Scholarly Research Paper from the year 2013 in the subject Sociology - Gender Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (School of International Studies), course: Ph.D, language: English, abstract: The socially constructed gender roles which rooted in India's socio structural set up internalizes further the sense of gender inequality or gender bias and accepted it as 'Norm'. This gender inequality manifests across social, economic and political domain of Indian society in form of preference of boy child over a girl child, falling sex ratio, lack of participation of women in decision making process, lack of control of women over power structure in society. This further results in to domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, molestation and may more crimes. There have been many gender equality measures taken place at policy level in order to reduce gender discrimination since independence. However, even after 65 years of independence India is still burning with gender discrimination at all levels. The reason behind this gender bias has been the fact that the gender equality measures are mostly oriented towards women and sought to achieve gender equality through positive action or economic opportunity for women only. This paper therefore, attempts to analyze the new gender equality measure namely the gender-mainstreaming strategy as a way to reduce this gender discrimination. The paper dwells into addressing three questions: How gender-mainstreaming strategy could be a better way to eliminate this gender bias? How is it different from other gender equality measures? and What results it could yield in the process of its implementation? Therefore the objective of the paper is to study how the socially constructed gender roles result into gender discrimination in society and how this discrimination can be removed through bringing changes in mindset of people and society at large with the help of gender-mainstreaming strategy.

Research Paper from the year 2013 in the subject Sociology - Gender Studies, grade: A, Jawaharlal Nehru University (School of International Studies), course: Ph.D, language: English, abstract: The formation of gender identity and consequent gender differences is instilled in the social fabric, reinforced in daily life and is practiced and perpetuated through the process of socialization. This leads to asymmetry and consequent inequality which in a way sanctions male hegemony over gender hierarchy and allows for a male gaze through which women are viewed as an object of gratification; a vulnerable group; a voice less gender; and traditional care-givers. This narrow gaze vis a vis women consequently put the lives of women in jeopardy and expose them to various sexual violence and discrimination in private and public domain. However, enforcement of law has not sufficiently reduced the crisis of sexual violence. The reason behind this being legal consciousness having a narrow value laden gaze in which sexual violence is defined through the same larger framework of patriarchal discourse which considers it to as crime only. This escapes the root cause of sexual violence and intensifies the problem of gender inequality and gender violence in society. This paper therefore, attempts to analyze the ways through which women are viewed through a social gaze which objectify them as modest, tender, and weak and thus justifies their vulnerability in public spaces. It also analyses how the legal consciousness has been influenced by the patriarchal gender discourse and reinforces this social gaze. Therefore, this paper seeks to investigate into new ways which helps in reversing this social gaze by triggering a change in the social mindset at larger level so as to delimit the scope of this social gaze on women. This, the paper holds that the solution lies in reversing and widening the social gaze with respect to gendered space, gender role performance, and conceptual domain of sexua