By: Syed Shahzaib Haider
To the best of my knowledge a gender equal society” is a “society in which both men and women carry out their duties as equal members, have the prospect to contribute in all kinds of social activities at will where they can evenly enjoy political, economical and cultural benefits, and share responsibilities as well. The society where the human rights of men and women are similarly respected. Women who wish to play active role in society may take part in activities of their own choosing, while men may well enjoy a pleasing home and community life. The society here that I am talking about can only be built if men and women work for it as equal partners.
A truly rich in culture society where gender equality can exist is dependent on if we establish a social framework that permits an individual to choose various lifestyles regardless of their gender I believe, and without being bound by such rigid, stereotyped gender roles for instance child nurture and nursing can only be done by women while men are the workers, tax-payers and pension renderers who support the nation. In reality, however, although gender equality has more or less been achieved in Japan as far as laws and legislations are concerned, women’s participation in the policy- and decision-making processes remains insufficient, and women still have few opportunities to realize their full potential. The traditional tendency to view men’s participation in housework and child-rearing as unmanly and the heavy burden of housework, child care and nursing that is still placed on women testify to the fact that Japan is lagging behind other countries in terms of gender equality.
Now if we talk about our much-loved country Pakistan, I see hope of light as for the last couple of decades, our urbane community people in Pakistan are prepared to empower women and girls from the marginalized communities, enabling them to live secure, dignified and better lives. But we have so many dilemmas still to be faced here Because more than 60% of women, between the ages of 18-24, are with no education, got to be married in early age, facing so much of domestic violence they can’t even put in the picture, there are several gaps in the implementation of laws made by the state, as majority of the women are dissatisfied with the procedure of its compliance.
So we need to carefully observe the challenges women and girls in our country still face, and what we, as a member of society, can do to make a more a gender-sensitive environment, bust the stereotypes, make your children gender-friendly, whether it’s a boy or a girl. As we know that our children learn a lot from their immediate surroundings families, friends, school, neighborhood, media and books. Stereotypes based on gender starts at an early age. Children, who grow up in gender-equitable environments, tend to believe in gender stereotypes less than their peers, who grow up in a gender-inequitable environment.
It’s very important for parents to treat girls and boys equally (food, sports, education, equal celebration at birth, etc.). Parents are the first role models children have. So, if they grow up seeing gender inequality being exercised or tolerated in this relationship, they are more likely to be exposed to negative gender role stereotyping.
In the end I must say if we are looking for a real change in our society the responsibility of each one of us in Pakistan is to change our biased notions of gender-based roles, so that we may be able to establish a society where men and women can participate together in every walk of life, and lead exciting and fulfilling lives.
The writer is Islamabad based social activist and can be reached at [email protected]
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