Survey on gender attitudes and behaviours among 1225 youth in Sonepat, Haryana

Objectives:

• To determine the underlying attitudes and mind sets of youths around the issues of women’s safety and violence against women.
• To understand the perceptions of youths on Patriarchal Practices in the community which further propagate Violence Against Women.
• To understand the awareness of youths on Adolescent Health and Hygiene.
• To understand the perceptions of youth on livelihood opportunities available to young girls and the factors affecting it.
• To understand the resultant Ways Forward in order to design relevant interventions according to the needs of the particular community in the #NoMoreBoundaries Programme

 

Here are some of the results of the data gathered:

• 85% of the total respondents (girls and boys) believed that a girl should inform her family if she is being harassed, sexually as well as non-sexually.
• 58% of the total respondents held the view that a man has the right to tell his wife what she can and cannot do.
• 88% of the total respondents (and 91% of the female respondents) believed that a woman’s greatest happiness was in taking care of her family.
• 63% of all female respondents had little to no information about menstruation.
• 55% of the total respondents believed that it was okay for a woman to earn more than her husband
• 51% of all respondents thought that society was responsible for violence against women, but 28% believed that women themselves were responsible for it.
• 53% of all respondents were of the notion that women should not take up jobs which involve considerable travel.

 

Ways Forward:

1. Qualitative Assessment of the reasons for the above responses will be of special importance to the intervention as it will help break the barriers which curtail women’s mobility in the areas and relevant measures to aid their participation in Public Life.

2. Creation of Safe Spaces for women:

* Participatory Safety Audit to be conducted around school and in villages so to assess the factors compromising the safety of women in public areas.

* Sexual Harassment Committees to be created and activated within the school premises so to create a proactive redressal mechanism for women so to be able to report harassment issues.

* Infrastructure Development of schools to ensure Safety and Security of young girls by stake holders (Government, organizations) as sometimes due to poor infrastructure (broken boundaries) school becomes accessible for local men to come and drink. This should also be accompanied by increase in police patrolling around these local areas.

* Services such as “Durga Shakti”, initiative of Sonepat Police Department to ensure safety of women in public spaces should be made more accessible to boys and girls in Haryana.

 

3. Gender Sensitization sessions to be conducted targeting attitudes and Behaviour change around the following subjects:

* Gender Norms and Roles in the society as many youths believe in socio-culturally constructed gender identities which mandate specific behaviours and restrict opportunities and spaces for genders.

* Violence and Harassment in Public Places: Harassment oriented behaviour which has been considered as a usual part of boy’s growing up process. It has also been acknowledged in the narratives that it’s mostly boys that perpetrate violence and harassment in public spaces. Fear of Violence and Harassment is a major issue that impedes women’s mobility and access to public spaces.

* Community’s Customary practices that perpetrate patriarchy and limit women’s Agency since a lot of youths have agreed to traditions and practices such as dowry and that a woman’s happiness lies in bringing up her family. These practices have restricted women’s choices and further propagate violence.

 

4. Awareness creation around Adolescent Health and Hygiene with youths since a majority of youth have “little” information on the subject.

* Training of health workers (ANMs) in the rural areas on the subject or engaging with them to participate further in the programme to increase outreach.

 

5. Following interventions should take place around the subject of “Livelihoods”:

* Research study to understand the Livelihood Aspirations of young people.

* Career Counselling and Guidance sessions on the various career alternatives available to the youths since they have expressed they need exposure and guidance when it comes to availing career routes.

* Sessions on the subject of “Gendered Work” to be conducted with the children since a majority draws distinction between man’s and woman’s work based on their respective gender roles and access to different spaces.

* Exploring interventions that could be done with the ITIs around skill development, capacity building and creating market linkage of the skilled youths within the ITIs.

* Explore community centred Entrepreneurship with youths especially imparting “Entrepreneurship skills” to the youths in the ITIs.

 

6. Active engagement with the community around the following :

* Attitudes and Behaviours around Gender norms so to further create a support system for youth to practice once they exercise their newly learned beliefs and informed choices.

* Community Centred Entrepreneurship mobilizing the youths and women.

* Rapport Building with Parents so that they allow their daughters to pursue further education and employment opportunities