A two-day conference on ‘Developmental Imperatives: the role of gender’ began on Saturday morning at the Doon University. It was inaugurated by Dr Gita Bamezai, Head of Department (Communication Research), IIMC, New Delhi.
Prof VK Jain, Vice Chancellor of Doon University and Dr BM Harbola were present on the occasion. Dr Prachi Pathak, Convenor of the Conference introduced the topic, by saying that gender issues were intertwined with social, political, economic and environmental spheres of any country and needed to be discussed at the international and national levels. Prof Jain said that it was more than a seminar and referred to the wider role of gender connotation in the developmental process. He said that the need of the hour was to bring out the true socio-economic empowerment of women of the country, across regions and classes which requires active participation of all stakeholders in sharing their experiences.
Dr Gita Bamezai emphasised the role of gender in the context of development. She said development is based on the coexistence of both men and women. She appreciated the concept of the conference, especially the role and status of women in different walks of life including personal and professional fronts. She mentioned that the gender equality is a step of development and should be taken from the home itself which demands the equality of women at her own home.
Dr Bamezai said that the portrayal of women should not only be limited to glamour rather it should be real life portrayal. She said gender difference can be eradicated when each of us follow a designated role and recognise the gendered nature of social relations, and work on immediate environment. She expressed concern over sexual harassment of women across different spaces including their workplace and home. She mentioned cases like Nirbhaya, Bhanwari Devi and Vishaka Case (1992) to highlight the present state of women in the country.
Registrar Dr BM Harbola gave the vote of thanks. The session for paper presentation started after the vote of thanks note where the member on the Chair for the very first session was Dr Gita Bamezai, followed by Vibha Malhotra, Prof Qamar Jahan for the first day. Various experts, academicians and research scholars from different universities participated and presented papers on themes like gender and entrepreneurship, gender and environment, gender and governance and gender, and violence.