SPEAK WEDNESDAY – SEXISM
According to Wikipedia, Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on a person’s sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is intrinsically superior to another.
Sexism manifests in various forms and due to stigmatization from the society, women are forced to accept abuse and neglect. Some females are denied access to proper health care, good nutrition, education and legal rights which is an infringement on their basic human rights as humans. Child marriage, female genital mutilation and other traditional harmful practices, objectification, women trafficking, forced labour, and unequal school participation are other instruments of sexism.
It is pertinent to know that not just violence but other forms of sexism have devastating consequences. Some of these repercussions affect the physical and mental health of the individuals. Sexual transmitted infections, mental disorders, depression, anxiety, low birth weight and sometimes death of the fetus of teenage mothers, obstetric fistula, death of the victim, excessive bleeding, urinary tract infections, neuroses, hatred for any form of sexual relation and psychoses fall into this category.
Education is the key for women to achieve economic independence, yet, Unite Nations (UN) estimates that women make up more than two-third of the world’s 796 million illiterate people. If a nation must achieve sustainable success, education and proper sensitization is essential. According to a popular quote by African Proverb “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation”.
Proper sensitization with full participation of all genders should be encouraged to end gender stereotypes and harmful cultural practices that affect women and girls. The goal is to create a balanced system for everyone.
Speak Wednesday is an initiative of Centre for Family Health Initiative to stop the cycle of domestic violence by breaking the silence around gender based violence. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media handles for more episodes.
