Giving Compass' Take:

• The Study Hall Educational Foundation created a curriculum specifically to educate young boys living in India about gender justice. 

• The author explains that trying to educate young boys and girls about gender with the intent of introducing a new conceptual framework will be difficult. What are some of the challenges with this type of education and barriers that might impede a reexamination of gender?

• Read about how the traditional gender roles in India are preventing the advancement of job opportunities for women and girls. 

One group of global experts ranks India as the most dangerous country in the world for girls and women. According to the government, crime against women rose by 83 percent from 2007-2016, with four rapes reported every hour. One in three girls is a child bride—the most in the world.

The problem lies in patriarchal social and political structures, which are inherently violent towards girls.   Deeply entrenched patriarchal mindsets tacitly condone gender-based violence and hegemonic views of gender.  Boys are valued for their ability to protect and provide, while girls are valued for sexual, reproductive, and domestic labor. The widespread belief is that mindsets must change, which I agree with.

Educating girls is an important pathway towards gender equality, specifically providing equal access and ensuring completion. Education can be a powerful transformative force, provided education itself is transformed. To achieve a gender-just society, where our daughters feel safe, equal, and free, boys and girls both must be taught to examine the construction of gender in patriarchal societies.

Whereas girls must learn to recognize themselves as equal and resist discrimination, boys must learn to deconstruct a patriarchal conception of masculinity, and construct egalitarian beliefs.

Regardless of class, caste, or religion, boys enjoy a preferred status over their female counterparts. Changing these conceptual frames involves a paradigm shift. School is a fertile ground for reframing boys’ worldview by enabling them to challenge and disrupt their gendered perceptions of masculinity and femininity.

With this understanding, the Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) embarked on the construction of a curriculum to educate boys for gender justice.

Read the full article about teaching boys gender justice by Urvashi Sahni at Brookings