Nepal’s national women’s football team registering their historic triumph against their formidable opponent, India, in a match held on October 27, 2024 will go down in the country’s sports history as one of the most memorable wins ever. The whole country was left awestruck witnessing Nepali female footballers displaying a right balance of aggression, confidence, calmness and composure in this high-voltage match.
The defining moments of this nail-biting match will forever be etched in the memory of Nepali sport lovers, but the moment that seems to have garnered maximum attention is our star footballer, Sabitra Bhandari, striking a winning power pose, whirling her jersey in the air, displaying high physical status of dominance, confidence and aggression. This moment, indeed, deserves to be heralded as revolutionary. The first glance of this epic moment infused a deep sense of pride in every cell of my body as this proudly dismantles gender bias that is deep-rooted in our culture. This image is in stark contrast to traditional gender stereotypes which typecast women as fragile and vulnerable living beings not suited for high pressure, competitive and challenging situations. This victory rather than being treated as an exception should be celebrated for its sheer strength in disrupting the societal norms of typecasting women as mainly suited for care-taking and aid related roles.
History abounds with records of women achieving tremendous feats in almost all sectors. Notwithstanding this, society is still inherently masculine. Traits such as assertiveness, decisiveness, confidence associated with success are typically the one associated with men. In an environment, where success is deeply masculinized, women often feel forced to conform and this creates a double bind, a Goldilock Dilemma. The dilemma in which women abide by traditional gender stereotypes by being communal is often relegated to the sidelines by viewing them as sensitive and warm but not competent or forceful and if they decide to violate these norms by behaving aggressively with masculine traits, they are seen as flaunting social norms. Unfortunately, men are often lauded for exhibiting both these traits.
Youth role models uncover stereotypes
Equating agentic traits with power and communal traits with weakness have long obstructed women’s career advancement. These stereotypes not only put an undue pressure on women to conform, but also suppress their talents and perspectives, causing them to feel inauthentic and unaligned to their career goals. Instead of forcing women to conform, they should be encouraged to let their feminine norm shape their career norms.
It is vital to understand that communal traits which have long been associated with femininity are not a weakness. To be kind, positive, supportive in an environment filled with hate and negativity requires tremendous amounts of strength. Women are kind, compassionate and sensitive and they deeply care about other people and it would be an epic error to sideline these as weakness as in times of trials and crucibles of adversity, these traits can manifest as aggression, unshakable confidence as illustrated by our women’s football team. It’s the love for their country, it’s their belief in each other as fellow mates, it’s their group dynamics and it’s their strategic mindset, which led them to victory against their gigantic opponent.
Make no mistake, this is no small feat. Every time women succeed, they not only carve a niche for themselves, but they also pave a path for numerous others. The world is not merely changed by words, but by deeds and examples. We need more and more women to succeed so that our future generation is anonymous to the term ‘gender inequality.’
Though women have been consistently fighting against societal norms and prejudice, still an uphill struggle lies ahead for them. Instead of normalizing their success, they are often thrown stereotypical questions such as, “how do you manage work and family?”, “don’t you feel guilty for not spending enough time with your family?” - questions which perhaps men rarely face. These are not mere questions but a profound belief that reflects the traditional negative bias of this patriarchal society which consistently, subconsciously, attributes feminine traits as incompatible to success. These questions, in addition to assuming that balancing work and family responsibilities is solely women’s responsibility, also places unnecessary guilt on women, making them feel that they are neglecting their family.
Dismantling this gender bias is both moral as well as strategic imperative. It’s immoral to obscure a woman’s true potential, talent and ambition just because she is a woman. Strategically, society and the country can flourish only when women are not held back by this long-held negative social bias. Research conducted worldwide confirms that organizations with wider gender diversity at senior levels have consistently outperformed those with limited gender diversity. COVID-19 provided a worldwide case study that countries led by women such as New Zealand and Germany succeeded far better in containing the disease compared to those run by men.
It is vital that instead of forcing women to conform to traditional gender stereotypes, they ought to be encouraged to pursue their goals that truly align with their potentials, passions and values. Dismantling gender bias is not about simply violating societal norms, it's about women knowing that opportunity to succeed is not something that is asked but is earned through own hard work and consistent effort. We need to create an environment where a girl born in the bleakest of poverty knows that she is equal and has every opportunity to succeed as a man born in a privileged family.
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