Femininity Complex in Indian Society and the Role of NEP in Gender Parity

Abstract

In 2015, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao was launched in India, witnessing the alarming drop in the country’s child-sex ratio due to rising female infanticide and dowry cases, encouraging families to change their tabooed mindset towards the existence of girl-child. This study was undertaken to understand the perspective and experience of female students towards education and the requirement of the New Education Policy based on the critical feedback received from an in-depth semi-structured interview of 20 female students (18-28 years) of MGCGV, Chitrakoot, Satna, M.P.  The study aimed to shed light on how education provides existential value, exploring the connection between the education sector and the BBBP scheme, and elaborating on the core reasons for the ineffectiveness of the policy from a psycho-socio-cultural perspective.  The interview results have been divided into five sections which yielded the perception of female students towards the quality of education, failure of the Utilitarian model of education, psychological gaps in the BBBP campaign due to the Masculinity- Femininity complex in Indian society and the potential benefits of NEP in evolving the collective consciousness of Indian society’s psyche through integrative value-based education. In conclusion, the study has aimed to study the femininity complex in Indian society which requires a culturally and spiritually rich educational rectification to eradicate the violence based upon sexism and sow seeds for a society that recognizes the value of a woman for who she is in her mind and soul,  free from crisis based structures that encourage symbolical death of her femininity for survival, providing generous space for her to use her potential, and contribute her part in the development of society fearlessly.