Back to Basics: What Does Gender Equality Mean?

Esha Bahal got to step into the shoes of the British high commissioner for a day thanks to this video on gender equality.

Ben Shenglin

Esha Bahal got to step into the shoes of the British high commissioner for a day thanks to this video on gender equality.

Given India's sex ratio, the declining number of women in the workforce and the fact that India is often considered to be dangerous for women, gender equality – and all the ways in which it does and doesn't manifest itself in our lives – is nearly always in the news.

But, as any policymaker will tell you, figuring out definitions for such terms can be a slippery business. What does gender equality really mean? What do Indian youth, especially individuals who identity as non-binary or trans, mean when they say "gender equality" and what do they expect from society and its institutions?

A short while ago, the British high commission invited young Indians to send in videos explaining what gender equality meant to them. And that's how Amity University's Esha Bahal came to win a chance to be the British high commissioner for a day.

This is the video she made.

Esha Bahal is a political science student who loves debates, analysing public policies, Hannah Gatsby and Trevor Noah. Find her on Instagram @eshabahal and Twitter @BahalEsha

This article went live on October twenty-second, two thousand eighteen, at zero minutes past twelve at night.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.