In last week’s edition of The Spectator, we published a fea­ture with the headline “Tackling gender discrimination …Give boys, girls equal opportunity to thrive.”

The writer voiced concern about how gender inequality prevents boys and girls from having equal opportunities to survive and thrive, which restricts their potential.

On the other hand, both boys and girls will realise their full po­tential and succeed in their varied endeavours if they are given equal opportunity.

The expression “a woman’s place is in the kitchen,” which once applied to women only as domestic helpers and frequently with inferior privileges to males, is no longer applicable.

These days, women are thriv­ing in the workforce and taking on leadership positions in a variety of industries to aid in the development of the country.

It is estimated by an interna­tional organisation called Save the Children that attaining gender equality will take more than 200 years. This is unacceptable and more needs to be done to promote gender equality.

For this reason, we must step up our efforts to raise public aware­ness of the need to remove all obstacles standing in the way of both boys’ and girls’ proper devel­opment.

From an early age, girls are typically expected to carry out household tasks with the intention of preparing them for marriage, parenthood, and future childbear­ing, whereas boys are typically encouraged to attend school and obtain an education in order to prepare for the workforce.

The Spectator is of the view that distributing home tasks equally can alter behaviour patterns for future generations. Over time, this will greatly improve women’s access to resources and opportunities.

Experts say that limiting a child’s activities because of their biological sex can stunt their devel­opment. Similarly, when children’s play is limited to what is expected of their gender, they miss out on important skill development.

In order for children to develop their talents and realise their full potential, we think they should be able to play with any toy they de­sire and participate in any sport.

There is a proverb in our com­munity that states, “A man does not cry,” but what if he does? In actu­ality, regardless of gender, we need to support our children in express­ing their sentiments and emotions.

Together, we need to spread the word about these issues and grad­ually persuade people to refrain from using certain expressions and phrases that have become com­monplace over time and negatively affect society.

Children are keen observers and absorb what they see and hear in society therefore parents must talk to their children about gender stereotypes to help them develop more positive thought processes.

The bottom line is that equal opportunities for boys and girls are necessary for them to reach their full potential and make valuable contributions to the growth of the country.