Gender

By gender we mean the many social values and stereotypes culture attach to the biological distinction male and female.It is a term that helps us to understand many of the inequalities and power relations between men and women in society.

Societies make clear distinction between boys and girls.This begins from a very young age.Boys are given cars to play with and girls are given dolls.

Toys become a way of telling children that they will have different futures when they become men and women.These differences are created in the smallest and most everyday things like how girl must dress,what games boys should play and how they need tobe tough. All these are ways of telling children that they have specific roles to play when they grow up to be men and women.Later in life this affects the subjects they study or careers they choose,

In most societies including Indian society the roles men and women play or work they do are not valued equally.Men and women do not have the same status.

Across the world the main responsibility for housework and care giving tasks like looking after the family,children,the elderly and sick members lies with the women.The work that women do within the home is not recognized as work.It is also assumed that this is something that comes naturally to women.

If we add up the housework and the work women do outside the home we will see that women spend much more timeworking then men and have much lesser time for leisure.

Gender imbalance is part of a larger system of inequality between men and women.It therefore has to be dealt with through actions not just at the level of the individual or the family but also by the government.