Gender, Masculinity & Sustainable Development
The first day of the Gender Mela opened on vibrant note in the Seminar Hall of Miranda House, in New Delhi as the first session for the day saw enriching discussions by a panel of experts from civil society on the theme of Gender, masculinity and sustainable development.
Head of the girls institution of Miranda House, Dr Pratibha Jolly in her welcome address deliberated that colleges are places to be ‘reflective’ and the Gender Mela has brought in a synergy of groups to reflect on the significant theme. Setting a lively tenor to the discussion, noted feminist activist, Kamla Bhasin of Sangat South Asia reflected that the Gender Mela is a ‘confluence’ of spaces, civil society, networks, NGOs, colleges and bastis, issues etc. Moreover it is a confluence of celebration - celebration of global solidarity as the issues the spaces and networks are taking up are connected. She added that Gender is a social construct and boys and men are also gendered and patriarchy is the root cause of this ‘Gendering’. Delving into Masculinities, she outlined that masculinity and femininity both are mirror images and it is the quality that society wants to see in one. Nature makes us only different and diverse, it does not establish hierarchies. She added that where patriarchy is giving men certain privileges it also robs them of certain things; and that boys and men are also vulnerable, as statistics suggest that boys are also sexually abused. |
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There is a need to question the stereotypes of girls/boys. Establishing an inter-linkage between sustainable development, gender and masculinities, she noted that there is enough data to prove that ‘Equality’ is good for development and that without equality development cannot be just. Exhorting the audience to take on a gender-just stand, she made the participants cheer the discussion with animated sloganeering of ‘jeetenge’(we shall win).
Taking on the baton of discussions, Abhijit Das, Director, CHSJ established the connect between gender and masculinity in terms that the idea of patriarchy and masculinity is rather enduring. Making the discussion participatory, he asked the audience if they thought men should change and what change they perceive of in men. With 3/4th of the audience responding affirmatively to the question, he said that there is an underlying desire that men should change, however, men are not changing substantively. He opined that if Masculinity has to change, it needs a mirror and all of us have to be the mirror. He reflected that 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) have been outlined by the UN for development and of these 17 goals reduction of inequality, access to justice and achieving gender equality goals are significant to change masculinity and foster sustainable development as well as encourage men to be partners of change.
Rukmini V Rao, from Gramya Resource Centre stressed upon the need to understand all the patterns of development at different levels, such as at the level of household, livelihood, agrarian sector and in the global landscape to understand the burden of climate-change on women. Citing examples of development from global and local contexts such as Australia, Bangladesh, Peru and Telangana (India), she outlined that women are at the receiving end with change in development patterns and alteration in livelihoods across the globe and that the climate crisis has severe repercussions for women in particular.
Rakhee Bakshee, Director, Women’s Feature Service stressed upon the need to create dialogues in all spaces with young men and women and the need to involve men in development. She said that there is a need to come out from straight jacketed gender roles and establish deeper complexities and also that there is need to make the media too gender sensitive.
Smita Khanijow from Action Aid shared experiences of the 'Beti Zindabad/ campaign which champions the cause of empowering girls and women. She added that examples from study carried out by Action Aid in Punjab suggest that development has rooted out women from the agriculture scenario in Punjab as they are hardly involved in agriculture work as compared to earlier times. The mechanized technology has overtaken the agrarian sector in Punjab which has reinforced the image of macho- masculinity. Similar examples can also be given from Himachal Pradesh where pine cultivation by the forest department has rooted out women from the agriculture sector. She added that gender is not about binaries alone, we need to look at it from a life cycle approach, and we need to question the notions of equality and inequality.
Taking on the baton of discussions, Abhijit Das, Director, CHSJ established the connect between gender and masculinity in terms that the idea of patriarchy and masculinity is rather enduring. Making the discussion participatory, he asked the audience if they thought men should change and what change they perceive of in men. With 3/4th of the audience responding affirmatively to the question, he said that there is an underlying desire that men should change, however, men are not changing substantively. He opined that if Masculinity has to change, it needs a mirror and all of us have to be the mirror. He reflected that 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) have been outlined by the UN for development and of these 17 goals reduction of inequality, access to justice and achieving gender equality goals are significant to change masculinity and foster sustainable development as well as encourage men to be partners of change.
Rukmini V Rao, from Gramya Resource Centre stressed upon the need to understand all the patterns of development at different levels, such as at the level of household, livelihood, agrarian sector and in the global landscape to understand the burden of climate-change on women. Citing examples of development from global and local contexts such as Australia, Bangladesh, Peru and Telangana (India), she outlined that women are at the receiving end with change in development patterns and alteration in livelihoods across the globe and that the climate crisis has severe repercussions for women in particular.
Rakhee Bakshee, Director, Women’s Feature Service stressed upon the need to create dialogues in all spaces with young men and women and the need to involve men in development. She said that there is a need to come out from straight jacketed gender roles and establish deeper complexities and also that there is need to make the media too gender sensitive.
Smita Khanijow from Action Aid shared experiences of the 'Beti Zindabad/ campaign which champions the cause of empowering girls and women. She added that examples from study carried out by Action Aid in Punjab suggest that development has rooted out women from the agriculture scenario in Punjab as they are hardly involved in agriculture work as compared to earlier times. The mechanized technology has overtaken the agrarian sector in Punjab which has reinforced the image of macho- masculinity. Similar examples can also be given from Himachal Pradesh where pine cultivation by the forest department has rooted out women from the agriculture sector. She added that gender is not about binaries alone, we need to look at it from a life cycle approach, and we need to question the notions of equality and inequality.