"Ashtaputravathi Bhava" (May you be blessed with 8 sons) is an old Hindu ‘blessing’. What does this kind of sexist benediction or rather a curse, mean for a little girl in India? In many Indian villages, the girl child is not wanted at all. They would rather she not live and female infanticide is rampant. In a town, the news of a girl’s birth is often met with resignation, meaning to say, "Well, now that you are born, nothing can be done anyway." And don’t be under the illusion that the city is any better. "We have two girls. Well.... girls are also okay," they say, consoling themselves, though they too wish that they had a son. They are all saying to the girl child, "YOU ARE NOT WANTED!" How is it that in this day and age, we still seem to be prejudiced against the female child? What is worse, women themselves favour the son over the daughter. One can see traces of this discrimination practiced even by the rich and the educated. It is surprising that even in well-to-do families of metropolitan cities; female foeticide is carried out after conducting illicit sex-determination tests. So the cause for gender bias among children is not caused just by poverty and illiteracy. It is more like a baggage, which we have been lugging around for ages and which we are unable to shed completely. The ‘Lakshmi’ born in the house is considered somebody else’s wealth and is treated as such, in a majority of homes. As the girl grows, she faces more discrimination. In a poverty-stricken family, the daughter’s share of food is forwarded to her brother, without considering that she too is hungry and that her body need nutrition as much as his . Her education is sacrificed at the altar of her male sibling’s. Her studies are discontinued and she is made to look after the younger children and handle the household chores. In a middle-class setup, the elders at home will be teaching the growing girl that she should always remember that she is a girl, that she should be docile, that she should be seen not heard, that as a woman, she will first need to cater to the needs of the family and such other ‘pearls of … [Read more...]