When the world is trying to end discrimination against women and gender inequality, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is supposed to champion the cause, has done the exact opposite. A comprehension passage in the recently conducted CBSE English examination for Class 10 squarely blamed mothers for indiscipline among teenagers. “What people were slow to observe was that the emancipation of the wife destroyed the parent’s authority over the children. The mother did not exemplify the obedience upon which she still tried to insist,” the passage read, adding that wives and mothers are depriving themselves of the means to discipline the children by ‘bringing men down’. The outrageous passage went to say that “it was only by accepting her husband’s sway that she could gain obedience from the young”. In a nutshell, it conveys the message that for children to obey their parents, wives should obey their husbands. It advocates a family system where the husband should be the master of the household, who earns and has authority, while the wife looks after children and does household chores. What message does the CBSE intend to send out to young minds and the society at large through this question? Does it mean women shouldn’t lead an independent life and enjoy equality? Does it mean women shouldn’t get equal opportunity to grow professionally and as a person? The board’s sexist stance goes on to show that gender equality is still a distant dream. It also exposed the existence of male chauvinism among certain population of the country, which has become a stumbling block in addressing the issue of gender inequality.
The CBSE has expressed regret and assured to strengthen the question paper setting process following backlash from various quarters, including in the Parliament but much harm has already been done. The decision to drop the particular question and award full marks to students doesn’t solve the problem. The board should be condemned for making thousands of young boys and girls, who wrote the exams, read the sexist write-up. In a country like India, where inequalities based on gender, caste and class is rampant, especially in rural areas and among the urban poor; where crimes against women like rape, foeticide, infanticide, etc. are high; where misogyny is deeply rooted in the minds of the people, such callous acts can worsen the situation. In the field of education too, girls were and still are discriminated against with many being forced to discontinue studies to support their families, for marriage and other reasons. Talking about gender equality in the absence of equal opportunities is a farce. We can’t achieve gender equality and empower women by pigeonholing their roles in the family, household and society. Children need progressive and not regressive education.