SOLUTIONS TO GENDER ISSUES ACROSS THE WORLD

Gender is a ‘biological fact’ and when we hear gender becoming a major ‘issue’ in society, it is disheartening to the mind. The other major dampener is that Gender Issues are always pertaining to the female gender. Women across the world have fought this fight, which apparently is neither their own nor created by them.

Let us take a closer look at what this ISSUE is all about. The Patriarchy systems for reasons that are now obsolete kept women in the background. As society evolved, so did men and women. The responsibilities changed and expanded, the conditions got better, the expressions and expectations changed. Women now became more educated, expressive, employable and their presence was felt in newer areas of responsibilities. The social dynamic and structure faced an alteration that was inevitable due to the alteration in women’s way of being. However, the patriarchal systems did not alter their ‘view’ of women. In their view, women remained and still remain an inferior and weaker gender. Friction ensued over the years as women felt trapped in these systems and sought more freedom of expression and life. While their contributions increased in every sphere of life, the benefits that must ensue vis a vis their presence and work stayed at the levels that patriarchy though fit. Women demanded fairness and dignity as a benefit.

Gender itself is the Solution to the Issue! How is that ?

• Acceptance that female gender constitutes 49-51% of World’s population and therefore is a force to reckon with if their contributions were made significant to the social and economic structures across the World. The contribution that women can make to society in general and to development in particular has been underestimated and never fully calculated. Given that women do carry a nurturing instinct and a sense of co-operation in their conduct and demeanor , their presence in society and the influence that they can create has been undermined to a large extent. The finer intuitive and emotional and nurturing sides of women be utilized in the mainstream work areas as essentials for society

• The roles and responsibilities of women quantified in a manner that they can clearly define the ‘value’ created by them in their environments. Women still struggle with unequal pay for the same amount of work. Many of their natural skills have not found a place in the list of skills in corporate environments. Their nature roles do not find acceptance in work environments and force them to be pushed back. If the quantification is done differently than how it is done now, women may as well be at par for their efforts.

• Women need to be trained in the mind as stronger than they are perceived in society so they can conduct themselves differently than they do. Women have been trained in ways that causes conflict within themselves about who they are and their own capabilities. A presumption that they are the weaker gender is often the unsaid undercurrent. Despite rise in education and lifestyle, they struggle for a strong identity.

• Promote leadership amongst women at various layers and levels. It is important to have Women Leaders who understand what a woman needs to grow and what exactly she needs to tackle biologically and socially. We cannot expect men to fully understand that.

• Women’s expression must be re-defined and re-presented through women themselves in the way they can begin to live away from the social and patriarchal definitions of ‘who’ a woman must be

• It is important to have a critical mass of women’s organizations, groups, thought leadership around the need for gender solutions to make a vocal physical impact in society.

• To create ‘respectable’ spaces for women it is also imperative to have women oriented and women driven business’
• The need is for Government and non-government interventions at school and social levels to help eradicate gender differences based on patriarchal understanding of women’s roles

• Raising consciousness amongst women, to recognize their inner selves and the power that lies within. Raising the standards of thought and living in the minds of women themselves