The game of genders
Games are always fascinating and challenging, and you may agree with it and wonder what the relation between game and genders is? What is this “Game of Genders”? Is it like the “Game of Thrones”? Games, in which there are certain rules that are meant to be followed but we crave to break them and live as we want. Although these rules were created to give everyone a fair chance to win, in this Game of Genders, it is different. It is the most unfair game ever played, and the truth is that there is no gender-neutral country where women and men are working in an equal ratio. Women empowerment needs much attention here. Are we really modernizing our ways and broadening our thoughts? Countries ,such as Ireland, that top in women development index face certain problems, and in highly developed countries such as U.K and U.S.A, women are paid 3-21% lesser wages than men. Now, what about developing countries? Whereas in the “Game of Thrones” they do fight for power , we need to fight for women empowerment. Awareness rallies and protests do not provide a solution. There are other things to do, such as, a change in our approach to do our things better. Because, there are zillions of hurdles and every hurdle might be different. We cannot find a single solution for every hurdle but there is a method to solve them. First, we need to remember these are the hurdles that are meant to be conquered but these are not the end. It can be better explained with the game which almost everyone might have played in his/her childhood – “Snakes and Ladders” – the original game “Vykuntapali”(ways to heaven), which depicts vices and virtues using the snake and ladders and shows how it shapes our lives. It can suit our situation, and our lives are simple and complex at the same time. In order to adapt this game to our scenario, we keep some trump cards and rules that are different for each player. Each player has different set of rules. This replicates the differences between genders, and the trump cards are the risks that occur and the snakes and ladders are the threats and opportunities. Now, list out the opportunities and the threats we have, the rules and risks we face and draw your own snake and ladders with these threats, opportunities and start playing. While the dice symbolizes the unpredictability of our future, we do play the game with keen interest. Even if the dice rolls the wrong one we wait for next chance with a hope to hit the right one. We should apply the same in life and never lose hope. The more you get hit, the more you rise. This brings the first rule “Never lose Hope”. Remember you always get a chance to win. Now let us move ahead to the second step that is the most important one. Change your threats into opportunities and remove the rules that are restricting you and make those trump cards into positive risks and play. The game turns interesting and easy. This brings the point that “rules are made by us and can be changed by us”, and turning threats into opportunities brings us the key to the much anticipated success which is women empowerment. I do want to take an example, which shows us the possibility to succeed. One is about a little girl who stood against the gunpoint for her rights, Malala Yousafzai, girl who made it possible in an extremist country. We need to learn that it is not just Malala but also her family that supported her. We need to change the way we raise our kids and we need to change the way we live. It is not just Malala but also many others who turned their opportunities and that made them successful. For example, Arunima Sinha who lost her legs in a train accident stood on the highest peak of the world, becoming first amputee to climb Mount Everest. Finally, the point that I would like to highlight is – The rules are meant for us and they can be breached for a better life with a condition that it doesn’t affect others in a negative way, and the threats will no longer remain the same. Our threats can also be turned into opportunities.
———— ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This article is written by Tandava Lakshman.
