Play and fun activities to break gender stereotypes 

Chandigarh, February 16, 2023: The Department of Women's Studies and Development organised a play and many fun activities to break gender stereotypes as part of the ‘I'm Advocating for Gender Equality’ (IMAGE) programme in collaboration with the Consulate General of Canada to India in Chandigarh. Men and boys from various departments took part in activities such as knitting, hopscotch, playing with dolls and button stitching etc. Similarly, women and girls participated in activities traditionally associated with men like flying kites and playing marbles. Alongside many rural traditional activities and games like Pithoo, dog in the pond were organised where everybody irrespective of gender and age participated. The purpose of this event was to challenge the social construction of Gender Roles and to raise awareness about the persistence of gender inequality as well as the importance of unpaid care work. The event ended with a play named SHEESHA at Student Centre, aptly depicting the plight of women because of Gender-based violence in different spheres of society. The play scripted and directed by Hargovind Randhawa and performed by students from different departments of the University ended by raising thought-provoking questions among the audience.