International Women’s Day 2022: How millennials are subverting gender roles and career biases one profession at a time

If you can go back in time and visit your childhood memories, you will remember that all that you thought would come true once you grow up had not been so. Similarly, all that you wanted to be in your growing years couldn’t come true due. Sometimes they were as obsolete as becoming a spiderman, sometimes it involved financial challenges and, most times, it did not align with what the society thinks must be ‘allowed’ for your gender.

At this International Women’s Day let’s take a look at some careers in which people are aligning with #breakthebais and subverting gender roles associated with their career and life goals.

Firefighter

Firefighting is often considered a man’s job due to its life-threatening stunts. But since the appointment of Taaniya Sanyal, by the Airport Authority of India and Harshini Kanhekar, the first woman firefighter in India who took admission in the National Fire Service College in Nagpur in 2002 at the age of 26, women are being considered for the job because intentions and skill sets matter and not gender and the pre-conceived notions that comes with it.

Bus Driver

It was only a few years ago women took to the wheels but was limited to driving personal vehicles. Soon women started driving aircrafts, fighter jets, ships, Trains and now even buses. In an industry predominantly filled with men, more and more women took up steering after the Delhi Transport Corporations hired its first female driver, Venkadarath Saritha in 2015. Now women who are applying for driving posts do not need any prior experience.

Wedding priests and Qazis

A growing number of couples are breaking stereotypes, age old rituals at their wedding. The fort that was held by men all these times is now being claimed by women too. Women priests are qazis are solemnizing weddings, modifying the hymns to choose a gender sensitized path and pitting the bride and groom as equals. Last year Dia Mirza chose a woman priest for her wedding with Vaibhav.

There are also some roles that were considered to be appropriate for women than men are now coming forward and taking charge

Nurse

Women are always associated with the role of caregiver and hence they are mostly preferred for professions like nurse, preschool teacher, babysitter. This mis-understood representation takes away the idea that men can also provide care.

The taboo around men pursuing the profession of a nurse was portrayed through a humorous angle in ‘Dostana’ by Amitabh Bachchan. Representation through. Art has a big role in normalizing unconventional choices. Now male nurses are being recruited at government organisations also.

Kindergarten teacher

Men are seen becoming school teachers, tutors are coaching institutes and colleges, universities but rarely at a kindergarten where you are in-charge of the overall well being of the kid. Men are judged with their nature for such roles. But when children see men singing nursery rhymes, draw pictures, cook, feed, only then they will know, taking care at school or at home is gender-neutral.

Lack of male teachers will increase the chance of missing out on a male role model to look up to at a young age.