Celebrated as daughters, mothers and sisters, the girl is lost to these roles and the individual behind these roles takes a backseat.

It is an agony that in a population of such huge proportions, we can barely count the number of women achievers. Why is it? Do we as a society enable every woman to realize her potential? Are we ready to do justice? Listen to her, believe in her capabilities and support her decisions? Consider her to be her own person and not be looked at in relation with or in comparison with the male child or men around her. Re-think the roles which we customarily assume for her?

Many a time we tend to use a gender lens in our world view. We judge a person for her potential only considering at times of her being a girl. This can be restricting, demoralizing and a huge loss of opportunity for many girls as well as what women in Indian society can achieve. To change this we have to trigger a mindset change that will mean each one making any decision that is unbiased and gender neutral.

Can we create a society that makes a gender-neutral decision? That a woman can and should aspire and achieve anything she wants and not be forced to think of Barbie dolls, motherhood, and sacrifice.

Change starts with each one of us, in our minds. Gender bias can be eradicated if we start making small changes in the way we look at the girl child. If assumptions, judgments and notions about her being a girl child do not colour our decisions; her role as daughter, sister, good girl does not allow us to decide for her.

Let us see her as an individual and celebrate the person. The girl child is a human first, an individual with rights. Equal rights.