Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://localhost:4000/handle/123456789/1926

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Item
    A World Without Gender." Sociological Perspectives, edited by Constance L. Shehan, Gale, 2017. Gale Researcher, Cengage Publishers
    (Cengage Learning India, 2017) Das, Madhurima
    To envision a post-gender world, it is important to pay some attention to the patterns of gender discrimination that operate in society. Gender is a social construction, meaning that masculinity and femininity are constructed and maintained through social interactions and socialization. The social constructionist framework of gender has created a binary between masculinity and femininity: for example, women are trained to be submissive and men to be aggressive. However there are avenues by which this inequality can be eradicated, both at the micro and the macro social level. Without giving attention to the patterns and systems of gender discrimination that exist in society, a post-gender world remains beyond reach. However, changes can be made at both the macro and the micro levels. At the micro level, it is important to alter the imbalance of labor within the household, where women disproportionately shoulder the household responsibilities. Parenting also operates on a micro level, and in order to attain a post-gender society it is vital to socialize children beyond the gender binaries. At the macro level, changes need to happen in the schools, workplace and media. Schools should discourage gender-based bullying, and workplaces need to reduce discrimination against women. Media portrayals of gender have also been problematic for a long time. Television shows and movies legitimize gender binaries, thereby reinforcing gender discrimination. To attain a gender-neutral society, the media rhetoric has to change. At the core of a post-gender society are intersectionality and an appreciation of diversity. As much as we discuss changes in gendered behavior institutionally, it is important to take into account race, nationality, sexuality, and other differences.
  • Item
    The Persistence of Gender-blind Phenomena in Indian Science Academia
    (Bridgewater State University, 2022-05) Nirban, Virendra Singh; Shukla, Tanu; Das, Madhurima
    Using the theoretical tool of gender-blind sexism, an extension of Bonilla Silva’s (2003) color-blind racism, the current study explores the key determinants which are responsible for discrimination of women in science disciplines in Indian higher education. We argue that gender-blind sexism demonstrates how gender discrimination operates as institutional tools to discriminate between men and women in science fields. Although the science stream proclaims gender neutrality/blindness, it ultimately disfavors women over men. This study with the aid of extensive in-depth face-to-face interviews, aims to recognize the pattern accountable for women’s reduced progress in the sciences. Against the backdrop of the recently framed National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, by the Government of India, this intensive qualitative study identifies certain crucial dimensions responsible for gender discrimination and diminishing participation of females in Indian academia, especially in the sciences. With several institutional policies that have been in place to mitigate challenges in overt sexist patterns in the workplace, the analysis still confirms the existence of a perceivable organizational barrier, which hinders the rise of women faculty members. We infer that gender discrimination operates through covert mechanisms of gender-blindness and such practices are normalized institutionally as a brand-new form of sexism.