Young people, who believe that girls and boys should be given equal opportunities to increase their self-awareness and realize their potential, are united to achieve greater equality. They see the way to overcoming deeply ingrained stereotypes in changes for women and men to have equal access to education and employment, equal distribution of household chores and freedom of choice. 

For 25-year-old Liaman Mamedova, gender equality is a right to free choice - when women and men, regardless of their sex and gender, can make choices of their own. 

[In Kvemo Kartli] there are plenty of stereotypes in terms of gender equality and, unfortunately, majority of them have to deal with restrictions on women's rights. Women are deprived of the opportunity to develop their professional skills. It is desirable for a girl to have a diploma, but it has only a symbolic significance, as it is a precursor to girls getting married easily,” says Liaman.

She adds that according to a widespread belief about the gender roles of men, it is not acceptable for them to cry or express any other physical or emotional weaknesses in public. Likewise, women and sports are considered to be inconsistent and if, for example, a woman pursues football or weightlifting, a lot of questions arise, and there are a lot of misperceptions that lead people to believe that it is wrong and they tend not to encourage it. 

Speaking about widespread stereotypes, 20-year-old Ainur Akhmedova brings an example of a common trend in her village, according to which, girls are not allowed to go out alone in the afternoon or in the evening. Boys can not only go out, but also have the right not to return home, to stay elsewhere, which girls are not allowed to do. 

This is an example of gender inequality; it needs to be changed, but this should start with the change in our families, then around us, in the families of our relatives, in our community, in the region, and then slowly things will change. In this regard, we can be heroes and change our views, attitudes and share our opinions with others,” says Ainur.

Samtskhe-Javakheti also faces similar challenges, where the trend of, for example, a son inheriting all family property still persists. 19-year-old Mariam Nadiradze has become the subject of such attitudes more than once. She has been asked many times why she is so active, as she will eventually have to stay home and take care of her children. 

“Gender equality, I think, is a prerequisite for building a fair environment, and Georgia, as a multicultural and tolerant country, can eradicate discrimination and inequality,” says Mariam and calls on young people “to be active and use every opportunity”, as “something that is seen as a concern for others today might turn out to be a matter of concern for us tomorrow and we might no longer have the power to deal with this alone.”

Alisa Gimishyan, 33, also believes that “change starts with us, and if we want to live in a better environment and live in an environment where everyone can enjoy equal opportunities, then we have to take the first step.” 

Gvantsa Samsonidze, 22, from Samtskhe-Javakheti, is worried of the lack of involvement of fathers in the process of raising their own children in her region. According to her, “often, when we talk about gender equality, we come across cases when gender equality is not properly understood. It would be better if we started practicing it at an early age, because the early years are the foundation upon which attitudes such as inequality are built.” 

Temur Sukashvili, 32, who works as a teacher in two schools in Marneuli, says that gender issues are mostly discussed with children by civics teachers, although there are a few exceptions when teachers of the subjects such as physics, maths or drawing focus on the issues related to gender equality. 

In fact, there should be a joint effort, where all the teachers do their share to solve the problem. Members of the community where I work still perceive gender equality as the effort to empower girls and weaken the role of boys. This is what needs to be emphasized by NGOs and other organizations working in these regions, that it is not about enhancing the role of your wife, mother, sister or female classmate at the expense of reducing that of yours, on the contrary, [it means] your involvement in the household chores and taking responsibility for other tasks.” says Temur.

He advises young people to set goals before starting to act “because without a goal it will prove to be very difficult to bring about a change. I would also say that education, both formal and informal, is important to open the door to opportunity. Moreover, the door to opportunity is open for us and we can do more.” 

The material was prepared within the frames of the programmes “Addressing Gender-biased Sex Selection and Related Harmful Practices in South Caucasus” and “Ending Violence against Women and Girls in Georgia”. 

The programme “Addressing Gender-biased Sex Selection and Related Harmful Practices in South Caucasus” is being funded by the European Union, implemented by UNFPA.

The programme “Ending Violence against Women and Girls in Georgia” is being funded by the European Union, implemented jointly by UN Women and UNFPA.