India & Colombia. Gender Sterotypes.

Unfortunately, it can be said that Gender Stereotypes are a feature many cultures around the world share.  

Colombia and India are not exceptions, gender stereotypes are present even today and its impact on, people's lives is an everyday struggle.

Both India and Colombia are considered very conservative, devoted countries where religion has an important influence on many social matters, as we can see in the first stereotype: "Men are the only ones suitable for positions of power. Women should limit their sphere of influence to the home".

For the most conservative individuals, these precept is law. They even use passages from the holy books to support these arguments. Although India was the second country in the world to elect a female head of state, Indira Gandhi in 1966, she was murdered by members of the Skih religion. She has been the only female prime minister India has ever had. Today's situation is not hopeful, according to The Diplomat Magazine, 9 out of every 10 Indian politicians are men. Likewise in Colombia, women only fill 12% of all political positions. These numbers represent a big disadvantage when it comes to legislation that supports women rights, it reduces their opportunities in many professional fields from sports to business,  and reinforce many other hurtful ideas such as, men's inability to take care of the house or their lack of parenting skills.

Which leads us to the next Gender role stereotype: "Men need to be the head of the house. Not to take care of it, but as a provider at all cost".  Thes stereotype is particularly very dangerous; because it limits men's responsibilities as the money maker part of the family and excludes him of any emotional bonding that can only be formed by interaction with the children and parenting activities. In Colombia, many homes suffer because of this stereotype: Fathers often thinks that because they provide money to their children they are doing their parent job and since they don't participate in any other activities in the house, usually detach themselves from their home and eventually abandon their family. According to Semana Magazine, in Colombia, 53% of the uniparental families are formed by single mothers.   In India, If a man leaves his family they have laws that support his decision and could leave the former wife in a disadvantaged place (because this law allows men to keep the house and other family properties), and the children (if there are any) are left publicly humiliated and repudiated by their father. Only in the metropolitan areas of India like Dheli or Mumbai divorces and single parenting are not seen as a shameful event. 

These two may not be the only gender stereotyped hurting both of these societies but is important to take them down to achieve equality and keep moving forward.