International Day of Girl Child: Parity begins at home

Additional director general of police Quaiser Khalid addresses the rapt audience. Pic/Aishwarya Deodhar

Gender justice burned as brightly as the October mid-morning sun, as the ‘United Nations International Day of the Girl Child' was marked by Mumbai's NGO, the Harmony Foundation in association with Christ Church School, Byculla. The October 11 date saw celebrations, initiatives and launches across the city, with the focus on the girl child. Yesterday Wednesday late morning, the Byculla school played host to two special guests, Additional Director General of Police Quaiser Khalid and Joint Commissioner, GST Nidhi Chaudhary. Khalid and Chaudhary addressed a packed hall of students on gender, equality, stereotypes and challenges.

Dr Abraham Mathai founder-chairman, Harmony Foundation, first said, "Any empowerment of the girl child begins with the mindset. Unfortunately, we see that inequality prevails in homes even if unintentional, because that culture is so ingrained."

Siblings

Khalid's speech was riveting, as it had a generous sprinkling of the personal too. As with any good piece of writing or speaking, the honesty shone through. Khalid said, "We are part of society so, we as individuals, also carry society's bias with us. In my home, we were two brothers and three sisters. I saw how we [my brother and I] could study, yet it was difficult for my sisters to study till graduation."

Patriarchal

Khalid who has two daughters said, "People, even highly educated persons express surprise at times if a couple states they do not want more children, after having daughters. We still have a feudal mindset. People say you do not have a son, who will bury you or perform the last rites?" Khalid said, "Daughters are as dependable as sons. My wife looked after her parents in their old age, and I am so proud of that."

Khalid earned some laughs as he said, "I do not know about who said Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, in fact, they both are the same. Respect starts from the home and schools. Let us change the system, make it more egalitarian, equitable." He then looked at all the boys in the audience and shot a burning arrow straight into their hearts and minds as he said, "I trust you, I know you can do so."

Leadership

Chaudhary's address was about the paucity of women in leadership posts, peppered with statistics and highlighting certain stereotypes, with the message that, "discrimination exists, even if in a very nuanced way." Chaudhary who referenced reservation for women in Parliament focussed on the fact that though girls and women march ahead academically, "That leap from academics to jobs and leadership roles has still not fructified fully. For instance, there are 40 per cent girls in the country in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), yet only 14 per cent become scientists, engineers, etc. That is the gap that has to be bridged." Chaudhary said there is a similar gap between women who pass the IAS exams and finally those who go on to become IAS officers.

Responsibilities

Stating that we still need to see women in leadership roles in many spheres, she asked her audience, "Tell me, if the maid does not come home, who does the cooking?" Most shouted: "Mom." Chaudhary asked, "Even if both mom and dad work, she does the work and cooks?" There was a resounding, "Yes." She then said, "See, that is the point. Women may not themselves take up leadership roles because of added responsibilities or certain expectations."

Dreams

The moving speech was also about Chaudhary's experience, "I come from a small village in Rajasthan," and how she and her sister had so many challenges to forge a career path but prevailed. The confident woman said to girls and boys, "Support each other. Keep working hard and strive towards excellence. God has made us equal. Prejudice is buried deep down. Things can happen if you dream and aspire." She finished strongly to an applause as school principal Graham H closed the proceedings with, "Why one day? The girl child should be celebrated all through for 365 days." Every speech earned applause and was underscored with the understanding that we are on a journey to change mindsets, hearts and the system, with boys being a part of the engine that brings about the change.

14
Percentage of women graduates who become scientists, engineers, etc