The speakers called for a change in the attitude of men towards women to enable the latter to attain their full potential, at a one-day workshop on ‘Gender sensitisation’, organised by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), at Srinivasa Kalyana Mandapam here on Tuesday.
In his opening remarks, Divisional Railway Manager Mukul Saran Mathur said the Railways have been promoting women, particularly in sports, for a long time. The Indian Women’s Cricket Team has a number of players from the Railways. But in spite of that there were incidents of bias against women employees even in the railways and called for a change in the attitudes of individuals.
He called upon working women should also stand up for their rights and raise their voice against harassment from their male colleagues.
Director of the Centre for Women’s Studies, Andhra University, S. Sumitra said that gender bias and patriarchy were responsible for the discrimination of women. They should be given greater freedom and be allowed to participate in the decision-making process to bring them onto an equal platform.
The gender stereotyping or allocation of roles based on gender was another reason for the domination of men. Patriarchy promotes the ideology that males were superior and allows men to dominate and control women.
Member of the AP State Women’s Commission from Vizianagaram K. Srivani recalled how women had enjoyed equal status along with men during the Vedic Age. During the later Vedic age, discrimination of women started and wrong notions were inculcated among men towards women.
Helpline
Principal Chief Security Commissioner (RPF) of East Coast Railway Atul Pathak called upon women to call the RPF Helpline ‘182’.
Former Minister M. Mani Kumari spoke.
