The purpose of this session was to deconstruct notions of gender into simple relatable concepts. Unboxing gender in this manner is a powerful method that allows both the boys and girls to develop their own understanding of gender, it is empowering in the realisation of it being a social construct thus dynamic and changeable.
The fact that women can give birth is biologically determined, but the expectation that they should do all the housework because they are women is socially constructed and is very wrong. Also, the belief that men should be ‘brave’ and ‘strong’ is also socially constructed. It is very sad that these things are deeply ingrained in us that it looks almost natural to us.
After the activity participants shared:
“The activity has challenged me to think out of the box, whatever I have learnt I will share this with my family especially younger brother and sister.” – Female participant
With COVID-19 and lockdown the burden of domestic work in all the cases fell on the girls (and their mothers). Girls talked about how this increased burden of household chores is making it difficult for them to attend online classes or study. They also shared a fear that they might not be sent back to school since the family has now become used to the presence or the role she was playing in completing household chores. But often, these roles become normalized to such an extent that it becomes difficult to recognise it in everyday lives.
Tools for gender analysis were taught to adolescent boys and girls who took on the task of applying the tools first in their own lives and homes and then in the lives of their friends. Analysis allowed both girls and boys to introspect and discuss deeply with each other.
“We could only imagine things that we constantly see and told, after this activity I will look things differently and will not assign gender to any work.” – Male participant
“Now, I am aware of the fact that anybody can do anything, like boys can do household work and girls can run family business because it is all about the choice and interest.”- Male participant 