Gender Equity Through Gender Empathy and Inclusivity

Abstract

AbstractMargaret Mead, the celebrated American Anthropologist through her research, has established the fact beyond doubt that gender roles are a construct of culture. She established the difference in gender roles through her study of the cultures of the Oceania in her book Sex and Temperament. Her study shows that there are societies where the ideas of male and female roles differ according to the cultural norms of those societies. My limited view is that we in India should try to establish gender equity based on the norms of our society, our culture. My contention is that the biggest hurdle towards achieving gender equity in the 21st century is the lack of gender empathy. This lack of empathy is the result of embedded and fixed ideas of gender roles because of our globalized, more so Westernized ideas of gender construct. To bring in a positive change, we have to recognize and embrace our original Vedic culture. In our Vedic culture, the concept of Shakti recognizes the inherent power of the feminine principle. Shakti is the primordial force, Devi, Prakriti, Mother Nature. Creation requires both the male and female principles as beautifully depicted in the concept of Ardhanarishwara—both the attributes of male and female energy are present in one body together without any conflict, rather conjugation. Male and female principles are not at conflict in nature, rather they are complimentary. If modern civilization has brought the two principles at logger heads, then we have to accept that there is a systemic error, and it needs correction. The present research is an attempt to establish that in modern India, there were successful individual attempts made by powerful women like Sister Nivedita and Annie Besant to liberate women by following an Indian way of life. There is no need to empower women. Women are powerful. They must be aware of this fact.KeywordsGender rolesGender empathyVedic cultureShaktiArdhanarishwara