Chapter 4 – Growing Up as Boys and Girls
- Growing Up and Gender Roles
- Gender roles are the social expectations and behaviors that society sets for men and women.
- From childhood, we are taught how to behave in boys and girls. Learning is part of our growing up.
- Example:
- Growing up in contemporary Samoan society: In the 1920s, children in the Samoan Islands did not attend school. They used to learn fishing, household chores from older children. The girls did not have to go fishing, they learned to take care of the children and do big things.
- Growing up in the 1960s in Madhya Pradesh: Boys and girls went to different schools. The boys’ school had a large playground, while the girls’ school had a small, unpaved courtyard. The boys cycled and played in groups, while the girls went quietly in the group.
- Different Worlds for Boys and Girls
- Boys and girls are often raised differently, given different toys, and expected to behave differently.
- Boys are often encouraged to be strong and courageous, while girls are taught to be submissive and caring.
- This difference can be seen everywhere in the world around us – in homes, in schools, in playgrounds.
- The Value of ‘Housework’
- Household chores (such as cooking, cleaning, looking after the children) are often called ‘household chores’ or ‘chore‘.
- Usually, this work is done by women and is often considered invisible and unvalued.
- Problem:
- I don’t get paid for this job.
- It is not considered physically difficult and time-consuming, whereas it is actually so.
- It is not considered a contribution to family income, so it is often underestimated.
- Examples: Harpreet’s mother’s job (cooking, cleaning, washing clothes) and Nirmala’s work in Harpreet’s family (housekeeper). Nirmala gets paid for her work, but she is treated as less valuable and not treated with respect.
Women ‘s Work and Equality
- Around the world, domestic work and care work done by women is considered less valuable than men’s work.
- This is a serious gender inequality.
- Equality in the Constitution: Our Constitution says that men and women are equal.
- Role of the Government: The government should take steps to ensure that the work done by women also gets a fair price and that discrimination is eliminated.
- Government Efforts
- The government is taking several steps to identify and solve this problem:
- Raising Awareness: Making people aware of the value of domestic work.
- Preventing Discrimination: Creating laws to prevent discrimination against women at workplaces.
- Providing support: Providing facilities such as kindergarten or crèches to enable women to work.
- In 1961, a law was passed that if a company has more than 30 women employees, they have to provide crèche facilities.
- These steps are aimed at ensuring equality for women, so that they too can work outside the home and participate in socio-economic development.