SPL (VII)-LESSON-4
GROWING UP AS BOYS AND GIRLS
(LESSON NOTES)
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v INTRODUCTION
Ø Gender is a social construction through which
the social and cultural roles of males and females are defined in the society.
Ø Most of the societies value men and women
differently. The role women play and the work they do are usually valued less
than the roles men play and the work they do. This clears the fact that men and
women do not have the same status.
Ø Gender justice is an important issue to be
highlighted. Lets us start our discussion by taking the scene from two places
in different time period.
v SAMOAN ISLANDS
Ø The Samoan islands are one of the large groups
of small islands in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean.
Ø Till the 1920s, children in this island did
not go to school. They take care their siblings.
Ø After attaining nine years of age, boys joined
the older boys for outdoor activities like fishing and planting coconuts.
However, girls continued looking after the younger ones.
Ø When girls became teenagers, i.e., 14 years of
age, they were allowed more freedom as they could then go for fishing and
plantation activities or help their mothers in cooking, etc.
v MADHYA PRADESH
Ø In Madhya Pradesh, India, boys and girls had a
different outlook. The school for boys was open while the one for girls was
closed.
Ø Men and women do equal work, but it is not
valued equally.
v DISTINCTIONS
BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLS
Ø We realizes that the societies make clear
distinctions between boys and girls from very early age by given different toys
(racing car/doll or games to them.
Ø After that it is told
that how girls must dress, what games boys should play, how girls need to talk
softly or boys need to be tough.
Ø All these are ways of
telling children that they have specific roles to play when they grow up to be
men and women.
Ø Though these are smaller in one way but later
in life this affects the subjects we can study or the careers we can choose.
v VALUE OF HOUSEWORK
Ø Housework involved many activities like
sweeping, cleaning, cooking, washing clothes and dishes or looking after
children. Most of these works done by women.
Ø These works are not only time consuming but
also require more strength. They work from early morning to till late night
without any holidays. Even then there work is not recognized as a work as her
work does not earn money .
Ø Now a day’s many women work in offices and
many do only household work. It makes double burden on them.
Ø Valuing housework is an important element
which needs to be propagated in society.
v WOMEN’S WORK AND EQUALITY
Ø Equality is an important principle of our
constitution which says that being male or female should not become a reason
for discrimination.
Ø While the constitution does not discriminate
between male and female, in reality, discrimination still carries on as
§ Society does not give the value of housework (mostly
done by women).
§ In most of unorganized sectors jobs the wages
of women are less.
§ Even today many jobs are restricted to men
only.
Ø Government introduces many steps to recognize their
work as
§ Many Anganwadis, One stop centers, Child Care
Centres, are established to improve the status of women in society.
§ The government has also started crèche
facilities to help women to take up employment outside the home.
v IMPORTANT TERMS-
Ø Caregiving: Looking after the family with great sincerity.
Ø Devalue: When we do not give due recognition for work, it means we
devalue it. In our society, women’s work is easily devalued.
Ø Double-burden: There are several women who work both
inside and outside the home. This is known as a double burden.
Ø Identity: It is a sense of awareness of who one is. For example, a
person can be a brother, a pilot, an engineer, etc.
Ø Physically demanding: It refers to the household tasks which
are very tough and demand great physical strength.
Ø Time-consuming: It refers to the various household tasks
which take much time.
Ø Strenuous: Very tough and difficult.
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