Gender Discrimination
Gender discrimination means treating girls and women in an inferior way in
comparison with the menfolk. Gender discrimination is when there are unfair
rights between males and females. It differs because of their gender roles
which ultimately leads to unequal treatment in life.
The position of women in Bangladesh is much lower than that of them. It begins
with the birth of a female child. Most parents want to have a male child so
that they can help their parents doing domestic work and contributing to
family income. In the existing socio-economic setup of our country, male
children are the best suited to this purpose.
There are many causes of gender discrimination. The first one has to be
illiteracy. When people do not educate themselves, they continue to live in
the old times. Thus, they follow the old-age sexist traditions and norms.
Poverty is also another reason which is interlinked in a way. The patriarchal
set-up in our society plays a big role. In this setup, the male dominates
almost every aspect of life. Thus, they consider themselves to be superior to
others.
Religious misinterpretation and social structures discourage, often prevent
girls from going to co-education schools. Even in urban schools, girls are not
allowed by many parents to live in student halls because they fear for their
girls’ safety. Early marriage and childbearing make women tied to a home, with
no possibility of going back to school. Any expenditure for sending girls to
school is considered a wastage of money by many parents while that for boys is
regarded as an investment.
The girls are born into an unwelcome world. Some of these girls may be at
schools. But all their work, domestic or academic stops as soon as they are
married off which is the prime concern of the parents about their daughters.
In the workplace, our female workers are paid less than their male
counterparts. They cannot enjoy equal opportunities in society. They are
always underestimated in every sector of life.
This discriminatory treatment affects the girls physically and mentally. They
are given to understand that they should keep the best food for the male
members of the family. They should eat less than male members. They should not
raise their voices when they speak. As a result, they suffer more than their
male counterparts from malnutrition and anaemia. They develop a sense of
self-effacement, self-denial, and inferiority that persist throughout their
lifetime.
Gender discrimination has a deep impact on society as a whole. It does not
just impact a specific section of society but every part of it. First of all,
it impacts children as they fall prey to gender stereotypes from a young age.
Further, it impacts young people because it impacts their behaviour, study
choices, ambitions, attitudes, and more. Thus, many girls do not participate
in many sports and women experience physical violence more than men.
Girls and women are not less important in society. They can contribute to the
development of a society like a man. Without their equal participation and
contribution, no society can be developed.
Gender disparity can be solved by creating general awareness among the people
about the talents and importance of the female and removing superstition
against them. Measures should be taken for building women’s capacity to be
effective partners with a male in every field. A gender-neutral environment
should prevail everywhere.
Gender discrimination must be checked at every stage so that no person should
be denied a chance to learn and grow. Thus, everyone, no matter male or
female, must get a start in life in terms of education and other
opportunities. We must come together as a society to do this.
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