Gender equality. Are we not overdoing it?

In Narva you won't see women with placards rallying for equal rights. It accounts partly for the mentality of people living in the region, and partly for the present economic situation, which urges one to fight for survival, with or without equal rights.

At Narva Youth Center gender equality has always been perceived through everyday activities. Every year summer work camps are organized, where equal criteria apply for girls and boys. The selection system is unified, the number of youngsters belonging to either gender is the same in each unit, the amount of work is given regardless of gender as is the payment at the end of the month.

Having worked with youth for a number of years, one may come to the conclusion that it is important to observe the limits, not to fetch things too far, also in matters concerning gender equality. Boys being raised in single-parent families (mostly by mothers and grandmothers) have no role-models for gentlemanly behaviour and vice versa: girls, who dress beautifully, in a truly woman-like style, are few and far between. Sometimes, it comes to the point when a couple of youths walks hand-on-the-shoulder, looking absolutely identical (jeans, jacket, long hair). It is hard to guess which one of them is a girl! Thus, what we witness today is a clear backlash to the problem: gender equality has lead to obliteration of social and natural roles. It has been scientifically proven that during the first year of life the ties between mother and child are of vital importance for a baby's development. Yet, many women today are ready to sacrifice this link with the baby for the sake of their careers.

In an attempt to eliminate this backlash, a practical solution came up: an optional course for girls was developed and offered to one of the schools in Narva. It is delivered in the form of an informal talk on the issues important to girls: relationships with pals, career planning, self-defense, women's fashion, sexual relations, having and raising children, etc.

Should this pilot course prove successful, a similar course will be drawn up for boys.