5 Instances Of Indian Textbooks Promoting Blatant Sexism

If you thought that sexism existed only at workplaces or public spheres, it is time to get your facts correct. Indian textbooks that are meant to sensitize students about issues that plague the country are promoting blatant sexism unabashedly.

Read on to know 5 such instances that make us wonder the kind of education we are providing our younger generation:

1. Women perceive jobs as stop-gap arrangement until marriage

Women and their outlook towards job

Have you seen ambitious women in your life who want to build an identity not revolving around their marital status? Well, the author of CBSE's Home Science Book hasn't seen any. And that's why he feels that women perceive jobs as stop-gap arrangements until marriage. The author should read about the recent surge in working mothers. Besides exalting boys and demeaning girls, the book is promoting baseless stereotypes hampering their intellectual growth.

2. "Good height" and "good complexion" make good entrepreneurs

Desirable traits of an entrepreneur
Image credits: DNA India

Have you heard of the maxim,"Hard work is the key to success"? This Rajasthan textbook proves this wrong. According to it, one can be a good entrepreneur only when they have a "good height" and "a good complexion". Nowhere does it highlight the pivotal role that skills, knowledge and hard work play in  becoming an entrepreneur. Makes you cringe, doesn't it?

3. Housewives compared to Donkeys

Housewives being compared to donkeys
Image credits: Being Indian

A Hindi textbook from the Rajasthan Education Board draws parallels between donkeys and women. “A donkey is like a woman. It toils all day and sometimes has to give up food and water. In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master." The author here seems to sympathize so much with the donkey that he completely forgot that he is attracting the ire of half the country's population.

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4. Working women cause unemployment in the country

Working women cause unemployment in the country
Image credits: NDTV.com

The fact that more and more women are entering the workforce and moving towards financial independence didn't go down well with the Chhattisgarh Education Department. One of the state's textbooks, meant for 15-year-old students, cites working women as one of the major factors behind the overall unemployment of men in the country. Employed women causing unemployment! Isn't this ridiculous?

5. Ugly women need to pay more dowry to get married

Dowry chapter (Pic by NDTV)

In a country already grappling with its obsession with fairness, a sociology book in the state of Maharastra added fuel to fire by saying that ugly women do not find grooms easily. It further conveyed that men marrying such women demand a lot of dowry. Later, a minister asked the publishers to remove the paragraph.

These examples prove that it is extremely important to supervise the content being studied in schools. We cannot let bizarre facts poison the young generation's minds. Raising a responsible generation sensitive towards gender equality is possible only if they learn the right things with the right references.

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Charvi Is An Intern With SheThePeople.TV