Even now women throughout the world are still treated as unequal to men. But gender equality is vitally important for society. Realising this, social reformers tried to fight against many customary practices that undermined women's position in society. Developmental activists, the international community and national policy planners are trying to ensure equality to women in various spheres of life. Considerable progress has been made in this direction so far as education, access to health services and participation in the economy and polity are concerned. But this progress has not benefited all women. Still a major portion of the
Women, Social Institutions and Practices
women population and girls face inequality in their homes, communities, work places and in the larger society. They fail to enjoy their human rights and are denied privileges and opportunities available to men. They do not lead a life of dignity.
Women's position in society can be better understood through a "life cycle" approach. The" life cycle "approach simply means that a woman's lifespan comprises different stages. There are six definable stages through which every individual goes: the pre-natal stage, infancy, childhood, adolescence, reproductive age and old age. In each of these stages we find a few women enjoying some degree of equality with men. But biological differences between men and women make women lead a different type of life in each of these stages.
The chart below depicts the stages of life a woman passes
Even now women throughout the world are still treated as unequal to men. But gender equality is vitally important for society. Realising this, social reformers tried to fight against many customary practices that undermined women's position in society. Developmental activists, the international community and national policy planners are trying to ensure equality to women in various spheres of life. Considerable progress has been made in this direction so far as education, access to health services and participation in the economy and polity are concerned. But this progress has not benefited all women. Still a major portion of the
Women, Social Institutions and Practices
women population and girls face inequality in their homes, communities, work places and in the larger society. They fail to enjoy their human rights and are denied privileges and opportunities available to men. They do not lead a life of dignity.
Women's position in society can be better understood through a "life cycle" approach. The" life cycle "approach simply means that a woman's lifespan comprises different stages. There are six definable stages through which every individual goes: the pre-natal stage, infancy, childhood, adolescence, reproductive age and old age. In each of these stages we find a few women enjoying some degree of equality with men. But biological differences between men and women make women lead a different type of life in each of these stages.
The chart below depicts the stages of life a woman passesIn each of these stages, it is noted that boys and girls, men and women lead different types of lives and their experiences become diverse. Customary practices, age-old beliefs, unequal power relations, social institutions like family, marriage, property do not treat men and women, boys and girls equally. Different set of rules, different attitudes and behaviour patterns on the basis of sex create gender inequality in society.
If we want to change these practices, let us take up this module and find ways to get rid of them. In this module, we are going to look into how many of our gender practices are against human values, morality and ethics and what we can do to eradicate them. Let us hope that a new wave of consciousness will shape a new generation of girls and boys in these class rooms, who will respect one another and work together to protect the rights of all people.
1.1.3 Desirable gender-related values
In this module we will be talking about some desirable gender-related values like
Gender Justice
Gender equality
Dignity of women
Eradication of discrimination on the grounds of sex
Respecting and honouring the human rights of women Recognising and appreciating the contributions of women
Developing compassion, care and respect for women
Social and economic inclusion of women
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