This article highlights the stereotypes regarding women's behaviour and how these stereotypes hold women back in various sectors. It unfolds data related to differences in labour force participation across the globe and the reasons behind the gap. The article has an extract from the movie 'Gunjan Saxena' which gives a clear insight into how women are being treated when they step out to fulfil their dream.
As most of us know, women are stigmatised to be more expressive than men. Be it is at the home, office, or in any public space, women who express emotions are regarded as weak. On the other hand, men are often stigmatised to remain angry and frustrated. Being angry at work makes everyone believe that they are strong and decisive. Their aggressive behaviour is being ignored by society. This is a socially constructed view of how men and women should behave. It dissuades them to express their emotions according to their own will. Modernization has bought many changes but society’s outlook has not been changed. Why? Because these repressive issues hold no importance to society or society doesn't pay much attention.
In most cases, women working in male-dominated workplaces face discrimination. The current global force of participation rate of women is around 49%. For men, it’s 75%. In some regions, the gap is 50 per cent. In India, labour force participation rates for women and men are 27.2% and 78.8% respectively. Moreover, women often have to work in low-quality jobs.
Society has never given much importance to women’s contributions since times immemorial. This is reflected in how customs were being imposed by society and how women were forced to abide by the rules and regulations. So, society is at fault for keeping women under scrutiny. The names of women enshrined in history for their contributions to society is a saga of bravery and struggle. Their story of courage is respected by everyone.
If women want to have a sense of relief by expressing emotion that doesn’t mean that they are emotionally weak. This kind of stigmatisation towards women make them feel inferior. It sometimes has a direct consequence on the physical and mental health of women. This is one of the reasons for which women are lagging in various sectors. These stereotypes are widespread and harm young boys and girls. It discourages children to be comfortable with their own emotions. Now, I will explain this concept by giving an example.
An extract from the movie Gunjan Saxena:
Gunjan Saxena is an Indian Air Force Officer. She is one of the two women IAF officers to be part of the Kargil War. She wanted to be a pilot since her childhood. At that time, it was difficult for women to be a pilot because women were not recruited by the Indian Air Force. Even her own brother opposed her decision to become a pilot. This film highlights the difficulties faced by women when they want to work in a male-dominated profession. However, Gunjan fulfilled her dream through her struggle and determination.
When she joined training camp after selection, she was taunted by other officers and during her training session, no male officer was ready to go to training with her. The reason behind this is that they think women are emotionally vulnerable and won’t be able to handle the chopper. She faced many difficulties during her training. She thought of leaving her training several times.
However, she didn’t give up and her determination and perseverance paid off. She rescued many officers during the Kargil War and proved herself.
A dialogue of flight commander Dileep Singh:
“Tum kamjor ho gunjan or defence m kamjori k liye koi jgeh nhi . Hme aasu bahane wale nhi khun bahane wale chayi. Dushman masoom chehra or bdi aankhein dekhkar irada nhi badalta, vaha ladna padta h. Hmari zimedari h desh ki Raksha karna tumhe barabari ka moka dena nhi”.
Gunjan Saxena is not the only woman who faced such hurdles, there many examples of women who face difficulties in fulfilling their dream. Along with modernization, there is a need to modernize the outlook of society. We know that the root cause of gender differences are the regressive traditional value system and lack of awareness. Stereotypical perceptions regarding women accumulate and develop in the form of gender bias. The solution to each and every problem should start with small changes in society. Spreading awareness regarding gender equality should be the first step.
Despite plenty of research, no consensus came out as to whether women are more emotionally expressive than men. We should consider both the gender as emotionally expressive as stated by research. Some researchers believe that these stereotypes are rooted in society itself. Did you ever face any gender biases in your school, college or at any other place?
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About the Author:
Parul is currently pursuing a bachelor of commerce (program) from Daulat Ram College. She likes writing and reading about feminists who want to change people's mindsets. She loves to write early in the morning especially on weekends with a sip of coffee which give a fresh start to her day.
Stereotypes needed to be broken. Ina society where emotions, cloths and even careers are gendered, growth is hampered
Loved reading it! Great work 🥰