GENDER BIAS AND ITS EFFECT ON MEETING THE CHALLENGES

Rehana is a five year old girl in a small town of India. She has two elder brothers aged 7 and 9 years respectively. Her father is a small time vehicle mechanic and is barely able to meet ends for his family. Rehana’s   brother goes to the neighbouring school but Rehana till now has got the opportunity to go to the school as she is a girl child in the family. Even when it comes to the sharing of food also she is not given milk and her share of vegetables and meat is almost next to negligible. Thus her nutritional and social requirements are being curbed inadvertently by the society. It is because of her gender. 

This is a story which is being repeated in almost most of the countries of the third world in particular irrespective of religion or country. In this scenario one finds that the awareness level for the gender issues is grossly lacking and is next to non existing at the level where the girl child is being systematically discriminated at all times . The huge gap in terms of awareness and ground action makes us think of the efficacy of the various projects being run by all actors both state and non state. Where we lack is the question that haunts us at all times and we are not able to find the appropriate answer to the question. 

Is it because of the deep rooted psychological effect due to years and years of conditioning or due to our inability to introduce change in the society? Change is always painful and Bentham was correct in dwelling on the issue that we tend to prolong our pleasure and pain is always to be avoided. Thus all the males and the privileged females are not too keen to see the change transcending in the society. May it will demolish the old social order or may be so painful that none is interested in initiating it. Yet it is in the interest of humanity to empower its almost half of its inhabitants in case it wishes to meet the challenges being faced by humanity. The challenges at all levels are so grave that they can only be faced by the cooperation of all stake holders and only then it can be  met with all the might. Otherwise since half of our population is under represented thus the efforts to meet the challenges will also be half hearted. So it is simple enough for us to imagine the probability of our success in case we do   not take proactive steps to empower our suppressed and discriminated female population.