The Supreme Court on 16 th August, 2023, Wednesday released a booklet titled ˈHandbook
on Combating Gender Stereotypesˈ. The Handbook aims to assist judges and the legal
community in identifying, understanding and combating stereotypes about women. The
handbook consists of 30 pages.
This booklet contains a glossary of sexually inappropriate words and suggested alternative
words or phrases which can be used in judicial discussions, orders and decisions. Words like
affair, housewife, prostitute, eve teasing cannot be further used in the decisions and
arguments of the Supreme Court.
̎This handbook is being prepared by a committee of three women judges with preconceived
notions about the character, her clothing, sexual history of a woman. These judges include
Justice Prabha Sridevan, Justice Gita Mittal and Professor Jhuma Sen. At the same time, the
committee was chaired by Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of the Calcutta High Court.
Releasing the Handbook, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said that it would make it easier for
judges and lawyers to understand which words are orthodox and how to avoid them.
Woman are neither subservient to men, nor do they need to be subservient to anyone.
The Supreme Court termed several words as ˈwrongˈ due to common stereotypes about
gender roles assigned to men and women, saying that the women are subject to men but on
the contrary this idea is not true. The change is needed as the Constitution guarantees equal
rights to all.
The Supreme Court said that the preconceived notions about a woman are often based on
the way she expresses herself such as her choice of clothing or are made on basis of sexual
history. The reality is that women are capable of verbal communication with others and
their choice of clothing represents a way of expressing themselves.
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