Given our central theme, "Flourishing and well being of women", the topic compares the academic environment of various genders and discriminations faced by them. College students are prone to discrimination, harassment and abuse with regards to their gender. Gender-based discrimination could be a multidimensional issue that is embedded in our society and is considered a hurdle in our country’s progress. The survey mentioned in the article was independently carried out by the author for research purposes.
“It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.”― Emma Watson
Gender discrimination is embedded in our society since time innumerable. According to research studies, it was found that students witnessed or experienced discrimination on the basis of their gender, individuality or sexual orientation. It is more common for girls (52%) than boys (42%) to witness or experience discrimination. Several debates are raised for the rights of transgenders whose identity fits beyond the standard dichotomy of “woman” and “man”.
Gender inequality in India is the result of the deeply ingrained systems of patriarchy. Since the beginning, we've heard that women are prone to gender discrimination in patriarchy. In 2014 the University of Delhi introduced the 3rd gender category in their application forms and has since tried to be a more inclusive institution for people of all sexes, including the LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Intersex) community. Even after several repeated attempts to be more inclusive, there’s lack of sensitisation.
The feminist proposition discusses the teacher expectancy effect, where teachers often have different expectations from females and males students. A teacher’s expectations of a student’s performance may affect the performance of the student. Subtle cues from an educator about how well they must be performing or what areas they must have an interest in can discourage a student to explore their area of interest. Many researchers on gender and education believe that the participation of girls in education would eliminate the gender gap and inequality.
Apart from that, a probe survey conducted on students to recall some incidents where they were discriminated against for their gender reveals that female students compared to male students faced more discrimination. 47.2 per cent of the female respondents are asked to ‘dress appropriately’ by someone from their institutes. Among them, 66.2 per cent have received comments from female faculty members, 38.3 per cent from male faculty members, 35.3 per cent from non-teaching staff, and 35 per cent from students within the campus. Over half (54%) of female students and a third of male students (34%) say they have witnessed someone using sexist language. A number of them have encountered male faculty members participating in casual gender stereotypes. One example of such behaviour was witnessed when a male professor in a University had asked two female students, “Agar parhnanahinata, tohroti belnasikh lo” (if you cannot study, go make bread). These experiences are considered ‘normal’ for girls on campuses. This shows the extent of sexism and the influence of patriarchy in society at large.
Gendered discrimination takes place through policing of dress codes, behaviour patterns, residential, other spatial arrangements, and interaction between “men” and “women”. Research studies show that girls are encouraged to take ‘soft’ subjects like languages, history, art and music, while boys are encouraged to perform better at sports, mathematics and computing. Gender stereotyping reinforces particular ideas about what is expected and acceptable behaviour from women and men such as women are weak and emotional, while men are strong and brave. Today, the share of male students enrolled in engineering colleges is 71.1% compared to female enrolment, which is simply 28.9%. Additionally, female students residing in hostels often have to bear the brunt of institutionalised sexism. These include early curfew timings, their attires being dictated within hostel premises, differential provision of services like food and Wi-Fi.
Therefore, we see that heterosexual masculine culture and sexism on campuses are produced by scholars and professors in the form of discriminatory treatment and harassment which erodes self-esteem and opportunities for women and non-binary scholars.
Universities generally have committees for reporting incidents such gender grounded abuse, from minor silencing to physical violence. Yet, many of them feel that they are unable to challenge the perpetrators and are mostly unsure about whom to report to and seek help. And in these cases, it is often seen that those engaging in harassment are respected members of an academic community.
The participation of women in higher positions, access to good education, skilled development, generation of economic resources, among others have led to the betterment of their condition. This suggests that they’re setting out to assume, with their new personal identity, conquests that always inherit tension with the cultural practices that are seen because of the natural roles of men and women. A restructuring of the education system is the need of the hour so that non-binary and female scholars aren't left behind.
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About the author:
Riddima Singh is currently pursuing Bachelor in Commerce from the University of Delhi. She is a coffee addict and loves to observe people. In her free time, she is usually found binge-watching her favourite series. You can reach out to her for conversations about music, food and movies.
Thankyou for this amazing piece. Absolutely loved it! 🥰