7 Things We Can Do To Achieve Gender Equality In India

Why are our cities so unsafe for women? Why do some Indian men still believe that a girl is to blame if she is teased or raped? All this happens, in spite of being a country rich with "values", "traditions" and "morals". Why do these distorted thoughts come in some Indian men in the first place? All of us, have female family members that we would kill for if someone were to trouble them. And yet, somehow people are willing to commit the same disgusting actions on other women. 

India has been ranked in the bottom half among 134 countries in progress towards equality between men and women. The root cause of this problem lies in the fact that in most of the families men are considered to be superior to women. It is usually assumed that men in general are more brainy and professional that the fairer sex. Once you are raised up in such societal influences then it is quite obvious that men will develop an egotistical attitude while women are more likely to be submissive. Call it the flip side of our culture, we don't preach equality - that a woman is as important as a man be it her job, opinions or intelligence. Sure you educate daughters, but do you make them as equal as your sons? Let's take a look at some of the things we can do to practice equality right from home. 

1. Ban any movie, TV show, writing or any form of media that openly portrays violence, persecution, sexual offence, general treatment against women. 
2. If a male child is allowed to do something at home, the female child should also be. If you don't want the female child to do something for safety or tradition, the male child should also not be allowed to do it. A sense of equality starts at home, from parents and siblings.
3. There should ONLY be co-education schools. Boys and girls should be allowed to go through awkward adolescence. A boys school or a girls school effectively reduces the awkwardness that can be slowly, over time, eliminated inside a closed environment so when they get out into the world, they have already met and interacted with enough members of the opposite sex.
4. Husbands should not be allowed to beat their wives and vice-versa.
5. If a parent notices a boy treating a girl any different than his boy friends he should be taught that both are equal. 
6. Sex education at home and school. Parents should explain to their kids the different sexual changes that happen as they grow up and be approachable with any doubts. 
7. Friendship between opposite genders should not be discouraged. In fact, it should be encouraged.

Above all, the women should take this matter into their hands and from where we can see it, only a woman can help another woman. If you see someone troubling a female, intervene. Your actions will be reciprocated by someone else. Don't expect a man to come for your help because most of them are not men enough. You can be the eyes and ears for another woman.

Lastly, not all Indian men are misogynists! There are sane people in India and we want more of them!