32. Seminar March 2017

I was invited   as  a  Resource Person to deliver a talk on 

Addressing Gender Gaps

 for a Plenary Session  of the Directorate of Collegiate Education sponsored National Seminar on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Contemporary India: Issues and Challenges organized by Govt. Brennen College of Teacher Education, Thalassery on

22 March 2017 

My multimedia presentation  had three parts: The first  part briefly mentioned the  existing  gender gaps  at the global and national  level. The second part  focused on the  nature of the  problem at the national level and the  underlying loopholes  and challenges.  The  final part  was  a  listing  down  of  strategies  beginning with  the   plans  under way as part of the   UN-Sustainable Development Goals:

20. Realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution to progress across all the Goals and targets. The achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development is not possible if one half of humanity continues to be denied its full human rights and opportunities. Women and girls must enjoy equal access to quality education, economic resources and political participation as well as equal opportunities with men and boys for employment, leadership and decision-making at all levels. We will work for a significant increase in investments to close the gender gap and strengthen support for institutions in relation to gender equality and the empowerment of women at the global, regional and national levels. All forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls will be eliminated, including through the engagement of men and boys. The systematic mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the implementation of the Agenda is crucial.

-Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

T

The highlight of the seminar was  a Mini Exhibition. Delegates  included  research scholars, teacher  educators  and  teacher trainees  from several  colleges of  Teacher  Education  affiliated to Kannur  University and Calicut University.

31. India needs to improve on Gender Equality Issues

 [Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17

- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]

                                        “A family is incomplete with a woman”

Introduction

Feticide began in the early 1990s, when ultrasound techniques became widely used in India. Many families continuously produce children until a male child is born. Female feticide is the earliest and most brutal manifestation of violence against women. Researchers for The Lancet estimate that more than 500,000 girls are being lost annually through sex selective abortions. Female face many problems, which shows that there is an issue relating to gender equality.

Description

In India, violence against women can take several forms. Women of any class or religion can be victims of acid-throwing, a cruel form of punishment that can disfigure women for life and even kill them. According to perpetrators, it is an action meant to put women in their place for defying cultural norms. The U.N. Population Fund reports that up to 70 percent of married women aged 15–49 in India are victims of beatings or coerced sex. Dowry traditions, according to which parents must often pay large sums of money to marry off their daughters is claimed as one of the reasons why parents prefer boys to girls. In 1961, the government of India passed the some kinds of abuse as “bride burning” have diminished among the educated urban populations, Dowry Prohibition Act, which makes dowry demands in wedding arrangements illegal. Although many cases of dowry-related domestic violence, suicide, and murders are still occurring.

(www.theepochtimes.com/.../1987489-india-needs-to-improve-on-gender-equality-issues/).

Critical Review

In India there exist several gender issues, as almost all issues points towards women as they are considered as secondary to men. A family always prefer male child instead of female one, to look after them in the future. Female feticide is a major issue in India, it is punishable and offensive still it goes on. Increasing awareness of the problem has led to multiple campaigns by celebrities and journalists to combat sex-selective abortions. Aamir Khan devoted the first episode "Daughters Are Precious" of his show SatyamevJayate to raise awareness of this widespread practice, focusing primarily on Western Rajasthan, which is known to be one of the areas where this practice is common. Its sex ratio dropped to 883 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011 from 901 girls to 1000 boys in 2001. Rapid response was shown by local government in Rajasthan after the airing of this show, showing the effect of media and nationwide awareness on the issue. A vow was made by officials to set up fast-track courts to punish those who practice sex-based abortion. They cancelled the licenses of six sonography centers and issued notices to over 20 others.

Cultural intervention has been addressed through theatre. Plays such as 'Pacha Mannu', which is about female infanticide/feticide, has been produced by a women's theatre group in Tamil Nadu. This play was showing mostly in communities that practice female infanticide/feticide and has led to a redefinition of a methodology of consciousness raising, opening up varied ways of understanding and subverting cultural expressions. The Mumbai High Court ruled that prenatal sex determination implied female feticide. Sex determination violated a woman's right to live and was against India's Constitution. The Beti Bachao, or Save girls campaign, has been underway in many Indian communities since the early 2000s. The campaign uses the media to raise awareness of the gender disparities creating, and resulting from, sex-selective abortion. Beti Bachao activities include rallies, posters, short videos and television commercials, some of which are sponsored by state and local governments and other organizations. Many celebrities in India have publicly supported the Beti Bachao campaign.

Submitted by Mr. Shijavudden Sajad

30. Promoting Gender Equality Through Education in India

 [Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17

- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]

                  

Introduction

Many people came to protest gang-rape of a 23-year old university student on December 16th and her subsequent death two weeks later – and rightly so, the incident itself was beyond the pale. Women were mainly included in the protest. Education is a major boost up to maintain gender equality.

Description

India itself has good examples of education changing social norms towards gender equality. An interesting case of girls’ education programs run in the province of Uttar Pradesh demonstrates that schooling, if done right, can help change gender norms, even in the most marginalized societies. But most importantly, these girls are changing the gender norms in their communities. They are beginning to fight back when they or their peers are planned to be married off at too early an age. Through street protests and cajoling discussions, they have convinced their parents to keep them in school instead. They initiate community-wide discussions on violence against women. They apply for higher education scholarships and convince their families to let them go once they receive them (an incredibly 88 percent of the girls go on to higher education).

Suggestion

The education of girls and women can lead to a wide range of benefits from improved gender equality. In the varied discussions on the post-2015 education related agendas, there was strong consensus that gender equality in education remains a priority. Various inputs noted that inequalities in general, and particularly gender equality, need to be addressed simultaneously on multiple levels—economic, social, political and cultural.Gender-based discrimination in education is, in effect, both a cause and a consequence of deep-rooted differences in society. Disparities, whether in terms of poverty, ethnic background, disability, or traditional attitudes about their status and role all undermine the ability of women and girls to exercise their rights. Moreover, harmful practices such as early marriage, gender-based violence, as well as discriminatory education laws and policies still prevent millions of girls from enrolling and completing their respective education.

Submitted  by Mr.Rejithraj L. 

29. Gender perspective in war

[Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17

- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]

Women and Peace

"Is there a difference between men and women when it comes to war and peace? Are women more peaceful?"

The United Nations's fourth women's conference in Beijing addressed the integration of gender equality issues in all aspects of politics and planning. Twelve areas in need of measures were described, one of them being "Women and armed conflict". Women should participate in peace negotiations, was one of the conclusions. Women living in conflict situations are to be protected.

http://phys.org/news/2016-11-gender-perspectives-world-male.html#jCp

On the global agenda, war and peace was primarily something that pertained to men, at least up until 1995, when the United Nation’s fourth women's conference in Beijing addressed the integration of gender equality issues in all aspects of politics and planning. Twelve areas in need of measures were described, one of them being "Women and armed conflict". Women should participate in peace negotiations, was one of the conclusions. Women living in conflict situations are to be protected.

In 2000, The United Nations Security Council passed resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. It was established that women should participate in peace processes, that sexual violence should be stopped, assailants should be prosecuted, and that the UN's peacekeeping work should include gender perspectives.

There are a lot of threats and violence against women who are actively involved in politics. There is a need to integrate women in the armed forces because they can contribute their own part. The military should consider implementing training that directly addresses the cultural understandings of gender."

In almost all cultures and societies, the stereotypical vision of war has been persistent; women are supposed to be the outsiders of war. War is men’s business. They go to the front, do the fighting, take the risks and make the decisions. Women stay at home doing house hold works.

The dichotomous construction of sex/biology (nature) vs. gender/culture (nurture), arguing that the two are “highly interdependent’ and that biology “provides diverse potentials”, while cultures “limit, select, and channel them. Biology is diversity and demonstrates this variability across societies.

Goldstein defines war as lethal inter-group violence and feminism as an ideology opposing male domination and promoting gender equality. He then reviews the historical record of men and women in war in simple and complex societies. He concludes that the cross-cultural consistency of gendered war roles is pervasive. Women have fought in wars but these women are exceptions to the gender rule that men are warriors.

However, gender does not determine whether or not a person is an outsider of war. In different respects, women have always been part of war. We can distinguish different roles such as camp followers, nurses in combat, soldiers, and finally as housewives. Some of these roles, in particular, have serves as a support to war and militarism.

Gender exclusion from combat is by policy choice, not by physical capability; the evidence shows that women can and do fight. For the indepence of India many women freedom fighters such as Jhansi Rani, Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, Arun Asaf Ali, Indira Gandhi, Kamla Nehru, Vijayalaxmi Pandit and Madam Cama take part and they contribute in their own way.

War is constructed as a test or signifier of manhood/masculinity; victory is confirmation of male identity, defeat is emasculation. Femininity is constructed to reinforce the “man as warrior” construction, both in support roles as nurse, mother, or wife and in opposition as peace activists; all confirm militarized masculinity. Cultural views of femininity characterize women as naturally peaceful and non-violent.

Cultural views of masculinity assign men to the public sphere and positions of power. Hence men are responsible for all public affairs-in war and in peace, according to cultural gender constructions. Being mostly excluded from high-level politic, women have searched other forms of political action. One such example is the women’s peace camp outside the US Air Force base at Green ham Common in Great Britain that existed from the 1980s until the beginning of the year 2000.

For more than 30years, women have been intensely re-envisioning femininity, and what it means to be a woman. Same scrutiny should be applied to men. The feminist movement came into being because women were fundamentally in pain and unable to develop to their full potential. But, men are similarly, hampered by this masculine ideal, in which they are expected to repress their emotions. One of the major reasons, for many of the conflicts at present is that we have, to greater or lesser extent ‘deconstructed’ femininity but we have done almost nothing to deconstruct masculinity.

Suggestion

*Gender does not determine whether or not a person is an outsider of war.

*Cultural views of femininity characterize women as naturally peaceful and non-violent but they can contribute in their own way.

*There is a need to integrate women in the armed forces because they do their best.

* The military should consider implementing training that directly addresses the cultural understandings of gender.

*Women living in conflict situations are to be protected by giving them proper education and training

Reference

www.colorado.edu/geography/.../Goldstein%20-%20Gender%20and%20war.pdf

www.warandgender.com

http://phys.org/news/2016-11-gender-perspectives-world-male.html#jCp

Submitted by Ms. Mayoori M.Nair

28. Youth and community in gender based violence

[Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17

- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]

Engaging youth and communities to combat gender-based violence

It is Wednesday morning in the Haifa School Collective Centre, an UNRWA shelter located in Damascus which currently houses 212 displaced Palestine refugee families, comprising 325 individuals (as of October 2016). A group of young Palestine refugee boys and girls gather in a corner of the schoolyard. Mohammad, a 32-year-old UNRWA volunteer, greets everyone who has come to attend the support group that is about to start.

The group discussions are one way to engage youth in identifying risks and concerns about gender-based violence (GBV) in their community and reflect on strategies to address them.

http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/engaging-youth-and-communities-combat-gender-based-violence

Gender based violence is an umbrella term for any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and that is based on socially ascribed differences between males and females. Youth can creates the space for developing community based protection strategies, which means working with community members to identify challenges and problems around safety and explore ways to address them. This approach recognizes that some G B V related problems such as domestic violence and child marriage are rooted in social norms that can only be transformed from within the community. Institutions and informal groups including religious organizations, schools and local authorities all influence the roles and responsibilities of young people and their access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.

Suggestion

*The group discussions are the one way to engage youth in identifying risks and concerns about gender based violence in their community.

*Working with community members to identify challenges and problems around safety and explore ways to address them.

*The group discussions provide an opportunity for communities to critically reflect on these issues and their role in preventing such violence.

*By having an open dialogue with the community we get awareness on the effects and consequences of gender based violence.

Solutions

*Engaging boys to stop violence

*To engage with boys and mobilize communities to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and discrimination.

*To engage men and boys as champions of change and to mobilize community action against gender based violence.

Reference

www.un.org .youthenvoy.2016/11

www.youthpower.org .gender

Submitted by Ms. Beena Mol

         

27. Gender gap in Maths

[Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17

- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]

Gender gap in Math abilities

A new study shows that the gender gap in math abilities starts early—and teacher bias makes it worse as time goes on

In 2008, research suggested there was no gender gap in math performance in the US. From second to 11th grades, girls did just as well as boys on state standardized math tests.

A new, well-designed, and large study suggests otherwise. It looks at younger children and shows that there is a tiny gender gap when kids start school (albeit larger among the very top performers) and that it widens, across all ability levels, through third grade.

That’s a critical timeframe, as past research shows that early math achievement determines a child’s interest and confidence in the subject during elementary and middle school, and strongly predicts how good at math she’ll be later on.

http://qz.com/826748/the-math-gender-gap-between-girls-and-boys-starts-in-kindergarten-and-is-largely-driven-by-teachers-biases/

Gender differences in math are actually depends on which math outcomes we look at. At both elementary and secondary levels, boys and girls score similarly on many state tests, and girls get relatively good grades in math classes. However, some gender differences in math attitudes and skills appear during elementary school, and ultimately, boys are much more likely than girls to pursue careers in some key math-intensive fields, such as engineering and computer science.

 Some researchers have found that boys tend to use more novel problem-solving strategies, whereas girls are more likely to follow school-taught procedures. Research consistently shows that, even from a fairly young age, girls are less confident and more anxious about math than boys. Moreover, these differences in confidence and anxiety are larger than actual gender differences in math achievement. These attitudes are important predictors of math performance and math-related career choices. In addition, some of our own research suggests that when boys and girls have the same math performance and behaviours in math class, teachers perceive that the boys are better at math, and that this “differential rating” of boys and girls contributes to gender gaps in math performance. This is not to suggest that teachers are to blame for gender differences in math performance. 

Strategies to improve math skill

*Training to teachers and making them aware of their potential implicit biases.

*Teachers should praise girls for inventing new strategies to solve problems.

*Parents may be able to take steps to counteract implicit biases against girls.

*Moms should model mathematical confidence and curiosity around their daughters

*Parents should expose girls to books and games that involve mathematical patterns, praising girls for trying new problem solving strategies

References

http://www.nctm.org/Publications/Teaching-Children-Mathematics/Blog/Current-Research-on-Gender-Differences-in-Math/

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/math-gender-gap-kindergarten_us_581215abe4b064e1b4b0c0a9

https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/03/07/the-truth-about-gender-and-math/

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/07-08/gender-gap.aspx

Submitted by Ms. Deva Prabha S.

26. Gender wage gap

[Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17

- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]

Gender wage gap

The gender wage gap most severely affects women of colour, and the wage gap exists within all racial and ethnic groups

See The Top 10 Facts About the Gender Wage Gap

by Kaitlin Holmes and Danielle Corley

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2016/04/12/135260/the-top-10-facts-about-the-gender-wage-gap/

Gender pay gap in India refers to the difference in earnings between women and men in the paid employment and labour market. For the year 2013, the gender pay gap in India was estimated to be 24.81%^. A report by the World Economic Forum highlights that in the corporate sector in India, a woman is paid only one-third of what a man in the same position is paid. Further, while analyzing the level of female participation in the economy, this report slots India as one of the bottom 10 countries on its list. Thus, in addition to unequal pay, there is also unequal representation, because while women constitute almost half the Indian population (about 48% of the total), their representation in the work force amounts to only about one-fourth of the total.

The female labour participation rate in India from 1901 to 1951 was between 28 and 34 percent, which is higher than the level of participation observed in 1990. This rate also varies from state to state. Regions in northern India (which have been observed to be more patriarchal) have lower participation rates for women than the states in southern India, where women have more freedom to participate in the formal economy. SEWA (the Self Employed Women’s Association) recently found that the average wage of women workers was Rs. 1815 while the average wage for men was Rs. 3842. Additionally, it was observed that in many situations the wages for women workers was below the minimum wage requirement

According to Monster Salary Index, India suffers from huge gender pay gap. Its main causes and remedies are:

The Constitution of India provides for 'Equal Pay for Equal Work' under Art.39 (d) [DPSP].Despite this the pay-gap is on the rise as revealed by the recent Monster Salary Index. The gap in the IT is as mug.ch as 34% (27% last year).

Causes
a) Societal: 1.due to patriarchal mindset women are not considered as equal as men.

2. The competency of women are less-valued than men even in professionals requiring similar skills, hard works, etc. E.g. actress in the Film Industry is paid less than male actors.

3. Division of labour on the basis of gender. Women are supposed to take household chores thereby leave the job in the middle to fulfill their gender-duty.

4. Marital status- for single women, the gender-pay gap is 27% and for married and divorced the gap is over 40%.

b) Biological distinction between male and female such as women's pregnancy, menstrual cycle, etc. also contributes to the cause.

c)Administrative: Lack of strict implementation of policy that addresses gender-pay gap such as the Minimum Wages Act, the Factories Act, etc.

d)Lack of awareness among women about their constitutional and legal rights.

 Remedies

a)Strict implementation of laws such as The Factories Act, the Minimum Wages Act, etc. 

b)Increasing awareness campaigns among women through street plays, folk songs, mass media, etc.

c)Economic empowerment through skilled-training, education, vocational training, etc to change patriarchal mindset.

d) Working women must be provided all facilities such as crèches at work places.
These steps need to be taken strictly as it is in the societal and national interest and in accordance with ideals of the JUSTICE and EQUALITY as enshrined in our preamble.

Submitted by Mr. Prasasth MR.

25. Gender issue in Australia

[Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17

- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]

Australia falling behind in gender pay gap, women's safety and incarceration rates, new report shows

-Brooke Boney

26 Oct 2016

Australia is performing poorly in women's safety and income equality as well as a number of other key social issues compared with other OECD countries, a report by the Community Council for Australia has found.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-27/australia-falling-behind-other-oecd-countries-in-gender-pay-gap/7969122

According to the report one in five Australian aged 15-74 did not complete secondary education. Australia is above average compared to other countries in equality of access to employment, education level and business confidence.

*The women feel unsafe after dark in public because the many incidents of sexual assaults on women.

*Feeling uncomfortable around men who had been drinking.

*Feeling insecure in relatively empty areas with poor lighting

Australian girls and young women’s think while sexual harassment in public places is both a serious issue and never justified. They offered a range of solution to the general public, urban planners.

The major solutions are

*Better Education.

*Gender equality.

*Respect girl’s rights.

*Improve street lighting, CCTV cameras.

*Foster inclusive dialogue with young people both young men and women about gender equality respect of women’s and girls’ right, specifically  their right to move freely in public places access public transports, parks,streets and other places outside the home.

*Promoting girls independence and decision making

*Promoting positive equal and respectful relationship

*Girls feeling able to report violence or abuse to community leaders, local authority.

*Educate boys, girls and teachers about healthy respectful relationship.

Submitted  by Ms. Reshmi Krishna R.