National Girl Child Day: 4 ways Indians show bias against the girl child

Want to empower girls? Stop putting them down!

By: Naz Haider | | Updated: January 24, 2018 1:10 pm

I have always prided in the fact that my little daughter, a little shy of three years, is a mini feminist. For her, the idea of girls and boys not being alike, or different in terms of capabilities, likings, skills and even mannerisms is an alien concept. And that’s exactly how I like it. So it was a bit of a shocker when one day while reading the wonderful book ‘Good night stories for rebel girls’, she refused to accept that the picture of a black woman with closely cropped hair was that of a woman. She argued, way too passionately, that anyone with short hair cannot be a woman. The idea of girls and boys being different had been seeded in her brain, and I feared that it will only go downhill from there. As damage control, I told her that anyone, regardless of their gender, can wear their hair the way they want. I don’t know how much of that she bought, but I can see that her little brain is already trying to figure out the differences between the two genders. And where did she pick it from? From the way, everyone around us treats girls and boys differently. Your fair-and-forward brain might not accept this, but there are many subtle ways in which we encourage the differences between girl and boy children. Also Read - Insecure in your relationship? It may lead to postnatal depression in men

Frills for girls, practical clothing for boys: Running, jumping, climbing, getting dirty and rough housing is for boys, girls need to look pretty in frilly frocks and bows. Why do we dress girls in impractical clothing? I always buy my daughter’s clothes from the boys’ section, and honestly, the girl clothing in the retail stores don’t make sense to me.
Cars for boys, cutlery for girls: It is saddening and shameful that our differences also reflects the kind of toys we give to our children based on their gender. Girls are steered towards playing with stuffed toys, kitchens and dressing up dolls. And for the girls like my daughter who loves her engineering tool set, they are branded ‘tomboys’. Why can’t girls be interested in ‘boy’ toys and still maintain the pride of being a girl?
Girls do quilling, guys play football: Summer vacations come and girls will be lining outside ‘hobby classes’ where they learn arts like quilling, candle making, crocheting, painting, etc. No harm in that, learning an art form. But how will we react if a boy were to want to learn one of those things? Or if a young girl wanted to ditch that and wished to play football in the rain?
Boys will be boys: Before you pass this off as a silly remark, let me break it down for you. Here are some instances where it is used: when a little boy is playing rough, when a boy toddler throws something in a fit of rage, when boys make a mess, when young boys misbehave. And when you say that boys will be boys, what message are you giving them? That they are forgiven, for everything mistake they commit.

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Published : January 24, 2018 1:10 pm | Updated:January 24, 2018 1:10 pm

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