GENDER EQUALITY

1. Who was Jawaharlal Nehru?

Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was a freedom fighter, the first Prime Minister of India and a central figure in Indian politics before and after
independence. He emerged as an eminent leader of the Indian independence movement under the tutelage of Mahatma
Gandhi and served India as Prime Minister from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his death in 1964. He is
considered to be the architect of the modern Indian nation-state: a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. He was
also known as Pandit Nehru due to his roots with the Kashmiri Pandit community while Indian children knew him as Chacha Nehru.
He respected the women a lot. He had no discrimination or stereotype about women in his mind. He said that “You can tell the
condition of a nation by looking at the status of its Women"

2. What is the condition of women in India?

In Indian society, women are traditionally discriminated against and excluded from political and family related decisions. Despite the
large amount of work women must do on a daily basis to support their families, their opinions are rarely acknowledged and their
rights are limited. From the time they are born, young Indian girls are the victims of discrimination. Instead of going to school, girls
often find themselves forced to work in order to help their families, often from a very young age. However, in the last decades, the
situation of women in India has greatly improved. An increasing number of Indian women are entering local and national politics and
since 2007. Indian society does indeed recognize many women’s rights, including the rights to political involvement, family
allowance and set up a business. Nevertheless, in rural areas, poverty and a lack of information represent real barriers to women’s
independence and empowerment. Programs aimed at advancing human rights, literacy and microfinance are therefore necessary in
order to restore Indian women to the place they deserve and open doors to a better future.
3. What are discriminations that occur to women in India?

In India women are discriminated by the following ways-

 In elementary school studies show that teachers still give more time and attention in math and science to boys while giving
more to girls in language arts. Since math and science are vital skills for many male-dominated professions, like medicine,
engineering, and architecture, does this encourage little girls to focus on other areas of learning.
 In middle and high school, girls are more likely than boys to be discouraged from participating in sports, and clubs like debate,
math, and science. But girls are more likely to be encouraged to participate in after-school volunteer work, social programs,
and more passive activities.
 After childhood, young women are often encouraged, or even pressured, into pursuing an education in more stereotypical
female-oriented professions, like teaching, nursing, caregiving.
 They are forced to do child marriage.
 Their parents don’t allow them to study and make them to do household works.
 They are not allowed to go outside the house but boys are allowed to stay outside even at night.
4. How can you contribute to eliminate gender bias?
 Educate Employees About How Stereotypes Work: Because we are not always aware of our biases, we do not realize when
they are influencing our decision-making; therefore, education and awareness are key to moving forward. “When people hear
how stereotypes work, they tend to scrutinize their own decision-making more carefully, and that tends to break the
tendency to use stereotypes as a shortcut.”
 Establish Clear Criteria for Evaluation. “When making hiring or promotion decisions…establish clear criteria and qualifications
for our decisions. Research has shown the more formal the criteria are, the more women and more underrepresented
minorities will be hired.”
 Scrutinize Your Criteria. Take an objective look at the existing criteria you use to make management decisions, as they may be
flawed. “Scrutinize the criteria you’re using when making hiring and promotion decisions. Are they the right criteria? Do they
predict success on the job? Are they filtering out a disproportionate number of women? If so, it’s really important to
understand if the criteria really matter in terms of who’s going to be successful on the job.”
 Hold Decision-Makers Accountable. Having to explain the decisions we make to others forces us to re-evaluate our decision-
making, Correll says. “In the process of deliberating and thinking through the decision process more carefully, we break the
tendency to use stereotypes as a shortcut.”
 Be Transparent. “Be transparent in what you’re doing in terms of hiring and promoting. Post the numbers and keep track of
our progress in terms of how we’re doing in terms of gender diversity in our workplaces really causes people to be more
 thoughtful in how they’re making decisions.” Making yourself accountable to others for your decisions will help ensure you
make objective decisions.
 Vouch for the Competence of Women Leaders. Be proactive in your effort to break down stereotypes. “Whenever you have
the chance to introduce someone or talk about someone you’re working with…describe her accomplishments or talk about
how successful you think she’s been.
5. Why is education in girls needed?
 Increased Literacy: Of the 163 million illiterate youth across the globe, nearly 63 percent are female. Offering all children
education will prop up literacy rates, pushing forward development in struggling regions.
 Human Trafficking: Women are most vulnerable to trafficking when they are undereducated and poor, according to the
United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking. Through providing young girls with opportunities and fundamental
skills, this billion-dollar industry can be significantly undermined.
 Political Representation: Across the globe, women are underrepresented as voters and restricted from political involvement.
The United Nations Women’s programmes on leadership and participation suggests that civic education, training and all
around empowerment will ease this gap.
 Thriving Babies: According to the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, children of educated mothers are twice as likely to
survive past the age of five. Foreign aid for schoolhouses and curriculum development could greatly benefit the East African
country of Burundi, where nearly 16,000 children die per year.
 Later Marriage: As suggested by the United Nations Population Fund, in underdeveloped countries, one in every three girls is
married before reaching the age of 18. In a region where a girl receives seven or more years of education, the wedding date is
delayed by four years.
 Smaller Families: Increased participation in school reduces fertility rates over time. In Mali, women with secondary education
or higher have an average of three children. Counterparts with no education have an average of seven children.
 Income Potential: Education also empowers a woman’s wallet through boosting her earning capabilities. According to the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO, a single year of primary education
has shown to increase a girl’s wages later in life by 20 percent.
 Poverty Reduction: When women are provided with equal rights and equal access to education, they go on to participate in
business and economic activity. Increased earning power and income combat against current and future poverty through
feeding, clothing and providing for entire families.
A LESSON IN JUSTICE

1. What is justice?

Justice is the most important and most discussed objective of the State, and Society. It is the basis of orderly human
living. Justice demands the regulation of selfish actions of people for securing a fair distribution, equal treatment of
equals, and proportionate and just rewards for all. It stands for harmony between individual interests and the interests
of society. Justice is of central importance to political theory. In defending or opposing laws, policies, decisions and
actions of government, appeals are made in the name of justice. Justice is related to mutual relationships of persons
living in society. Justice is based on values and traditions of society. Justice is related to all aspects of human behaviour
in society. Laws are made and courts are set up with this aim in view. Aim of Justice is to provide equal rights,
opportunities and facilities to all in a fair way. The function of Justice is to harmonise individual interests with the
interests of society. There are three types of justice. They are social justice, economical justice and political justice.

2. Why is Lady Justice blindfolded?

The blindfolding of Lady Justice symbolizes that justice is “blind”—in other words, justice is supposed to
be objective, without bias; never favoring the strong nor the weak, the rich nor the poor, the righteous nor the
wicked. The fact that the lady cannot see who she is judging means that she does not judge based on appearances,
or merely on what her senses tell her. She judges with reason and rationality, as they are the only things that are
truly reliable. The senses can be fooled and appearances can be crafted, but the mind, independent of the senses,
cannot be tampered with. Interestingly, the idea that justice is “blind” only came about in the 15th century or so;
early Roman depictions showed Iustitia with scales and sword, but with her eyes uncovered.
3. What does the sword and the balance mean?

We all know that the sword has traditionally been a symbol of power, but there are a couple of special things about
Lady Justice’s sword. The first is that it symbolizes the power of Reason instead of any real physical power. This
power manifests in the real world as law and, subsequently, the people who enforce the law. It emphasizes that for
justice to be carried out and the law enforced, there must be power behind the laws. We, the people, give the laws
power, because we have agreed as a society that the content of the law is what we desire to be carried out. From
there, the “soft” power is translated into real power in the form of law enforcers.
The balance symbolize that justice fairly takes into account both sides of the story, from the accuser and the
accused, or from two parties that make opposing claims. This also symbolizes objectivity, as the verdict that Justice
hands out is the result of the “weight” of the evidence presented for or against a claim.