‘That’s a man’s job’ is something every female hears once in her life. Since the time I was born, I had already heard enough sexist comments that had started to make me unknowingly believe them.

Born into an Indian community, I couldn’t figure out if it was right or wrong, since it was always around me. ‘Sit like a girl’, ‘Cover up’, ‘Lower your gaze’, and the list goes on and on. I can’t blame those around me for subjecting onto me such baseless comments, as this is something they have probably been taught when they were younger too. From a very early age I had already assumed that a woman’s priorities lie between her husband and children.

Needless to say, I consider myself quite fortunate to have a family that did not enforce onto me any such stereotypes. Since the beginning, my family taught me to be independent and not base my worth on anyone else except my own accomplishments.

But what about those young girls who are not as fortunate as I am?

What about the 132 million girls who are out school because education for women is seen as a threat to society? What about the 12 million girls who married off before the age of 18 every year because their families look at them as a burden? It’s those girls who need our help.

Regardless, I’d say we have come a long way from past times. In areas such as workplaces, educational institutions and communities women are regarded more highly than before and are now given more opportunities. But we still have a long, long way to go. So, when did sexism actually begin? What made people think there is a division between the abilities of a man and a woman?

Our society wasn’t always this orthodox, in fact, there was a time when patriarchy did not exist. There was a time when in the hunter-gatherer society men and women held equal status even though their roles were different.

Men engaged in hunting and women were responsible for hoeing and gathering. Therefore, although their roles were different, they both shared equal statuses. This challenges the idea that sexual equality is a recent phenomenon, and in fact, it existed in historic times.

Then when did a gap start to form?

12,000 years ago, when society evolved and there was a new dawn of agriculture, different gender roles were created. Men felt the hunger to accumulate more resources, and this included having more children to help out on the farms and the responsibility to acquire more resources and defend it shifted onto physically stronger men, and eventually, female autonomy diminished, and patriarchy emerged.

One thing I am proud of is seeing the awareness of gender inequality amongst my generation. In my opinion, it strongly comes from media. Example, I did not know advocacy such as “feminism”existed until I watched the riveting speech delivered by Emma Watson for the HeForShe campaign in 2014 at the United Nations.

I remember thinking to myself ‘how did I not realise sexism and gender discrimination was so common around me?’ Ever since I’ve been researching and following more on the topic of feminism and what it’s really about.

One thing that really helped me was media and how it broadened my knowledge. Hearing different speeches, watching empowering women in cinema kick butt, hearing about the #MeToo movement, the Equal Pay movement and much more made me realise that solidarity amongst women is so sacred and beautiful. But it is not only women who play a role in abolishing sexual inequality, but men also play a role that is far more important than they realise.

Many men assume feminism is a ‘man-hating’ or an ‘anti-male’ movement and sometimes even joke about it by calling feminists ‘feminazi’s’. This is the underlying cause of why even though we live in the 21st century, gender inequality still exists. But feminism is not that. It is the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. Therefore, I think feminism is good, and it is especially good for men too.

Men are equally imprisoned by gender inequality as much as women. The strain of ‘not being man enough’ or being told ‘don’t be such a girl’ can have a serious consequence on the mental health and emotions of men. It is even statistically proven that three times as many men die from suicide than women.

Men also report lower levels of life satisfaction than women according to the Government’s national well-being survey, and men are less likely to access psychological help in times of need. There have been many famous male personalities that have come out and voiced their support for gender equality- some include Benedict Cumberbatch, Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau, Steph Curry and even Prince Harry. This carries a lot of significant influence in society and can even help bridge the gap. As said by Emma Watson, “How can we affect change in the world when only half is invited?”

Gender equality is all about freeing men and women from the toxic and restrictive roles placed by society. If a girl wants to compete in a male-dominated sport, let her be. If a man does not want to play sports, let him be. If a woman wants to showcase her leadership skills without being called “bossy”, let her. If a man wants to cry without wanting to be told ‘boys don’t cry’, let him.

So, how can we actually combat these restrictive gender norms? Women’s access to education is absolutely crucial. There are 130 million girls in the world who are not allowed an education.

Girls need to go to school to learn financial and emotional independence from an early age.

Boys need to be taught that expressing their emotions and getting emotional help if needed is okay.

Women need to be encouraged to achieve power and success in all sectors. Men need to be taught that they don’t have to take the world’s burden on their shoulders and it’s okay to let go sometimes.

We can only make a change when we start to look past these gender norms and support each other. It is also important to stand up for the opposite gender when you see them being subjected to any gender discrimination. It is so important to be allies against all forms of discrimination and show solidarity. Gender equality is human rights and can lead to a so much more peaceful and harmonious world. To end with, I’d like to mention a quote I heard Justin Baldoni mention in his own ground-breaking speech ‘Man enough.’

“The world of humanity is possessed of two wings, the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly.”

Bahá’í writings