Gender insensitivity as a global issue has always been confined to candle marches and street processions with placards offending one/more groups of people. But gender insensitivity has its roots deep in our virtues. So deep that we wear, talk, and breathe in its various forms every day. Here I have listed some minor forms of sexism that are scarcely looked upon, let alone debated over.
1. GENTLEMAN:
Why is it that chivalry is a subject of masculinity and has not even distant relations with the expected mannerism of women? Did you know that the original meaning of the word chivalry is the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight? These are namely courage, honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak? Now we know why the subjects of chivalry are women.
2. PERFUMES:
What is the scientific concept or rather the basis behind the entitlement of a fragrance to be masculine or feminine? Who told us that men should smell a particular way and women another? How about that?
3. MAN OF THE HOUSE:
A phrase that is oftentimes used without any hesitation. But doesn’t it somehow convey that to be the backbone of a system is to be a man? If a man forms the blood of a system as intricate as a family, he is the man of the house. IF a women does that, that’s manly and hence she will be the man of the house.
Ever thought about that? No, you only think about yourself.
4. MANKIND:
The word denotes human beings considered collectively or the human race. Which maybe doesn’t consist of the men exclusively? But then, this is how it has been denoted since ever. Do women feel offended on being considered a part of the mankind, or do they feel obliged?
5. TOMBOY/GAY:
This is one thing that always puts me in deep thoughts. WHY is it so, that if a girl does things that men usually do, i.e. that is she is a tomboy, that’s fine and is mostly considered cool and happening. BUT if it’s a boy, who does things that usually girls do, he is laughed at and he is told to be ashamed of it. To all the women out there- are you ashamed of doing the things you do? How does it feel to know if someone wants to do things similar to you, he has to be ashamed of it?
6. MANPOWER:
Well, even if there are like 200 women working over that machine, they will be called the manpower of the industry.
Frankly speaking, there isn’t a great deal of deep offence in any of the above mentioned examples of gender-biased language/objects. The point is that these are only manifestations of virtues we have, at some moment in time, believed in and practiced. Not that they’re causing any material harm to any of the gender, but shouldn’t we be concerned with what our language portrays us as?
At the closure, did you know that a king size bed is bigger than a queen size bed?
Calm the feminists in you ladies; that is because of the difference in anthropometrics.
*anthropometry- the science of the measurement of human bodies to average the amount of space they’d require.
-Ananya Talwar
Edited by Mrinaal Datt
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