Beyond Boundaries: Critical Conversations about a Gender-Equal World

Beyond Boundaries: A Girl’s Journey Through Stereotypes. A theme so rife with hope and promise, and one that was explored by a group of six inspiring panellists and students from various schools and universities in an event of the same name.

The event, organised by CRY (Child Rights and You), was held at the British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata. Since I had been volunteering with CRY for a while, I was invited to attend the event as a member of the audience.

Overall, it was an extremely enriching experience, and one that held much weight and import. What struck me most throughout the session, was that every single panellist began with a personal story—a story about a time they were affected by the stereotypes of their gender. One of the panellists recounted facing much scepticism from her peers and family members about her profession as a journalist because everyone around her assumed that because she was a woman, she couldn’t possibly be working long hours into the night, reporting for work at odd hours and other behaviour considered very normal in the career of a journalist. “Did her husband allow her to do that?”

The session dealt with the impact of such stereotypes on girls and the discrimination faced as a result of it. The panellists, one by one, recounted their experiences and emphasised the need for change.

There was a discussion on how child marriage interrupts complete education for girls, especially in rural areas where family income is low. In such cases, parents often prioritise the boy child since ‘he’ll carry on the family name’, and refuse to apply the same logic to a girl child since it would be ‘a better investment’ to utilise the money in her dowry instead of sending her for higher education. Then the girl is married off, at the brink of adulthood, perhaps even younger—and the vicious cycle goes on, a child in need of nurturing becomes the one expected to nurture her own. The young mother’s health—both physical and emotional—is compromised, and her future, her dreams, are reduced to a life of labouring away in her husband’s home.

A new angle to gender differences was brought up—how climate change plays a role towards the oppression of girls in disaster-prone areas. It is known that women and girls are more vulnerable to issues surrounding health and sanitation, and health issues are further exacerbated by food scarcity as a result of natural disasters. As a result, they are disproportionately affected. Moreover, in the face of economic difficulties, girls are often lured into the dark world of sex trafficking.

Even in urban areas and within modern society, gender stereotypes are reinforced by ‘normative behaviour’, such as the clothes people are expected to wear. What’s more interesting, is that it is completely normal for a woman of this day and age to wear a man’s clothes (say, in professional environments). But is it the same the other way around? The audience was silent. We all knew it was not, even after all these years, and any man wearing a dress or a skirt as daily wear would probably be mocked or in the least, laughed at—because it is uplifting to be seen as a man, but degrading to be seen as a woman.

The event went on to include a student-led panel discussion on the issues of gender stereotyping in the media, the role of parents in reinforcing gender barriers and the need for change in the societal structures that impose such obstacles. It reached its finale with a group activity, where students were divided into groups and were encouraged to express their vision of a gender-free world through art, music, theatre, and dance.

Although decades of progress have been made in tackling gender discrimination, the session was a stark reminder, that there is so much still in need of change. However, the very fact that a discussion such as this was held so openly and with schoolchildren and young adults, in itself, a significant marker of progress. It reflects how far we have come in creating spaces where critical conversations can take place, and is a step towards further inclusivity and empowerment, laying the groundwork for a future rid of gender stereotypes and other barriers towards education and achievement.