Breaking Down Gender Biases

 UNLEARNING HARMFUL GENDER NORMS: Why it's important for a just and inclusive world.

The UNDP's GSNI (Gender Social Norm Index) report for the year 2023 was published in June, and it clearly states that without tackling biased gender social norms we will not achieve gender equality as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

WHY IT EXISTS:

Years of cultural practices are handed down to generations, as holy grails, with absolute authority over life. They are blindly followed without questions. Slowly and gradually they become part and parcel of daily life. So nuanced is their presence that it's never noticed. Not until you actually sit down with it and have a talk. Not until that. Limiting beliefs are the genesis point of gender norms. A woman can't lead, a man can't cook, this color is for girls, and those toys are for boys. We have created gender roles that are leading towards a lifelong cycle of inequality.

If those gender norms are left unchallenged for too long, they merge into the consciousness that's passed down to the next generation. Unquestioned brutal practices such as FGM (Female Genital Mutation) end up becoming a tragic necessity for a male-driven culture to thrive and assert its authority over the other gender. And those that are questioned like Sati in the subcontinent, end up obsolete, getting the deserved conclusion. Both of these practices have their beginnings in the limiting beliefs that autonomy shouldn't be given to women either over their body or their lives after they become a widow.

HOW IT LIMITS:

It has been shown that gender biases inhibit women's agency in the world. Where domesticity is given more importance than education and marriage to financial independence, a woman is always at a disadvantage in a society that adheres strictly to such gender norms. The freedom to choose the possibilities is hindered and such thought process is never inculcated in them, given the context of gendered roles.

According to UN Women's facts and figures, as of January 1st, 2023, the rate at which gender equality at the highest echelons of power will be achieved is another 130 years. The effect of such pervasive norms is two-fold because it also deprives societies form the benefits of women's leadership. There exists a gap in fields that still sadly doesn't have enough female representation to make a change. And that exists due to the cruel effect of gender norms that have limited women's participation and their growth in such fields. The lack of opportunities and trust correlated with the societal thought process of categorizing gender-assigned roles. 

WHAT TO DO:

It's very important to introspect the cultural and social norms that we have absorbed silently, and unknowingly. It's imperative to go through the trails and hold ourselves accountable for upholding and being an accomplice in perpetuating those gender norms. One of the hardest things that we will do is hold the mirror in front of ourselves.

Recognize the limiting factor, the norm that's hindering your agency in the world, and critically think about it. Ask your mothers, sisters, friends. Look for its genesis, the confining belief behind it. At any point in your life, was that norm ever beneficial? Ask these questions. Look for their answers. Then dream of a world without it. A world free from its shackles. When you have done that, design your life around its absence. By holding yourself accountable, exercise that norm out of your subconscious, heal from the trauma of its presence, and forgive yourself for indulging in it.

There are countless women out there who succeded against the odds, who made sure that the world knows that the fight is winnable. To create a more just and equitable world that's inclusive and doesn't restrict a woman's participation to the fullest, passing laws isn't the only solution. Not until we start these conversations at our homes, communities, and workplaces. Gender biases are sustained by  societal construct that permits their growth and addressing them requires societal change at large.