Gender Equality

Gender equality simply means giving equal rights and opportunities to everyone. The rights and responsibilities should not be based on their gender. Each and every person has the right to equality and they should have it. Every girl and boy faces inequality in their homes and in society. It impacts both the genders, but, statistically, girls are more disadvantaged.

Generally, girls have higher survival rates at birth worldwide. However, the death ratio of girls is higher than boys. Boys and girls experience adolescence in different ways. It’s very common that boys experience greater freedom.

Whereas girls tend to face some limitations which affect their freedom. Their life decisions are taken by the male head family member. It affects their education, social relationships, work, and marriage.

Here, at Upkaar, our mission is to educate every girl and woman for their betterment. Every woman should have the access of knowledge on sexual health and adolescent reproductive. The situation is worse, especially in rural villages and slums. Our goal is to educate those families who are in vulnerable condition with less resources.

Fighting with inequality on the basis of gender has been a matter of concern for many years. There are many initiatives that have been introduced by the government. However, there are still some places where women are still unheard and ignored. Therefore, it’s critical to improve the value of girls by women empowerment. Empowering them, with education, life skills, support and much more will help the country to a greater extent. Some other benefits are as follows:

• Helps to prevent violence against girls and women.
• Good for the nation’s economy.
• It will make our society better, healthier, and safer.

Undoubtedly, gender discrimination has always been a major concern. We have discussed some causes of gender inequality below:

• Child Marriage

Child marriage is one of the most disturbing aspect that affect gender equalities. According to UNICEF, every year 12 million girl children are married before the age of 18. This affects their mental and personal development at a very young age.

• Poverty

Poverty is one of the major causes of gender inequality. One in every 10 women lives in extreme poverty. Poverty restricts them to access education, economic opportunities, and healthcare facilities.

• Education 

Lack of education is a matter of concern which directly affects the girl child. This is one of the major causes of gender inequality. UNESCO reports that 122 million girls remain out of school. They receive less access to education compared to boys.

• Patriarchal Norms

Patriarchal norms have a major impact on gender inequality. There are still many girls and women who can’t achieve their dreams due to societal norms. These restrictions put an end to their aspirations and future.

• Lack of Awareness

Lack of awareness is one of the major issues that contributes to gender inequality. This problem is most common in rural and underprivileged areas. The girl child faces this issue the most and it directly affects her future.

• Poor Medical Health

Girls face higher maternal mortality rates in regions with poor healthcare facilities. Girls are given less exposure from their childhood which directly impacts their health.

Gender equality is the basic human right that is important for everyone. It helps every woman and man enjoy the same rights and opportunities in every phase of life. It helps to distribute the power and responsibilities equally between both. Women are usually ignored and given less opportunities in comparison to men. Usually, they’re excluded when making decisions personally, socially, and economically.

UPKAAR WELFARE TRUST have been working to bring a change in the world. We ensure that every girl receives essential healthcare services. It will help to improve their emotional, mental, and physical development. We aim to develop a world where the girl child is celebrated. They should also have the access to equal opportunities to study and grow as male gender.

Upkaar’s effort to bring a change towards gender inequality includes:

• Safe and educate the girls to create attitudinal shifts toward gender bias.
• Skill education for women to break myths and stereotypes around gender.
• Ensuring responsibility of the state to implement multiple schemes and policies.

Be it health, education, or participation, every girl deserves equal opportunities. An environment where they can live and grow without any terror is important. You can reach out and help as many girls as possible. This will help make a difference to ensure they lead a happy and healthy life.