CSR: Reducing The Wide Gap Between Men And Women
The bond shared by a father and daughter is priceless too. A dad’s involvement in his daughter’s life is a crucial ingredient in her development at all stages. We now live in a culture where fathers are becoming an equal partner in care giving. From day one, they are encouraged to be hands-on, changing diapers, giving baths, putting the child to sleep and calming her cries. That presence and effort is the beginning of a very important relationship.
Sania Mirza and her father Imran Mirza have come forward as part of a campaign to work against gender-based violence (GBV) focusing on violence against women and girls (VAWG). #BasAbBahutHoGaya symbolises the end to tolerating violence and encourages everyone, especially the youth, to take action.
“My wife and I have never felt the pressure or need to have a son in the 30 years of our marriage. The thought that our daughters were anything less or we should have had a son instead never crossed our minds,” says father Imran Mirza.
The moment we mention the word ‘gender’ while assigning roles, we bring in discrimination. What we fail to realise that in the process, we are suppressing a significant half of our society while doing this. One of the big fights today globally is women fighting for nothing else but their right to equality, which is their fundamental right. The present scenario needs to change, to an extent where we won’t be surprised to see supportive fathers or successful daughters.
Speaking about her father, Sania says, “I was never told by my parents that I might not be able to do something because I’m a girl and that I won’t be able to follow my dreams. Gender violence doesn’t lie in extremities. Rather it happens everywhere in the world. At the World Tennis Association (WTA), we have to fight for equal prize money even today. When I won Wimbledon in 2015 and came back to India, I was asked when I was planning to have kids and settle down since I had been married for 5 years. I wasn’t considered settled or complete in my life after being a World Champion. That was the most extreme form of discrimination for me.”
As the youth, we need to encourage and generate debates to promote positive change in cultural and social norms around the value of women in India. To motivate young girls to stand up against violence, and show boys that masculinity is not connected with violence.
Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.
Regards,
The CSR Journal Team
