Mind the language

I often write about gender based issues and the stereotypical categorization of male and female roles.

 ‘Gender Sensitive Language ‘ is one profound topic to be addressed at present.

I had my thoughts more provoked on how the language  we use at home as parents and at school as teachers matters a lot.
It matters because words and thoughts are interlinked. We are culturally restricted in balancing gender. We often  get mixed up with gender based and sex-based teaching to our children.
Many of us  grew up in the much male-dominated culture which were built on gender basis. And we thought the world and the society is all about what men can do and what women cannot or are not allowed to do. 

Some of the most cliched sentences that we still utter to our children without even thinking about the differences we are creating in their understanding about gender are like:  ‘boys don’t cry', ‘girls are nurse, fireman are boys, boys are soldiers', ‘be strong like a man’, 'boys don't choose pink, its girly', boys don't dress up, 'girls don't travel alone' : these can be replaced in a more gender neutral words.
What intrigued me is to see the slide of a man at the road construction site working and a sign board that show up “Men at Work" .
While “Women work all the time at home. But when men work they have to put sign boards". Language is that bridge to our thoughts, shaping our minds to believe our perceptions.
Equality is not about female right, it is the right for all gender.
Why can’t boys cook? They should know how to cook not because of any reason but for his own independency and survival.
Why can’t girls  get a Royal Enfield?  They can absolutely when she earns or have enough resources of her own.
It’s time to change our outlook.
We all have a great  role  to raise our children to respect all gender and be sensitive. 
We must raise our sons in a home where respect for women is a part of the value and not an imposition. Where he sees how his mother and sisters are respectfully and equally  treated .

We must  teach our daughters that she is not the one to be inferior or less competent . She don't need a prince charming to rescue her. She can get her own horse and draw her own road-map to get out of any situation.  And most importantly ,that she have equal share of responsibility in the society as well as at her home.

Home is the first education, lets do it today to see a changed tomorrow.