Feminism. Women’s empowerment. Women’s rights. These terms have had a powerful impact on the contemporary society. Being a feminist, it seems, is all the rage today. Gender equality has been a matter of global concern, gaining momentum from movements around the world.

As such, how much progress have these initiatives been able to make, to position different genders on an equal footing? How far has feminism taken us towards transforming the world from a male-dominated one to one where men and women play equal roles?

But for a moment now, let us take our eyes off the big picture and zero in on our very own country.

In Nepal, we have laws meant to protect women’s welfare, which aim to address the long existing unequal treatment of women. Reservation for women in various civil service posts and other work fields have been established. Provision for equal acquisition of parental property has been enforced by law. Similarly, numerous efforts have been made by the government, NGOs and INGOs to create awareness among people regarding the importance of girls’ education. So, with so many people working on gender issues and taking seemingly big steps, are we overlooking the small cases which exemplify the fact that our society still has a long way to go in terms of achieving gender equality?

At home, who is responsible for household chores, cooking and cleaning? Women. At the end of the day, it seems, judgment of a woman is made by the level of her domestication. With the rise of women’s empowerment, she may be allowed to seek out jobs, but having been born a female, the domestic chores continue to remain largely in her “sphere”. And a woman has no right to feel indignant about this whole situation. If she does, more judgments are passed and people say her parents probably didn’t instill good moral values in her. If the husband earns well enough, why should the wife work? This still remains a surprisingly mysterious question in our society. Moreover, imagine the adversity and shame it would bring to the family if the roles of men and women were interchanged and the wife worked and the husband stayed at home.

Women are expected to dress properly and cover themselves entirely whereas men do not face such restrictions. If women party, they are perceived as wayward. If men party, it’s not a big deal. Women are expected to be submissive; while a man’s virility is gauged by his aggression. Seeking out views and opinions of women in even important matters are considered petty; men on the other hand are treated like great thinkers. If a woman chooses to express herself and contradicts to the norms of the society, she is dangerous. If she chooses to live on her own terms and not comply with the guidelines set for a girl, she is immoral. On the other hand, men are not expected to share their feelings. They are supposed to suppress their human feelings and emotions. Women are entitled, even stereotyped, to be emotionally unstable, but men are considered weak if their emotions are discussed.

When will our society be released from such a mindset? When will the society understand that women do jobs, not for other reasons, but simply because they want to and they have a passion for it and their capability enriches the world? When will people be judged as people, not as men and women? When will women and men truly receive equal treatment? Writing laws and preaching big ideas is not enough so long as these ideas are willfully understood and not practiced. Emancipating women from the chains of a constricted and narrow set of thoughts that disable them is very much needed. Let gender not be a barrier to anyone.

Gautam recently completed her high school from St Xavier’s High School