If I could change one thing about the world, it would be...?

If I could change one thing about the world, it would be...?

'Gender Inequality' 

'Becoming gender neutral is not modernism, it is coming back to reality from our imagined thoughts and trying to understand the equality amongst everyone: if its either a boy or a girl, a man or a woman, or a transgender. We all are one and the same' -Kavya Mehta

I think there are numerous things that should be changed about the world. Firstly, there should be education, housing and healthcare for everyone. We should end global warming, crime, war, racism, terrorism, woman empowerment, abuse and bulling, cancer, pollution, poverty, climate change and more. But it is a huge task which makes it difficult to solve all problems at once, so we need to make goals and try our best to accomplish them with patience. But I want to think bigger and better. Why are there so many issues in the world today? One word: Gender Inequality. 

If I could change one thing about the world, I would eliminate gender inequality. Gender inequality is at the core of most of our world’s biggest problems. It is a thought put down as an action which is difficult to control. We all need to change and develop the thought process of people instead of taking their thoughts too seriously onto our minds. 

Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally. It is not just about men and women, but also about transgenders. They too face discrimination and are made feel lowered because of their gender. Gender inequality affects everyone, including men. Stereotypes or ‘rules’ about how women and men, girls and boys should behave and what work should they do, begin in childhood and follow them through to adulthood. 

Not everyone experiences inequality the same way. The situation is worse, and often different, for people who face more than one type of discrimination.

For ages, gender inequality in some form or the other has existed in India and it is the younger generation that faces this problem a lot. 

Gender equality is also an aim in the 'Sustainable Development Goals' which is the 5th goal to be accomplished in the list.

Gender inequality mainly means that girls are meant to be less superior than boys. Girls by birth are given less rights in the society and boys are given unnecessary rights. Girls aren't forgiven for their mistakes but boys are. Today, even educated people are practising gender inequality. We cannot take this lightly! We need to work on reducing it, finally bringing it to an end. 

A woman has to play three roles, that of a daughter, a wife and a mother, in her life. An educated lady is a good friend, a clever human and a good adviser. The women of our country have proved themselves: Ganga river-making people pure in thoughts and deeds, Indira Gandhi and Savitribai Phule empowered girls to come forward, Jhansi Ki Rani was a symbol of bravery, patriotism, respect of girl child, perseverance, generosity and resistance to British rule who did not bow down in front of the British. 

At times, after a girl is born - they kill her because of orthodox reasons as a girl would just be a burden on them. It is one of the biggest sins.   

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) was launched by the Prime Minister on 22nd January, 2015 at Panipat, Haryana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji said that - 'Let us celebrate the birth of the girl child. We should be equally proud of our daughters. I urge you to sow five plants when your daughter is born to celebrate the occasion.'. We should take this thought seriously and understand reality, coming out of our orthodox thoughts. 

Let's have a look at a list of the problems people of different age groups face because of gender inequality. 

1) Children

Gender stereotypes affect children's sense of self from a young age.

Boys get more attention and freedom than girls.

Children classify jobs and activities as specific to boys or girls.

People try to make their girls perfect and boys brave and courageous. This makes it unlikely for girls to take risks and to be okay for being imperfect at times. 

2) Young people

Gender stereotypes affect behaviour, study choices, ambitions and attitudes about relationships.

Girls are less likely to take part in organised sport.

Girls are less likely to do advanced maths subjects in their final years of school.

Some girls face physical violence and mental abuse. 

3) Adults

Only some women earn and others don't. Even if they earn, they get lower salaries than men. 

Some don't even graduate college (mainly in rural areas) because they are forced to marry. 

1 in every 2 mothers experience discrimination during pregnancy, on parental leave or when returning to work.

Women do nearly twice as much unpaid work as men but are not respected enough. 

4) Older people

Women retire with half the superannuation savings of men. 

This affects women's financial security, health and wellbeing. 

More older women are at risk of homelessness than men.

5) Men

Traditional stereotypes are difficult for many men to live up to. They feel pressure to be a ‘real man’, to be physically and emotionally strong, and be the main income earner.

Many workplaces don’t offer men extended parental leave or flexible hours.

Men are more likely to drink too much, take unhealthy risks and engage in violence.

They are less likely to seek professional help or talk about their problems with friends or family.

Men are not allowed to cook and accomplish their dreams by becoming chefs even if they have huge interest into it.

 
6) Trans and gender diverse people

Trans and gender diverse people may feel forced to hide their gender identity when using services, at school or at work.

They are at greater risk of mental illness, verbal and physical abuse and social exclusion.

-->They should get equal rights for education and work. 

7) Women with disabilities 

Women with disabilities are more likely to experience family violence and sexual assault.

They are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed.

They are paid less than men with disabilities and women without disabilities.

In some cases, gender inequality starts at home, parents are responsible for this. It’s demonstrated in various ways. At workplaces women are paid less, seen as a play material, helpless, depending on male subordinates and being vulnerable to them. This leads society towards backwardness with orthodox views. Also, when a girl is abused or violated, the society does not support her  and instead of punishing the boy/man for his sin, they punish the girl and prevent from letting her get justice. We can't just sit down, read all of this and feel pity on people. We need to start diminishing gender discrimination. And the first start would be from yourselves - changing your thought process.

Today's youth can help eradicate this by:

Firstly, you should understand this problem by yourself and make yourself ready for the consequences you might face if you try to stop gender discrimination from spreading. 

1) Spreading awareness for gender equality and against child abuse and violence. 

2) Generating awareness among parents and families. 

3) Offering high-level education to girls who are not provided with. 

4) Increasing woman employment. 

5) Collaborating with organisations and taking up initiatives like doing workshops in areas where it is predominant (rural areas, villages etc.) to reduce gender inequality. 

6) Arranging social protection programs.

7) Giving scholarships to girls. 

8) Promoting NGOs to eradicate gender inequality.

9) Stopping sex identifications and abortions. 

10) Helping them become technically modern and developed. 

Its time that we dissipate gender discrimination. 

Life has a simple rule - There is no such thing as a more superior gender, we all are humans: a boy, a girl, a man, a woman or a transgender; all float on the same boat. Its just a thing that we need to understand and make others understand. 

'Is it a girl or a boy; it does not matter; its just a thought in our mind which we need to change!' -Kavya Mehta

-Kavya Mehta