This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, "Choose to Challenge”, encourages everyone to call out gender bias and inequality, hailing the notion that from challenge comes change and that change leads to transformation. Even though it will take years to attain gender equality, it is everyone’s responsibility to challenge gender stereotypes and harmful social norms.
Being a girl, I can testify that these gender stereotypes are real and have affected me in one way or another. An example of a victim of gender stereotyping is a girl growing up with her self-esteem, ambition and expectations already curved to fit the society in which she is raised.
Her choices for her own sexual and reproductive health are based upon norms that regulate women’s freedom, particularly in regard to their sexual identity and life, resulting in restrictions on her sexual and reproductive rights. Her choice to reject bride price, for instance, should be respected and valued.
Another example of gender stereotype is an empowered woman who chooses to go to school, get her degrees, build her own house, but is questioned by society about whether she will ever find a man who will marry her.
Due to the perception that her achievements intimidate men and will put her at risk of not finding a man, they question whether she will end up alone for the rest of her life. However, if these successes were logged by her male counterpart, this man would be labelled as a strong and successful person.
He will still be praised by society even if he chooses not to marry and no one will be bothered if he ends up alone and dies without marrying.
Violence against women and girls is also rooted in the patriarchal power imbalance between men and women, and in the dominant belief that men protect, provide for and have authority over their family and that good women prioritize their family’s health and wellbeing. After marriage, women’s most important role is to serve their husbands and raise their children.
According to the United Nations, "a gender stereotype is a generalised view or preconception about attributes, or characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by women and men or the roles that are or should be performed by men and women. Gender stereotypes can be both positive and negative for example, ‘women are nurturing’ or ‘women are weak’”. Gender stereotyping is the act of placing these attributes on to a woman or man solely because of their membership in the social group of women or men.
The strongest forces behind gender gaps are harmful social norms and stereotypes which limit the expectations of what women and men can or should do. These barriers discriminate against women. They are deeply ingrained and all around us.
Confronting and changing stereotypes is therefore vital to evolving how both women and men are able to operate in a society. This responsibility touches each and every facet of people’s lives, from what they see and experience at home, to what they learn at school, and how they are treated at work or on the streets.
When challenging these stereotypes and biases, we should be confident and firm, because women’s rights are human rights. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but speaking up will bring about transformation.
If we all choose to speak up, and challenge harmful social norms and stereotypes, we may inspire people to find the courage to speak up for themselves, and slowly bring the change we want to see.
It is everyone’s obligation to reshape these stereotypes; this shared goal’s success will have an impact on us all. Gender transformative approaches should include people of all ages, all genders, professionals in all services, and leaders in all structures if our central goal is to bring about gender equality, non-violence and power sharing.
The writer is the Gender Mainstreaming officer, HDI (Health Development Initiative).
The views expressed in this article are of the writer.