It describes the situation in which people are treated differently simply because they are male or female, rather than on the basis of their capabilities.
How to call out gender discrimination?
Gender discrimination denies opportunities, privileges, or rewards to a person or a group due to their gender. It majorly affects girls and women due to the belief that one sex or gender is superior to the other.
Types of gender discrimination
- Gender discrimination involves making decisions that confer an employment benefit based on an employee’s gender. For example, refusing to hire a woman, giving a male employee a promotion over a female employee solely because of his gender, or paying less money to women employees than male employees for doing a similar job.
- Sexual harassment is another type of gender discrimination. A hostile work environment is also a cause of sexual harassment. It occurs when a co-worker or supervisor’s behavior creates a hostile, intimidating, or offensive environment at work towards employees of the opposite gender than them.
Ill-effects of gender discrimination on society, economy, and development
- Gender inequality in education affects economic growth by lowering the average level of human intellect.
- Gender biased societies have less stable economies. Economic instability, financial crisis, debt, and inflation are all linked to income inequality.
- Gender inequality enslaves women and girls by depriving them of their fundamental human rights. It entails high economic costs not only for them but also for their households.
How to deal with gender discrimination?
- Focus on core values, beliefs, and perceived strengths to motivate people. Overcoming hardships can make people more resilient and better equipped to face challenges.
- Seek support systems. Your family, colleagues, and friends can remind you of your worth and help you reframe those faulty beliefs. It’s painful to talk about discrimination. Seek the help of friends and family to handle such incidents.
- Family and friends can be helpful if you’ve been the victim of discrimination in areas such as employment or education. Your support network can help you decide if your claims are valid and worth pursuing.
- Get involved with like-minded groups and organizations, locally or online. There may be other people who have had similar experiences as yours. Connecting with such people might help to figure out how to address situations and respond to discrimination.
- Being the focus of discrimination can stir up anger, sadness, and embarrassment. Help yourself and think clearly.
- Often associated with depression, discrimination is challenging to deal with and it is thus vital to seek professional help. Psychologists can help you manage symptoms of stress and depression, and find healthy ways to cope with the same.
How to eliminate gender discrimination
- Support women
- Implement gender-neutral processes
- Have a clear policy on indiscrimination
- Motivate women
- Promote a culture of meritocracy
Conclusion
The only way to remove gender discrimination is to stand up for women, and society has to accept the fact that women, just like men are equally worthy. Women should never let this happen to them. They should stand against it with the help of their family and friends by making use of the legal system to get equal rights.
Special thanks to Dr. Madhuri Mehendale (MBBS, DGO, DNB- Obstetrics & Gynaecology) for the expert advice.
