For Gender Equity

Dixya Poudel

The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is Inspire Inclusion. Inclusion is a term that has profound connotations. However, people are wired towards conformity when forming cliques. There is even a proverb that says, “Birds of the same feather flock together.” It isn’t thus surprising that when it comes to gender, men and women are grouped exclusively although both unite as a collective half to form a whole. As feminism becomes a hot topic of discussion, gender equity has to be approached with sensitivity and empathy.  

One of the key factors that impedes gender equity is toxic masculinity. Not only are females subject to objectification at the hands of patriarchy, they are also relegated to a lower status as compared to men. 

This concept of toxic masculinity is particularly pervasive in popular media. Tune to the music videos, movies and the social media and one can find females being objectified sexually. Such media perpetuate the notions of body shaming which can be detrimental towards the targeted girls and women. It doesn’t help that female celebrities bank on their appearances to further their career. As they are looked up to by a substantial audience, particularly youths attempt to imitate them leading to a plethora of body image issues.

 For a breakthrough in gender equity, there has to be a positive change in media wherein healthy masculinity is paired along with healthy feminism. As such, the yin and yang has to come to a positive alignment. When talking about gender equity, one has to address unpaid labour as well. Even the most highflying career women come home after a long day at work to attend to household duties and familial responsibilities. 

Most women will attest that it is exhausting to balance work and life, especially if the workload is tipped heavily towards them. Statistics show that women spend over three times more hours on unpaid work than men. And this is a global finding, although the gap is likely higher in some regions of the world. 

Since most of the unpaid work is invisible, unremunerated and undervalued, girls and women tend to feel largely overlooked and unappreciated. The current world of globalisation and technological advancement might encourage girls to pursue academics such as STEM subjects and then later attend work in the same capacity as men. Yet, the rules remain different for the females. They might have to postpone their career due to familial obligations that require extra attention. They may also face subtle sexism, bias and discrimination both at academics and work. 

The popular and applauded American actress Meryl Streep once said that while women speak the language of men, men don’t do the same for women. Indeed, girls grow up to be women who are highly tuned to the rules of men. 

And in the patriarchal world, feminism has yet to manifest effectively. As such, feminism gained stride in the West during the latter half of 20th century and while it is a common topic of discussion today, there remains a lot to achieve when it comes to the empowerment of girls and women globally. 

From unpaid and low paying work to socio-economic and political discrimination, girls and women face inequality even in current age and time, which has to be addressed through the root.