“Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults, teaching them to respect the opposite gender will lay the foundation for a better society.”
Issues relating to gender is a huge problem in our society today. Things such as inequality against women and abuse of our women and children are just two of some of the concerns.
Gender inequality is still a sore topic in many countries across the globe and our women are the most affected. Uneven access to education. Lack of employment equality. Job segregation. Lack of legal protection. Poor medical care. Lack of religious freedom. Lack of political representation. Lack of bodily autonomy.
Our aim as parents and caregivers should be to teach our children to respect and accept the other gender as equal.
Let’s define gender equality: gender equality is when people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities.
Across all nations the human body seems to be taken for granted and abused in more ways than we could ever think or imagine.
The legal age of consent has been totally disregarded and boys and girls alike, from toddlers to retirees, are being sexually harassed.
This is the reason why we must start teaching our children from an early age to respect their bodies and that of the other gender.
Sexual harassment is the unwelcomed sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature.
According to Grace Tatter (Harvard, Graduate School of Education), “Consent has become a somewhat divisive buzz word in the wake of the #MeToo movement. But at its core, it’s an idea that many learn as early as preschool – the notion that we should respect one another’s boundaries, in order to be safe, preserve dignity and build healthy relationships.”
“Despite gains in gender equality, ingrained bias about males and females still exists, and can have grave consequences. Stubborn beliefs cultivated from an early age such as, “girls are bad at math, girls are better at cooking,” or “boys don’t cry,” pave the way to sobering statistics about the number of female leaders in business and politics, and disturbing truths about the frequency of sexual harassment.”
“By talking about gender bias early, parents can blaze a trail towards equality, long before girls and boys are engaging in romantic relationships, choosing college majors or entering the workforce.” (Leah Shafer, Harvard Graduate Sch. of Education.)
With equal rights for women being a big cry now-a-days, our women are finally being given the same opportunities. Education, jobs, equal pay, respect. But we need to stop the violence against our women and girls.
Another area where there is serios abuse in many countries is the (LGBTI) lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex community.
Equality and freedom from discrimination are fundamental human rights that belong to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, or sex characteristics.
LGBTI are the most abused. Respect and dignity are fundamental values in international discourse. (Extract from: Asia Pacific Forum).
Human trafficking is another sour point. Both male and female alike are being trafficked for a host of different reasons. Our pre-teens, teenagers and young adults have to be made aware of this and taught how to avoid being caught in these distasteful situations.
According to Richard Weissbourd, (Harvard Graduate School of Education), research in human development clearly shows that the seeds of empathy, caring and compassion, are present from early in life, but that to become caring ethical people, children need adults to help them at every stage of childhood to nurture these seeds into full development.
We should work to cultivate children’s concern for others, because it is fundamentally the right thing to do.
Here are a few tips to help pave the way to teaching our children to respect the other gender:
First, check your bias. Be mindful of the language you use. Be mindful of the way you treat people of different gender.
Have an open discussion at home about the way chores are divided up. Everyone is expected to have a turn at everything.
Ask children for their feedback about these family practices.
Encourage kids to try all types of extra-curricular activities.
Listen – listening to what other persons have to say is a basic way to respect them.
Serve.
Be kind.
Affirm, when we affirm someone, we are giving evidence that they matter.
Be polite.
Be thankful.
Works Cited
Asia Pacific Forum, (APF). Respect for Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sex Characteristics. of National Human Rights Institutions. https://www.asiapacificforum.net/support/human-rights/sogisc/
Raising Caring Kids. 7 Tips for Raising Caring Kids. Family Resources, Moral and Ethical Development. https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/resources-for-families/7-tips-raising-caring-kids
Shafer, Leah. Preventing Gender Bias. Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2018). https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/11/preventing-gender-bias
Tatter, Grace. Consent at Every Age. Harvard Graduate School of Education, Usable Knowledge, Relevant Research for Today’s Educator. (2018). https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/12/consent-every-age
Weisbourd, Richard. Learning Out: Teen Girls and Leadership Bias, Making Caring Common. Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/leaning-out
