Focus on gender bias

nThe departments of Political Science and English, Jamia Millia Islamia(jmi) organised a Webinar today titled ‘Gender Bias, Stereotyping, and Gender Equality’ in collaboration with University Grants Commission(ugc) .

The webinar was inaugurated by Prof. Najma Akhtar, vicechancellor, JMI who stayed on for the entire session contributing very lucidly to the discussion. The distinguished speakers in the forenoon session on Deconstructing Gender Inequality were Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director CSIR & NISTADS and Dr. Abhijeet Das, Director, Centre for Health and Social Justice and Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, USA.

The Chair for the forenoon session, Prof Bulbul Dharjames, Political Science Department, JMI highlighted that Gender recognizes the diversity of different groups of women and men. But it is not limited to a ‘binary’ understanding of gender. The backdrop of the concern is that gender equality is not just a women’s issue. It is located within the overall framework of ‘human rights’ for all and refers to the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys.

Gender equality, women’s rights and human rights cannot be values we simply aspire for, these are the very foundations that ground humanity and must serve as our collective identity as we navigate this decade of action on the Sustainable Development Goals to a better future for all, she said.

Prof. James also said that gender needs to be integrated in a typical political economy analysis to make analysis participatory and inclusive, and look at how invisible sources of power (e.g. social norms, public perceptions, institutional cultures) affect the position of different stakeholders and their ability to act and most importantly think about how women might be supported to drive social, political and economic change.