I. Meaning of Gender Discrimination: Sex is determined by biological characteristics, and gender is socially constructed (it is the creation of society).
The denial of opportunities in society to a woman, not because she is not eligible only by virtue of the fact that she is female is known as gender discrimination.
In theory, there is no gender discrimination in India because the Constitution of India Vide Article 15 (1) prohibits it.
Gender discrimination exists in all social institutions, prominent examples being family, religion, education, economy and polity.
Example: All children in the age group 6-11 years must be in primary school, but why do we find more boys than girls in schools? Is not education as important for a girl, as it is for a boy? Why should a girl be kept away from school and forced to work at home, while her brothers attend school regularly? Why should only a girl child do all the housework and her brothers be spared from this burden? It is this differential treatment (act/practice of treating men and women differently) of males and females in our society, which is called gender discrimination. A girl or woman is denied an opportunity not because she is incapable or incompetent but because she is a female. In talking about the status of women it is gender discrimination that is borne in mind.
II. Causes of Gender Discrimination:
(i) Wrong attitude of the employees about female workers or employees or officers due to demand of more leave (maternity leave or on biological requirements etc.).
(ii) Preference to a male child by a family or head of the family (generally in India males are head of the family).
(iii) Better or more chances of educations, skill training for males than females.
(iv) Religion has had a profound impact on human behaviour. has a long past and religious texts have been mostly composed by men. Since women were not allowed to receive education for a long-time, they could not read what was actually written in the religious texts. Therefore, these books have generally been used to discriminate against women.
(v) Negative role played by education or educational institutions in favour of men and against the women. In many ways, education still upholds gender discrimination.
(vi) In political institutions equal representation is not given to women. Only a few females dominate and even they do not like to increase the number of women in parliament or state assemblies due to one or other reasons.
