Have gender attitudes really changed in our country? In this episode, writer and professor Nivedita Menon speaks with Sujata Khandekar, founding director of CORO, about gender identities and norms, the need to challenge them, and how we can change traditional attitudes towards gender.

Highlights

• While there have been certain visible shifts in gender attitudes, these have not been uniform for all women and across all domains. 
• There is considerable backlash when people do not conform to traditional gender identities, especially for those who may identify as non-binary, transgender, etc. This is often the price that people pay for threatening the existing social order. 

• Dialogue is an important tool to initiate change, not just with people outside the home who may have differing opinions, but also within our immediate circles—family, friends, and those we consider allies.

• The institution of traditional heterosexual marriage and the normative concept of a family further reinforce strict identities of a man and a woman. 

For more information about IDR, go to www.idronline.com. Also, follow IDR on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram.

Read more

1. 7 years after SC judgment, third genders say they feel like second class citizens

2. Gender inequality: What really needs to change

3. What does NFHS-5 data tell us about women empowerment in India?

4. “We want the same rights as cisgender women”

5. India’s health systems exclude LGBTQ+ people. This needs to change.

6. “There’s a story behind each of those self-inflicted wounds”

7. We need to change how we report crimes against women

8. It’s time to compensate women’s unpaid labour

9. Learning from the grassroots

This podcast is a Maed in India production, you can find out more about us https://www.maedinindia.in/