How Can Parents Promote Gender Equality At Home

Gender equality is an often discussed topic, but you must have noticed that the discussion never has a reasonable conclusion. Little things, little remarks that people make in their daily life show how enormous this problem is. ‘Why are you crying like a girl?’ is an oft-repeated remark when a little boy weeps. When a child is born, people decide different roles for boys and girls. Toys such as dolls and kitchen equipment will always be for girls, and guns and cars for boys. As a parent, promoting gender equality at home starts with you.

You must be wondering – how to teach gender equality? As the first teachers of your kids, you can instil values in them that will last forever. As a parent, you have to let your children know that a boy and girl should be treated with equal respect.

From a very young age, children ask questions about the physical differences between a boy and a girl, which may make you feel awkward to answer, and you may ignore them. However, you must make them understand and explain them in the best possible way. You can tell them that no two people are the same. Everyone should get equal rights, equal opportunities, and fair treatment. Your child must understand that except for the physical difference, there should be no other difference in the upbringing of two children.

What Is Gender Equality?

Gender equality means that people of all genders have the same rights and opportunities in life. This includes access to education, jobs, and the chance to participate in decisions that affect their lives. It ensures that everyone can reach their potential without being treated unfairly because of their gender. Achieving gender equality is important because it helps improve economies, communities, and creates a more stable and fair society for everyone.

Why Is It Important to Teach Kids About Gender Equality?

You can’t teach kids about gender equality only once in life and expect them to remember it for a lifetime. It should be an ongoing process – a part of their daily upbringing. Not bringing up your son and daughter equally can have disastrous implications. Boys who are brought up as the privileged ones or are given more opportunities, freedom, grow up with a mindset that they are superior to their sisters and to women in general. If a boy while growing up notices that his mother or sister is always working in the kitchen, he may think that it is the job of a woman. Disrespecting and disregarding women may become something normal for a boy grown up with this mentality. Domestic violence, eve-teasing, are the fallouts of this mindset.

Sometimes, girls also start accepting gender-defined roles. They may grow up with low self-confidence, low self-esteem, and look up to the males in their family for protection. However, in this age, women should be free, and they should be able to do what they want to do with their lives. If you want your kids to grow up to be confident and kind, you must treat them equally. Tell your son when he does something wrong and then do the same for your daughter too.

How to Educate Children About Gender Equality

Teaching gender equality to kids does not require any special preparation or atmosphere. Let your children learn by observation. Some ways of how you can teach gender equality to your kids are as follows:

1. Be an example

This is the most basic method of teaching gender equality at home. Display the kind of behaviour you expect from your children. As a husband and wife, you must speak to each other with respect, share the household chores, and handle other tasks together. Let your kids notice that you work together as a team. Let them see that it is not a woman’s duty to cook dinner for everyone in the family or a man’s responsibility to buy groceries from the shop. When your kids notice this, it will reflect in their behaviour too. So, set a good example.

2. Teach that both are special

Don’t show preferential behaviour towards either of your kids or be harsh on boys and soft on girls or vice versa. Some parents treat the girls as if they are made of porcelain. They are already making them feel that they are weak and need to be protected all the time. These parents, in turn, are harsh on the boys. If you don’t tolerate the bad behaviour of the son, don’t condone the bad behaviour of the daughter either. Reprimand them or appreciate them in the same way for their bad or good behaviour.

3. Teach them that all household chores are equal

Here are some of the activities to teach gender equality. Let the children help in the household work as per their age, equally, irrespective of gender. Let them share the workload with you, whether it is washing cars, washing dishes in the kitchen, chopping vegetables, hanging the washed clothes, going out to buy household things etc. Both should be given every kind of work without earmarking them as the girlie work and the manly work.

4. Watch your language and theirs

Don’t use abusive language in front of them, especially that which disparages and belittles a female. Stop them from using swear words. Generally, the parents, especially the father, overlook the bad language of the son. The son must be made to understand that it’s not cool and manly to swear and curse.

5. A successful daughter is not a replacement for a son

The girl has her own place as a daughter. The typical refrain parents use for a successful daughter with many achievements is, “She is not my daughter, she is my son.” Why? By saying so, you are negating her efforts and indirectly telling her that sons are better than daughters.

6. Teach both of them to be self-dependent

Teach them both the life skills to survive when alone such as, cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and mending clothes, small repair work in and around the house.

7. Encourage them to do what they want

If a daughter wants to play football, let her and if the son wants to join cookery or dance classes, permit him.

8. Set the same curfew time for both

The time for both to return home after the evening should be the same. Do not extend the time for your son.

9. Create an equal division of property for both

Let them know that both are equal inheritors of the parental property.

10. Promote family bonding time

Have discussions on common issues and pay heed to both equally. Watch with them movies that are soft with mainly female characters and, the ones considered for boys only. Allow both to cry while watching.

FAQs

1. What are some common misconceptions about gender equality?

Some people think that gender equality only helps women or that when one gender gets more rights, the other loses out. Others believe that achieving gender equality means making everyone the same instead of celebrating differences.

2. How does gender equality impact mental health?

Gender equality can improve mental health by reducing stress and anxiety caused by unfair treatment. When people feel respected and valued, regardless of their gender, it boosts their self-esteem and overall happiness.

3. What role do men play in achieving gender equality?

Men can help achieve gender equality by supporting equal rights and standing up against stereotypes. When men are involved in conversations about gender equality, it can help change society’s views and create a more inclusive environment for everyone.

If gender equality is practised at home, the world will be a much better place to live in, especially for women.

References/Resources:

1. Girls’ education; UNICEF; https://www.unicef.org/education/girls-education

2. Gender pay gap in the U.S. hasn’t changed much in two decades; Pew Research Center; https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/03/01/gender-pay-gap-facts/

3. Belingheri. P, Chiarello. F, Colladon. A, Rovelli. P; Twenty years of gender equality research: A scoping review based on a new semantic indicator (PLoS One); National Library of Medicine; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8454943/; September 2021

4. Gender Equality in Academia and Research; European Institute for Gender Equality; https://eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/mh0716096enn_1.pdf

5. Gender equality; UNICEF; https://www.unicef.org/gender-equality

6. Guthridge. M, Kirkman. M, Penovic. T, Giummarra. M; Promoting Gender Equality: A Systematic Review of Interventions; Springer Link; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11211-022-00398-z; September 2022

7. Devi. T; Gender Equality: Women Empowerment; World Wide Journals; https://www.worldwidejournals.com/global-journal-for-research-analysis-GJRA/special_issues_pdf/September_2017_1507115725__62.pdf; September 2017

Also Read:

Ways of Spending Time With Your Family
Importance of Having Healthy Relationships in Family
Do Parents Have Favourites of Their Own Gender?
Tips on Becoming a Role Model for Your Child in a Positive Manner

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