That should ease things a bit. Maybe children should take on their mother’s name. Why not?

  • Many feel that they have to protect their daughters especially once she starts her menstruations. Different religions have different ways of handling it. The treatment sometimes borders on mental torture. All kinds of restrictions are placed. A girl is made to feel guilty of having menstruating. List of dos and don’ts are imposed on the girl. It is just another excuse for gender bias.

  • There are chances of rape. Well, in the current scenario boys get just as much abused, mentally or physically. It is traumatic, it is not the victim’s fault it is the perpetrator who is at fault and should be made to suffer.

  • Accidental pregnancy and an unwanted child….There are several options today. Education comes handy here.

There are these and many issues that exist deeply ingrained in the mind of people. If educated people feel this way then we can have no hope from the uneducated lot. So the onus lies heavily on the educated women to correct this gender bias.