Women’s Web is saying Goodbye! Please make sure you read this important notification.
Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash
“Which school/class are your children studying?”
This was one question I kept hearing from my grandfather to those who visit our home, be it friends or relatives or just known ones. It seemed better than inquiring, “Do your children attend school?”
“Education travels with you till your last breath, so it is important to study.” My grandfather kept telling me this and to others spreading the word decades ago. This always lingered in my mind.
Years later, whenever I chanced upon meeting common people, like maintenance workers, people managing roadside eatery shops, and auto/cab drivers, I began to develop a conversation. I was curious to know how their children were doing.
Many answered they were in school but there was a catch. Boys were focused on being sent to school rather than girls.
“They would eventually get married someday. It is enough if they learn to manage household chores.”
That was the common reply.
“If she goes to school, she can manage even this country.” It was not easy when I began my talk this way. I informed them about some women achievers from our country. Some laughed, and few gave it a thought.
To invest in women, the first step was to make them believe women are not meant for household work alone. Though the mindset of people accepts this fact, it is not grounded to all. Still, somewhere the thought that women’s world revolves around their homes only stays strong.
To make my part I decided to voice out. I wanted them to believe in their daughters. I also gathered information on initiatives like the mid-day meal schemes that were introduced by the government to ensure children attend school and not starve. Also, about a few NGOs I came across who funded girls’ education primarily. I pass on such information when meeting them.
A recent survey in Hyderabad was conducted on families of lower income groups to understand the gender empowerment awareness of people and the importance of intervention through schemes such as ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’. The results revealed that many families prefer boys over girls and even the birthdays of girls are not celebrated.
Among the surveyed, 25.2% gave priority to boys over girls while serving food/purchasing new clothes/distributing house chores. About 19.8% preferred a son over a daughter due to reasons such as work, education, etc.
My journey has gone on for about a decade now. A few of them promised to provide education to their daughters and some thanked me for talking about this topic to them. It may be like throwing a pebble into the sea, but someday I believe it may turn into a tsunami.
Source Link – https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/many-families-in-hyderabad-prefer-boys-over-girls-girls-birthdays-not-celebrated-study/articleshow/108312583.cms
read more...
This post has published with none or minimal editorial intervention. Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Dear Women’s Web Community Member,
You may have wondered at our being on the quieter side during the last couple of months. Thank you for your patience, and we wanted to come back to you with a detailed note on what’s been happening at our end of things.
When we first began Women’s Web, as a blog from one woman’s desk along with a few like-minded souls, little could we have imagined the heights that it would soar to. Over the years, Women’s Web has published over 20000 stories (almost all by women), empowered countless women with the ideas, community and resources to chase their dreams, employed hundreds of women in core and project-based roles, and in the process, emerged as the OG women’s community in India. It has also inspired many others to build communities of a similar nature, all enabling women (and other-underrepresented groups) in their own ways.
Please enter your email address