At the current rate of progress, it will take 108 years to reach gender parity, according to the most recent Global Gender Gap Report (Source: World Economic Forum).
I emphatically accept that all genders are equal and it is nothing but a sociological concept governed by norms of the society. However, we live in a community where there are gender groups that are historically dominated and oppressed and therefore have become marginalized. Keeping this context in mind, Social Emotional Learning facilitates meaningful dialogues to support people that identify as non binary. It is essential for everyone in society to empathize with people from marginalized genders, understand their lived experiences and provide safe spaces. Therefore, in order to transform the society, free it from the trap of gender injustice, we need SEL that works as a ladder for us to fight against any social injustice.
People that are truly gender inclusive are foundationally compassionate as human beings which lends to their inclusive nature. We need to come to a common consensus where we agree to learn from each other and that can only occur when these values are practiced ardently. For example, in order to kill stereotypes such as it is unhealthy for men to cry and express themselves, we should make sure that SEL and Gender Justice work hand in hand because everyone should be given the right to express who they are and how they feel.
We, at Educators for Equality believe that all teachers should be sensitized about gender in order to create inclusive classrooms. There is a desperate need for representation of teachers from the queer community in order to normalize gender as an issue at the classroom level and to change the conversation from very early on so we end stigmas and taboos from moving from one generation to another. This will lead to more conversations around the subject of gender justice which is free from bias and judgement. For this, we are focussing our work on curricula that is a blend of Leadership, Gender Justice and Social Emotional Learning.
Pratyay Malakar,
Educator and Coach,
Barefoot Edu Foundation,
India