E-Paper
Boys joining women?s study courses: Professor
WHO SAYS Women?s Studies course are meant for girls alone? This is a wrong notion as there is no basis for holding such a view. At Jawaharlal Nehru University, one-third of students in this course belongs to the boys! They take a keen interest in the subject and also believe that the subject has the potential to bring in social change.
WHO SAYS Women’s Studies course are meant for girls alone?
This is a wrong notion as there is no basis for holding such a view. At Jawaharlal Nehru University, one-third of students in this course belongs to the boys! They take a keen interest in the subject and also believe that the subject has the potential to bring in social change.
Says Dr Mary E John, professor in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and director for Centre for Women’s Development Studies, New Delhi. She said: “These days a lot many students, including boys are getting attracted to this course as they reckon that the subject would make a difference to their life and in their career as well.”
“This interdisciplinary subject is an instrument to bring about a social change and is responsible for bringing in the concept of women’s perspective in every other discipline. I’m extremely happy that boys are gradually developing a special liking for the subject and this is a good sign,” John said while talking to press at Lucknow University (LU) on Friday.
She says teaching for this subject needs to start as early as from Class 10+2.
This would help students understand the essence of this subject. “Mere establishment of Women’s Studies centre is not enough. The course of curriculum also needs to be made gender sensitive,” she said.
Even at JNU, which is considered as such a prestigious university, course curriculum are quite uneven. Hence a lot depends on how teachers teach in the class. She was not happy to see the sensitivity of agencies like the UGC towards Women’s Studies centres holds the key. The UGC may boast of having established about 66 women studies centre across the country but they really need to backed up with adequate infrastructures.
The UGC needs to take up these centres more seriously and create full-fledged teaching posts. But, she is not happy as top positions in Women’s Studies Centres in most places are honorary. John is extremely satisfied to see the progress of this subject ever since the first research center for Women’s Studies came into being at SNDT University in Mumbai somewhere in 1974.
The credit of highlighting women violence goes to this subject. Thereafter it found a place in Social Sciences. Prior to that the concept of raising issues pertaining to violence against women never found a place in any stream. But since 1974 the subject has grown up and the content has undergone a sea change.
