Conventional inequality can not be made to accentuate biological inequality

Social justice seeks to allocate the benefits that accrue from social arrangements, gender justice seeks to transform the division of labor between men and women and break the shackles of conventional inequality.

In popular parlance sex and gender may have been interchangeably used but there is a distinct difference between the two when it is deliberated from a sociological context.

Nature has essentially made men and women unequal for a certain purpose and that purpose is rooted in biological reproduction. But Nature has not created a conventional inequality or for that matter the division of labor.

The physical characteristics of men and women are different, but physical characteristics can not be grounds for determining the status and role of Women.

Nomenclatures like "sex" describe the biological differences between men and women, it also talks about the beauty, feminine, and masculine differences between men and women. But gender is more of an etiquette created over time as a part of the evolution of civilization, culture, etc.

Gender may not be objectionable in the first place, but it should be questioned when it becomes a barrier to not lending equal opportunity to women.

J J Rousseau- A discourse on the origin of inequality gave a clear distinction between natural inequality and conventional inequality, wherein he accorded health, beauty, and intellectual capacity as part of Natural inequality and iterated that Natural inequality can not be altered.

On the other hand, he accorded status, role, prestige, possession of wealth, power, etc as part of conventional inequality. And these inequalities are the resultant products of the existing social arrangement.

Unfortunately, conventional inequality has accentuated the biological differences and appropriated it in every other spheres of social life.

Put simply, gender inequality can be questioned, and altered as they are the product of social customs, traditions, culture, etc.

Gender inequality is rooted in unequal status, and that unequal status restricts the opportunities for women, which further gives rise asymmetric social template where women are rendered disadvantaged in perpetuity, this vicious cycle continues for generations.

It is social customs and perceived culture that have restricted the sphere of activity for women in households and accorded their chief role as homemakers, whereas made men the harbinger of public life.

This culture of gender inequality across different communities is deep-seated so much so that boys in their childhood are taught to show their manliness and nurture their aggression whereas girls are taught to be sober, gentle, and submissive.

There is no problem when the division of labor is made based on physical capacity and that capacity to some extent is also decided by sex, e.g. a strong physique may be needed for exposure to hazardous jobs, and similarly, the feminine characteristics could be helpful for the motherhood & upbringing of the kids, but such a division of labor should be on the premise of imperatives and mutual understanding in a family, it can not be a rigid barrier, otherwise it is almost like sentence slavery for women when they are forced to do only household jobs.

Society, social life, and culture thereof have undergone changes and evolution with technological advancement, unfortunately, it has not changed the division of labor between men and women to a large extent.

In a just society and just order, equal opportunity for women is paramount to make them competent in other spheres of life as well.

Status of Women in Indian society

Constitutional provision- Under Article 15 (1), (3): No discrimination by the State on the basis of gender.

• Sex ratio- UNFPA-- State of World Population 2020-- the estimated sex ratio at birth - 910

• Educational status- 43% of STEM graduates in India are women, which is the highest in the world.

• Labour Force participation- Women in India represent 29 % of the labor force-- Female Labour force participation in Agriculture is 40%, but their ownership of land is only 9%-- that is a classic case of gender inequality in possession of property.

• Care Economy- The imputed value of women's unpaid work is 3.1% of GDP in India. As per ILO, India spends less than 1% GDP on care economy.

• Women in MSME- Only 20.37 % of MSME owners are women, and 10 % of start-ups are founded by females.

• Political Empowerment- Only 15% representation in the 17th Lok Sabha, a mere 9% representation in State Legislatures where impressive 49% representation in Local Government(Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body)

My view on Gender Justice in the Indian context

What I have seen in my family traditions, in my locality is that females are deprived of inheritance rights. As such law is there to safeguard and protect such rights, but it has not yet been made a part of the culture and in rural areas, and as a result, it has marginalized their economic position.

I have a strong conviction that it is economic empowerment that alters the social position of women, therefore they should be given equal opportunity and equal rights in every sphere of social life.

If equal rights become a part of the culture, social evils like the Dowry system will automatically disappear.

The law does not make humans moral, therefore morality should be inculcated through congenial cultural practice. Gender justice can truly be delivered in Indian society when there is a cultural upgradation/evolution in the light of gender justice.

Conclusion

If Humans are rational beings, then gender justice should be reasoned by the social consciousness of the society and must be warranted and shaped by reason. Women are in no way inferior to men, therefore their status and role should be vested in their own choice, and not by social customs.

This is my participation for the Initiative: March Monthly Prompt

Check out the above post if you are keen to participate in a particular theme of the day.

Thank you.

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