GENDER DISCRIMINATION

FEMALE FOETICIDE, LAND &

PROPERTY RIGHTS,WOMEN
EMPLOYMENT
 Female Foeticide ,Land & Property
rights ,Women Employment
SEX GENDER
• Biological fact • Socio - cultural construct
• Natural inequality • Social inequality
• Not alterable (not desirable) • Alterable (possible &
desirable)
 GENDER DISCRIMINATION
• Form of social inequality – some individual
treated inferior
• On basis of Sex – women inferior – in all fields
(Society , politics , economy , administration)
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF GENDER
DISCRIMINATION
1. Biological argument
• Roots of gender
discrimination lie in human
biology
a) Hormonal argument
b) Physically weaker
c) Male dominance in non –
human species
2. Psychological argument
• Men = rational ; women =
instinctual
• Rationality better than
instinct
Criticism – 1. No scientific
support
2. Instinct is also important &
not inferior to rationality
 ARGUMENT IN SUPPORT OF GENDER
DISCRIMINATION
3. Historical argument 4. Human nature
• Discrimination since time • Aristotle  by nature
immemorial Men = dominating
• Must have some historical Women = want to be
justification dominated

Criticism – even slavery & sati Criticism – no scientific or

practiced for long  doesn’t rational justification
mean if should continue
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF EQUALITY
1. Moral argument
• Kant  every individual has equal worth & in itself
2. Political argument
• A good political system is based on maximum
participation
3. Economic argument
• Unproductive – not using skills & talent of half the
population
4. Social argument
• By excluding women from social life & decision making
the society cannot become vibrant & progressive
 FEMALE FOETICIDE
• To kill a female child before its birth – most
hateful from of gender injustice
• Reflects the fact that gender violence starts
even before birth
 FACTORS RESPONSIBLE
1. Cultural & religious factors – male child
preferred
2. Economic factors – male child as bread
earner (women domestic labour
unproductive)
3. Social evils – dowry, etc esp india
4. Technology – earier identification of gender –
PNDT i.e. prenatal detection test
 IMPACT OF FEMALE FOETICIDE
• Disturbed sex ratio  unbalanced society
• Crimes like rape, etc. may increase
• Social evils like prostitution
• Institution of marriage may force serious threat
• Interference in natural phenomenon can lead to
adverse and unimaginable consequences
• Against garbhadhan samskar to protect unburn
child
 ETHICAL ASPECTS
• Violates the most important HR i.e. right to life
• Against the ideal of equality
• Innocent creature killed w/o any fault
• Against Kantian ethics – (every individuals end
in itself )
 SUGGESTIONS TO ERADICATE FF
• Change in societal attitude
• Economic (there for) economically equally important
for family
• Social evils like dowry must be curbed
• Effective implementation of PGPNDT act (to contral
misuse of technology)
• Ideas promoting equality should be spread
Shankar – everything is Brahma
Spinoza – Substance
Hegel – absolute idea
Gandhi Ji – metaphysical monism
 LAND & PROPERTY RIGHTS
• Traditionally – most societies – women deprived
• Idea of gender equality supports land & property
rights
• Beijing summit, 1995 – “ womonization of
poverty”
women worst affected victims of poverty”
(there for) economically dependent on
men
Solution – land & property rights
 ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR
• Arguments in favour
• Self – confidence + development of personality
• Change in societal attitude – economically
important
• Help curb female foeticide
• Help bring gender justice
• Increasing role of women in agriculture especially
in developing countries (there fore) they should
be given control over land
 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
• Earlier discriminatory treatment (there for) gender equality
• Demand for equal rights vis-q-vis men – voting, education ,
economic , etc.
• So constitutional equality given in most democratic
• But still not much improvement and inadequate representation
• (there for) Women – empowerment – a step ahead gender equality
• Multi – dimensional concept – every walk of life (social political
economic)
• Political empowerment – representation in legislature , decisions,
etc.
• Economic – land & properties , gender budget, schemes, decisional
• Social – education, women centered laws , equality, etc.