Hearing the unheard

Breaking the Gender Barrier: Not as tough as we assume

A slightly edited version of this piece finds place in the Deccan Herald here. Thanks are due to the team at Deccan Herald.

Thanks are also due to Richa for inputs on the first draft. 

Indebted to the colleagues for their support. 

 

This discussion is based on recent experiences at a peri-urban school (up to 8^th standard and approximately 300 students) in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

 

Few months ago we had members from a sister unit come and enquire why the school had asked female students to practice sports at weird times. This, they added, would not go down well with the students’ families and could also lead to unpleasant situations. Teachers discussed the issue and then did what many a time works well in such situations – abstain from reacting. These members were not the only ones to offer such advice!

 

One of the teachers had encouraged students to practice kabaddi. These students began to relish the sport at the ground adjacent to the school - before and after school hours. Kabaddi practice brought in smiles, energy and excitement. This is the only ground available to people from nearby villages – many come here for cricket, running and else. The girls played in outfits they were comfortable in and without any interference from others. Their families would surely be aware for this went on for more than couple of months. On the sports day the level of kabaddi was notches higher vis-a-vis the previous year!

 

This was no exception.

 

More than a year ago, at a meeting where we had invited mothers of female students, I had landed up with my first major surprise on this front. The school had then undertaken a fresh initiative. This warranted the female students to attend sessions after school hours; in other words, reach home late. Based on what I had been advised I had geared up for a difficult conversation. However, the foreboding was uncalled for. Majority of the mothers were vocal. They harboured no doubts. They wanted their daughters to be able to do what they had missed out on. One of them even suggested that the school arrange multi-week out-station trips for these students. The trips, she added, would provide these students much needed exposure!

 

Not long after this incident some teachers sat to discuss the school uniform. Most of students in our school hail from financially underprivileged families and the school provides uniform. The school contemplated shift from a conventional uniform to one that would consist of colourful track-pant and t-shirt. This would be comfortable to use, get less dirty, easy to maintain, and also be gender neutral. Few teachers wondered if the proposed uniform was suitable given the socio-cultural milieu of the village and whether the female students (and their parents) would accept it in the first place. Not only did the parents appreciate the new uniform at the onset but, over the period, the students (male and female) have worn it with élan. Discussions on uniform since have been short and one sided – in favour of the new.

 

Cricket is a preferred sport at the school. Male and female students usually play cricket together. All the roles are played by all the players - they plan, cheer, celebrate, disagree and have loud arguments together as the play. My only role here has been that of a spectator from behind the window. And there is something very heartening about the manner in which they play together.

 

Girls are as much a part of fun and chaos as the boys. And, the girls and their parents are way more welcoming of the changes than we give them credit for. Chances that our school is not an exception are fairly high.

 

The mismatch between the actions (and reactions) of the girls and their parents vis-à-vis our expectations from them and understanding of the scenario is stark. It makes one wonder if the gap has always existed? And why?

 

Is it that the world around us is changing quick and we are slow to respond? This is not uncommon – the not-for-profit world has plentiful examples where the people in rural settings moved at a pace way faster than that of the not-for-profit agencies.

Or the world has already changed and we are unaware? Blissfully - or otherwise - caught in a time warp.

Or worse – we have some idea of the change around us but are keen to bury our heads in the sand?