GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION

Posted on July 1, 2018 by admin

Truth, service, and excellence are three values that Cavite State University
(CvSU) upholds and lives out as an educational institution. CvSU is
renowned for its excellence in the development of individuals with global
perspectives and a moral compass.

Consistent with these values was CvSU’s active involvement in Gender and
Development (GAD) of the Southern Tagalog Agriculture Resources
Research and Development Consortium (STARDDEC). This close
partnership has flourished with the consistent and strategic promotion of
gender equality. Its mission was further strengthened by the university’s
GAD Focal Point System, which was established in 2012.

GAD Influencer
Dr. Neila Cresino, CvSU Director for Gender and Development, stated,
“Gender and Development programs enhance the awareness, knowledge,
and skills. They also change the perceptions, attitudes, and values of
faculty members, employees, students, and external clients.” CvSU was
awarded as the Most Outstanding State University in GAD Implementation
in Calabarzon from 2014 to 2016, which highlighted the fact that the
university is a gender responsive institution.

With Cavite being known as the coffee capital not only in the Calabarzon
area but in the Philippines, CvSU is in a key area as a GAD influencer.
These four major focus points of the GAD lead to programs with
GAD-consistent outputs: higher education services, research and
development services, extension services, and support to operation. The
need for GAD was determined through studies and research about coffee
farming in the area.
Eye-opening Studies
“Gender-based Differentiation among Coffee Growers in Selected Areas in
Cavite—a study by Marvelle R. Atienza, Shimitha Rose B. Ikuta, and Nelia
C. Cresino—revealed that gender differentiation still exists among coffee
growers in Cavite. The study explained: “Women tend to shoulder most of
the reproductive activities while men predominantly perform productive
activities. In community activities, men dominated women in
agriculture-related activities such as agricultural cooperatives, farmer’s
field school, community development programs, and environmental
activities. Women mostly attended the financial and entrepreneurial
programs. Men were more exposed to hazards since they performed the
bulk of the work in the farm. On the other hand, women were more
exposed to biological hazards since they are most likely to attend to sick
members of the family and attend healthcare programs. Moreover, some of
the women also served as barangay healthcare workers, [a designation]
which exposes them to [other health risks].”

Gender and Development programs change the perceptions,

attitudes, and values of faculty members, employees, students,
and external clients. (Dr. Nelia Cresino)

Another study “Influence of Labor Distribution in Coffee Farmers in

Amadeo, Cavite—by Angelique Anne V. Ramos, Gia Antonette A. Sales,
and Willie C. Buclatin—defined the general and farming characteristics of
coffee farmers in the area. It confirmed that there was “a significant
relationship between sex and control over income with regards to labor
distribution.” The study’s findings likewise suggests that control over
income was influenced by the participant’s sex.

The overwhelming results of both studies underscored the importance of

GAD. Research and studies have revealed the gender gap and how
educational institutions, private companies, and the government can work
together to educate one another and, in the future, lessen if not remove
that gap.”
Solid Partnership
PCBI is currently in a partnership with CvSU-GAD. As the coffee business
expert, PCBI provides the orientation on capacity development of coffee
growers and processors on GAD gender analysis and tools, GAD planning
and budgeting, as well as gender mainstreaming and conducting research
on coffee under the GAD perspective.

Aiming for a sustainable gender-equal coffee industry, CvSU’s GAD

department looks forward to continuing the dissemination of GAD
programs, projects, and activities among coffee growers and processors.
CvSU’s GAD development continues to work with the PCBI to give the
industry a globally and morally good cup.