PLEDGING FOR A GENDER-EQUAL 2020

Inspired by one of the goals of UN Women of making “2020 as a milestone year for gender equality for many reasons” and views shared by me in a Panel Discussion today on Re-Defining Women Equality in 2020 organised by a NGO in Chandigarh on the occasion of World Women Equality Day 2020, let’s take a pledge for creating a better world by taking steps towards gender equality.

I'll start with The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres statement that “Change the system, not women, for gender parity”. He further shares “it is time to stop trying to change women and to start changing the systems that prevent them from achieving their potential”. And believe me the changer-maker in the race towards gender equality is you.

There are two basic words which I have learned from my mentor - Growth and Development, both are important to run parallel for a balanced life. We focus more on growth, when given an option between the two. Let us start again by understanding the definition of development that we have misunderstood. We always thought that growth is development, but there is a difference between growth and development. Growth means that we might have earned a lot of money, rise in our social status and physical possessions, but still we feel unhappy. Development in other words is related to the ecosystem and humanity.

COVID-19 pandemic has given us an opportunity to pause for a moment from our routine life. Work more on Development as stated before, which encourages us to develop an altruistic thinking cultivating the ecosystem and humanity. Let’s re-create or change the way we live, we think and commit ourselves for gender equal world.

Let’s come forward and start re-defining women equality by pledging for small actions of women equality in terms of:

• Using gender neutral language.
• Help establish a women's centre at our organization/ institution/ university.
• Talk about gender equality to young girls and boys.
• Hold yourself accountable for changing the thought process. When each of us decides that gender equality is good for all of us, we will make steps to get there.
• Learn from women role models.
• Defy gender stereotypes.
• Empower women and young girls around you.
• Resolve to share care responsibilities at home.
• Mentor/ Support women and girls to rise in their careers.
• Assure not to share in or overlook sexist language and comments that regulate rape culture.
• Enlighten our children to be inclusive and discuss what gender equality means.
• Read articles or books to better understand the diverse experiences of women around the world.

In the end, I would conclude with my feelings on women equality:

Women have equaled and outpaced men in almost every domain. It is time to changing our thought process and systems that prevent women from achieving their potential.

Our authorities and structures have evolved gradually over thousands of years. One further evolution/ development is long overdue. It is the time for women’s equality or more power to women.

Let us all play our part in making a gender-equal world in the years to come.