Need to learn and practice gender equity rather than indulging into battle of sexes

Need to learn and practice gender equity rather than indulging into battle of sexes Follow @merinews

19 November, 2016

The International Men's Day (IMD) is made to turn into a battle of sexes instead of gender equity as became evident in the British Parliament. It seems that the real purpose of equitable gender relations and mutual respect has been forgotten, said a well-meaning adult in Jaipur.

The observance should highlight gender discrimination and promote basic human values social and gender equity. However, over the years, IMD observance has increased the distance between men and women. Despite it, IMD is now being observed in at least seventy countries including India and Pakistan. The day is celebrated on November 19 every year and has almost a global support.

I feel that both on IMD and IWD (International Women's Day), we need to promote gender equity rather than indulging into a battle of sexes and blaming each other for the gender imbalance and inequity.

Gender equity is viewed as a process of equal respect for masculinity and femininity along with stopping any discrimination on the basis of sex.

Gender equity requires equal participation in decision making and resulting into affirmative actions to eliminate imbalances and disadvantages. According to UNESCO, the gender perspective is about power relations and socialization process which concern both men and women, boys and girls; and take place at the individual, the family and the community level.

According to sociology, gender is a social construct and a notion which refers to the social role differences and relations of the sexes which are learned and vary widely among societies and cultures. Therefore, gender equity requires unlearning and doing away from belief thinking about the societal roles assigned by the dominant groups or patriarchal societies.

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