Gender gap: Men get away with too many privileges

Just a few months after the new government assumed power with the promise of "acche din", India earned the dubious distinction of slipping several notches down on the "Gender Gap Index", of the World Economic Forum. From its previous position of 101 in 2013, India slid down to 114th position among 142 countries.

Despite having women heading governments at the Centre and in many states, the index finds that women in India earn about one-fourth as much as men, spend seven times more time on unpaid work as compared to men (352 minutes as against 52 minutes per day on the average) and only half the women in India are literate compared to three-fourths the men. Women’s health and survival is appallingly low with India ranking a near-bottom 141st out of 142 countries. Likewise, a few months earlier when India presented its "Country Report" to the UN treaty body CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women), the CEDAW committee listed myriad forms of violence against women in India, including sexual assault against Dalit and tribal women; communal violence; marital rape; gang-rape; acid attacks; killings in the name of family honour; and violence in conflict-affected areas while making specific recommendations for improving the situation of women. Clearly, there is a very long way to go before India can call itself a gender-just country.

Of course, efforts have been made by the government - over the last two decades, many laws have been enacted to address historic injustices against women. These include quotas for women in local elected bodies (panchayats); laws protecting women from domestic violence; and girl children from abuse; laws providing equal rights to school education; guaranteeing equal benefits in employment schemes; and most recently laws for preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. In addition to this, there are a dozen of schemes aimed at enhancing the status of women. But these alone will not bring about the desired change.

So is gender injustice kind of a social problem that the government can do nothing to improve upon?

On the contrary, there are a number of structural elements that underlie and reflect the social patterns of gender injustice where the government must intervene. Laws and schemes are necessary for improving women’s status and reverse the historical disadvantage they face. However, these steps towards gender equality also need to concurrently address the issue of male privilege and anxieties; otherwise they are bound to fail.

The half-hearted attempt for change is most clearly evident in the case of quotas for women in government. Quotas have been put in place for women in lower levels of government but the Women’s Reservation Bill has been opposed tooth and nail by men in the Parliament, refusing to let go their male bastion.

Similarly, the Right to Education provides free education for all children until the age of 14, but girls are most frequently withdrawn from school just at that age, reflecting patriarchal anxieties around sexual development and safety. It is critical to ensure young women are retained in higher education by promoting viable career options for them through proactive measures such as adequate hostel facilities and substantial scholarships to overcome parental resistance, particularly for girls belonging to socially disadvantaged groups including Dalits, tribals, religious minorities, and differently-abled.

Male comforts get truncated with changing gender relations, and the backlash is getting violent as women’s equality threatens traditional masculine privileges. It is becoming increasingly obvious that men need to be engaged in the efforts to bring about gender justice. The government needs serious examination of its own institutions that uphold and protect male domination - the foremost priority is a complete overhaul of the education system to create a new generation of boys and men.

So, the first step for the government would be to honestly recognise the historical disadvantages faced by women, and put in place what are called "temporary special measures". A second step would be to ensure change in the way men have taken privileges for granted. If men can become part of the struggle for gender justice, that would be the real game-changer.