Racial and Gender Differences in India
“All representation is misrepresentation in one form or the other.”
When we talk about racism and gender differences, the first word that comes to mind is discrimination. Discrimination — in all its possible forms and expressions — is one of the most common forms of human rights violations and abuse. It affects millions of people everyday and it is one of the most difficult to recognise. Discrimination occurs when people are treated less favourably than other people who are in a comparable situation only because they belong, or are perceived to belong to a certain group or category of people. People may be discriminated against because of their age, disability, ethnicity, origin, political belief, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture and on many other grounds. Discrimination, which is often the result of prejudices people hold, makes people powerless, impedes them from becoming active citizens, restricts them from developing their skills and, in many situations, from accessing work, health services, education or accommodation.
India, as a nation, is obsessed with a white skin tone. It is clearly showcased in matrimonial ads where people continuously covet ‘fair’ skin. The use and popularity of whitening creams has been rising in India over the past years. Yet people only speak out against such advocacy of colour bias following the anti-race protests. Due to this many brands also decided to change the names of their products. Kavitha Emmanuel, the woman behind ‘Dark is Beautiful’ Campaign said, “changing names is not going to be enough to undo the damage done in the past 45 years”. She proposes the discontinuation of such products so that more and more women, irrespective of colour, can get empowered.
Another closely related concept is intolerance. It is a lack of respect for practices or beliefs other than one’s own involving the rejection of people whom we perceive as different, for example members of a social or ethnic group other than ours, or people who are different in political or sexual orientation. Intolerance can manifest itself in a wide range of actions from avoidance through hate speech to physical injury or even murder.
The covid pandemic unleashed the racist mentality of Indians. We are all familiar with the disrespect people from Northeast India receive. On 26th March, 2020 a man was arrested for spitting in the face of a Manipuri woman and calling her ‘Corona’. This is not the only time when people from the Northeast faced harassment. An article by Feminism in India had women from the Northeast recall how people commonly calling them by names like ‘Chinky’ and ‘Nepali’. And then, we dare to accuse them of not trying to be a part of the rest of India.
In India, racism is not an issue that is widely prevalent. However, it does exist even if we Indians never thought of it as a serious issue. It is high time that we take a hard look on our attitude and try to change on an individual level.
On the other hand, gender differences is an issue that India has been dealing with since centuries. The past few years have seen India develop in various fields. But the most prominent one would be our treatment of women. We, as a society, have grown to offer numerous opportunities to women. Various programs like ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao’ have also been introduced so as to ensure educational opportunities for girls by conducting public awareness media campaigns, among other programs. However, various acts in society tend to be stereotypical in view of gender roles. A survey by Pew Research Centre showed the following data.
Sons and daughters are both equally important in the eyes of Indians. Nearly all Indians say it is very important for a family to have at least one son (94%) and, separately, to have at least one daughter (90%). And most Indians say that both sons and daughters should have equal rights to inheritance from parents (64%) and have the responsibility to care for parents as they age (58%). But survey respondents are far more likely to say that sons, rather than daughters, should have greater rights and responsibilities in these areas.
In respect of traditional home activities, the majority of Indians embrace equal gender roles. For instance, 62% of adults say both men and women should be responsible for taking care of children. However, traditional gender norms still hold sway among large segments of the population. Approximately a third of adults (34%) feel that child care should be handled primarily by women.
When it comes to earning money, gender equality prevails by a slim margin. 54% of adults say that both men and women in families should be responsible for earning money, but many Indians (43%) see this as mainly the obligation of men. And Indian adults overwhelmingly say that when jobs are in short supply, men should have greater rights to employment than women, reflecting the continued prominence of men in the economic sphere. Eight-in-ten agree with this sentiment, including a majority (56%) who completely agree.
The general consistency across age groups in their views imperceptibly suggests that Indian attitudes on family gender roles may not be changing very much over time. But a long-running survey shows that attitudes and behaviours on gender roles appear to have become more egalitarian since the end of the 20th century, with perhaps the biggest changes in the early 2000s.
These norms are part of a wider phenomenon in the predominantly patriarchal Indian society where, for a variety of historical, social, religious and economic reasons, families have a tendency to favour sons rather than daughters — a custom broadly referred to as “son preference.” Without a doubt India has evolved in leaps and bounds. However, there is still a long road paved with hardships before women are able to fully enjoy the same powers as their male counterparts. This does not mean that it is impossible, since we have already begun to traverse this path and hopefully, we will be able to peer upon a truly egalitarian society with absolute equality of men and women.
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