Alleviation: An International Journal of Nutrition, Gender & Social Development, ISSN 2348-9340 Volume 7, Number 7 (2020): 1-11
© Arya PG College (College with Potential for Excellence Status by UGC) & Business Press India Publication, Delhi http://apcjournals.com, www.aryapgcollege.com

Gender Sensitization

Anju Chaudhary
Associate Professor, Department of Home Science
Government College for Girls, Hisar
(Haryana), India
Email: anjuchaudhary75@gmail.com

Abstract

Gender sensitization refers to the modification of behaviour by raising awareness of gender equality concerns. Gender sensitizing is about changing behavior and instilling empathy into the views that we hold about our own and the other gender. Gender differentials in nutritional status are documented during infancy, with discriminatory breastfeeding and supplementation practices. Gender disparities in education persist with far more girls than boys failing to complete primary school. Utmost importance must be given to elimination of gender-related health inequities in order to balance the social determinants of health. System can be changed while living within the system.

Keywords: Gender Sensitization , Changing Behaviour, Gender Differentials, Social Determinants.

Introduction
Gender sensitization refers to the modification of behaviour by raising awareness of gender equality concerns. Gender sensitizing "is about changing behavior and instilling empathy into the views that we hold about our own and the other gender. Gender inequalities prevail in work, education, allocation of food, health care and fertility choices. India exhibits wide variations in the degree of son preference, with a stronger son preference found in northern India than in the south.
Studies across India have found that boys are much more likely than girls to be taken to a health facility when sick. Boys had higher immunization rates than girls in all except Goa and Karnataka, although the extent of this difference varied by states. Similarly, girls are more likely to be malnourished than boys in both the northern and southern states. Gender differentials in nutritional status are documented during infancy, with discriminatory breastfeeding and supplementation practices. Infant girls are breastfed less frequently, for shorter duration and over shorter periods than boys. However, the national family health survey indicated some variable evidences where boys and girls are equally likely to be stunted, on underweight but boys were slightly more likely than girls to be wasted.
Gender disparities in education persist with far more girls than boys failing to complete primary school. The national literacy rate of girls over seven years is 54 per cent against 75 per cent for boys. In the Northern Hindi-speaking states of India, girls’ literacy rates are particularly low ranging between 33 –50 per cent. While the enrolment rate is high in urban areas, it is conspicuously low in rural areas and amongst the slum and minority communities.
Symptoms of this inequality include the continued practice of female seclusion, very low female labour force participation rates, a large gender gap in literacy rates, extremely restricted female property rights, a strong preference for boys in fertility decisions, neglect of female children and a drastic separation of married women from the natal family.
The health of Indian women is linked to their status in society. The society is patriarchal and there is a strong preference for sons in India. This bias sometimes results in the mistreatment of daughters. Further, Indian women have low levels of both education and formal labor force participation. Typically, they have little autonomy, living under the control of first their fathers, then their husbands and finally their sons (Velkoff & Adlakha 1998). To gain a better perspective on the health status of urban Indian women, it is important that we look at some of the selected diseases from which women frequently suffer, and compare them with the prevalence rates amongst their rural counterparts, and also compare them with men.
In cases of diabetes, asthma and goiter, urban women do worse than their rural counterparts. Also, women suffer from goiter more than men, both in rural and urban areas, by about 1.93 and 3.62 times, respectively. Moreover, urban women suffer more from asthma than their male counterparts.
Lack of gender-sensitive education is also leading to new infections such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease. Differences in power between men and women are a major cause of the spread of HIV/AIDS among women. Pressures of migration, violence against women including trafficking and domestic violence, are manifestations of this problem, which in turn, subject women to HIV/AIDS infection risk.
Undernourishment among women in India is high. Women’s nutritional levels are lower than men since women face discrimination right from the time of breastfeeding to their adulthood
Utmost importance must be given to elimination of gender-related health inequities in order to balance the social determinants of health. Improvement of health information systems and building research capacity in order to monitor and measure the health of national populations are also crucial. Work needs to progress regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, race, caste, occupation, education, income and employment, where national laws and context permit (WHO 2009).
The talk about gender discrimination is quite common and has achieved a special focus in a number of conferences and seminars. Ironically enough it is still an open-ended topic even after so much discussion and may be that is why it has remained an eye-catcher on diverse platforms where intellectuals of the society try to analyze the condition and position of women in the current scenario. Related with all this certain terms have emerged such as women empowerment and women liberalization. The talk about gender discrimination is quite common and has achieved a special focus in a number of conferences and seminars. Ironically enough it is still an open-ended topic even after so much discussion and may be that is why it has remained an eye-catcher on diverse platforms where intellectuals of the society try to analyze the condition and position of women in the current scenario. Related with all this certain terms have emerged such as women empowerment and women liberalization.
May be initially it got started due to division of labor between male and female. As the work to earn bread was given to man, it resulted with the passage of time in the dominance of man. However if we go through the history of India, there have been a number of personalities who worked for the welfare of womanhood. We have examples of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Dayanand, Mahatma Gandhiji and many other such sung and unsung heroes. Till today, only partial success is credited to such efforts. Gradually a sort of social sanction was also assigned to pro-woman reforms. We can cite here the example of our colleges Today we have a number of girl students admitted in educational institutions for higher education. This may be considered as an aperitif for the future society where the balance is not tilted in any single direction. But all this is only the very beginning of a struggle that is sure to be fought for a long long time. There are a number of pointed factors that cause harm to a woman’s personality and make her life no better than the hell. Only a limited percentage of female are privileged today to avail certain benefits offered by the society and the government. A large section of women in India are still discriminated, harassed and as a result frustrated. This frustration becomes all the more prominent with the spread of education. With education, no matter may be limited one, comes the growth of the mind, the intellect. This is a psychological fact that we feel pain of something all the more when we become able to understand the wrong.
An interesting observation is that wherever you find a great man, you will find a great mother or a great wife standing behind him or so they used to say. It would be interesting to know how many great women have had great fathers and husbands behind them. The modern Indian women like most women elsewhere in the world carry the burden of many roles—the care of the children and the home front with implications relating to her roles as a cook, washer-woman, home-maker and so on. These “selected’’ roles become a burden for women. The so-called ideal Indian womanhood is a very powerful instrument used by the establishment in marginalizing and suppressing women themselves. Even the self-image of Indian woman is sealed and fixed by the so-called socio-cultural imperatives that restrict their progress. A proper concept of the self will definitely empower women to fight against the discrimination and will definitely prevent them from falling into the traps set by patriarchal forces. Fight against gender discrimination is not time-bound rather it is a process that will show result gradually. The need is to move within the system continually with an open mind.
For this, first of all awareness is must. And as is discussed earlier, this can be done only with the help of education. Education will show woman a mirror with which she will be able to identify and recognize her own reflection. Education here does not mean mere syllabus of any particular class. Education implies food for the mind, the power and ability to think, to see and to understand. Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it and there will be an end to blind obedience.
Moreover economic freedom is also very necessary. If a woman earns her livelihood herself she will be able to have the courage to avoid and at the same time to fight against any type of gender-discrimination. This will also help her to have a better self-image for herself and for the male-dominated society. Another point is that a woman has to work in support of other woman. There are numerous examples especially in India where a woman creates hurdles for some other woman. This is true particularly in the system of family and marriage. All this has to be changed for a nice future. Women has to be confident of what she wants to achieve and of what she really deserves. Only then the society or the government will offer help whole-heartedly.
All which we put under ‘wrongs’ is a result of culmination of numerous past deeds. Likewise what we want to put under ‘rights’ cannot be achieved radically. It can be done only gradually. A gradual change in the mindset of the society at large, of the coming generations will lead to a balanced society. Continuous struggle with patience is needed. System can be changed while living within the system. There may be initial failures, problems but if women of India move with complete faith in themselves then success is sure. They have to be positive in their approach. Struggle may be long but it is not endless. They should hope for a time when every woman in India will sing---- “I am no bird and no net ensnares me. I am a free human being with an independent will’’
References
Doyal L (2001) Sex, Gender and Health: The Need for a New Approach. BMJ 323 (7320):1061-1063.
Velkoff V and Adlakha A (1998) Women of the World: Women's Health in India. US: Census Bureau.
WHO (2009) Promoting Health and Reducing Health Inequalities. Available at www.euro.who.int.