CE INST 4 MCE

GENDER
Gender tends to denote the social and cultural role of each sex within a given society. Rather
than being purely assigned by genetics, as sex differences generally are, people often develop their
gender roles in response to their environment.

Male and Female Differences

Gender roles in some societies are more rigid than those in others. The degree of decision-
making and financial responsibility expected of each gender and the time that women or men are
expected to spend on homemaking and rearing children varies between cultures. Within the wider
culture, families too have their norms.
In many societies, men are increasingly taking on roles traditionally seen as belonging to
women, and women are playing the parts previously assigned mostly to men.
In the Philippines, according to the patriarchal system men are traditionally believed to be the
main breadwinners while women are responsible for child bearing. Women are still strongly tied to their
traditional roles as mother, wife, and housekeeper.
Gender role and gender stereotypes are highly fluid and can shift substantially over time.

Hypermasculinity- exaggeration of stereotyped behavior that’s believed to be masculine.

They believe they’re supposed to compete with other men and dominate feminine folks
by being aggressive, worldly, sexually experienced, insensitive, physically imposing,
ambitious and demanding.
Hyperfemininity- exaggeration of stereotyped behavior that’s believed to be feminine.
Hyperfeminine folks exaggerate the qualities they believe to be feminine. This may
include being passive, naïve, sexually inexperienced, soft, flirtatious, graceful, nurturing,
and accepting.

Male’s orientation toward life tends to be outward.

1. Explorative
Every boy and every man is on a quest. He discovers his identity “out there” in the world
where he senses his larger purpose and destiny lie.
2. Determined to “deliver the goods”
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A man places great stock in knowing that he has what it takes to complete the quest and
accomplish the task at hand.
3. Needs to know what’s next
Unlike a woman, he is not inclined to “cuddle” to “savor” meaningful experiences, or to
“linger” in the moment. Generally speaking, he’s anxious to move on to the next thing.
4. Opportunistic
To put it other way, the male is a doer , and in the final analysis, his feelings about what he’s
doing or his reasons for doing it are important to him than the urge and the opportunity to
get it done.
5. Takes chances
To seize and make the most of his opportunities, a boy or a man must be willing to take
chances. Accordingly, a propensity to run a certain degree of risk is fundamental to the male
character.
6. Initiator
All of his presumes a certain willingness and ability to “take the bull by the horns” and make
things happen.
7. Active and aggressive
There is an obvious connection between initiation and active aggression. In light of this, it is
interesting to note that the male brain is two-and –a-half times larger and more vital in the
center devoted to aggression and action than the female brain.
8. Competitive and dominant
Men want the best and will expend incredible energy toward getting it.

A woman’s perspective tends to be more inwardly directed.

1. “Confidently enticing”
Unlike the male, who must go out into the world to find his destiny, the woman possesses
her future within herself. She has a hidden but deep confidence in this.
2. Values intimacy above action
A woman cares more about being than doing, and she finds the reason for her being in
relationship.
3. Wisely (selective) receptive
Though she values relationships above all else, a woman does not enter into them
indiscriminately. She chooses slowly and receives wisely.
4. Seeks security
Because her orientation is inward, toward relationships, nurturing, and “nesting”, the
female of the species puts a premium on safety and security. To a far greater extent than
the male, she values qualities like “dependability” and “trustworthiness” in a potential
mate.
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5. Prefers modesty
A confident woman knows that she possesses something very precious and valuable- the
power of her femininity- and she is driven by an innate desire to protect it. Modesty is
fundamental to her nature.
6. Caring
The female is more naturally inclined to respond to the distressed, the needy, or the hurting
with immediate compassion and care.
7. Uses words
Men talk to communicate information or ideas Women talk to communicate feelings and
thoughts.
8. Desires equity and submission
A woman wants to be a man’s equal, but an equal of a very special kind. At a deep and
fundamental level she has a strong desire to be led, protected and cared for.
9. Wields “soft power” which shapes humanity
Women have the ability to wield great subtle influence in marriage and domestic
relationship.
10. Connecting
The female is wired to connect with others on many different level.

Gender and Religion

Gender equality proponents point out that although women are considered generally more
religious than men, many religions and denominations continue to treat each gender differently,
including:
1. Religions usually are androcentric
2. Some leadership roles still restricted to males
3. In many religions, only men are ordinated
4. Religious traditions, law and cultural factors treat women differently than men
5. Religion provides the structure on how women should live their day-to-day lives
6. God is traditionally portrayed as a masculine figure
7. Sex segregation is still present
8. Stress on modesty is usually focused on women
9. Religious texts and practices are patriarchal
10. Protocols are more strictly applied to woman
11. Women are more regulated than men
12. Women are not part of the decision-making machinery
13. Proponents indicate that although women have overcome barriers in various spheres, religion
seems to be the hardest nut to crack.

Gender Identity
Gender identity is how a person feels and who they know them self to be when it comes to their
gender.
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Different gender identities

1. Male
2. Female
3. Transgender
4. Gender neutral
5. Agender
6. Pangender
7. Genderqueer
8. Two-spirit
9. Third gender

Struggles for Gender Equity

Balance, while important to all, is particularly relevant to women who- much more so than their
male colleagues- are often expected to strike a balance between career building and homemaking,
between bringing home a paycheck and bringing up the children, and even between compassion and
ambition.
In the pursuit of achieving gender equality, the focus has often been on women: how to remove
barriers for the inclusion of women, how to empower women, how to ensure that women gain access to
health, economic, educational, and other opportunities. Since inequities are often created by unequal
power dynamics between men and women, efforts that shift those dynamics encourage behavior
change, and engage men and boys as allies, are central to making progress on Sustainable Development
Goal 5: Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

GENDER ACTIVITY 1.

Fill-out the two columns below. Your answers should be in Philippine settings.

Patriarchal System in work Advantages Disadvantages

sector/ leadership
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Patriarchal System in social Advantages Disadvantages

privilege
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

GENDER ACTIVITY 2.

IDENTIFYING AND ANALYZING TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES IN THE WORKPLACE.

A. Fill out checklist, matching jobs and careers to 'Male,' 'Female,' or 'Both' by circling the correct
response.
FEMALE/MALE OCCUPATION CHECKLIST

Check whether you believe it is a male's occupation, female's occupation, or both.

JOBS GENDER
1. President of the Philippines M F Both
2. Secretary M F Both
3. Elementary teacher M F Both
4. Machinist M F Both
5. Cashier M F Both

B. Why do you think the job matches your answers (the gender you encircled). Justify.
Example: Hair stylist, If you encircle the gender “M” (above), then why?. If you encircled the gender
“F” (above) then answer why also. And if you encircled the gender “Both” (above) then tell why?

1. President of the Philippines

2. Secretary
3. Elementary teacher
4. Machinist
5. Cashier

C. Create graphs of the occupations listed above to show percentage of:

a. male and female employees;
b. wages for each gender, and
c. your prescribed highest level of education for each gender.
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GENDER ACTIVITY 3.

Search for the celebrities Ian Angelo King and Joey Mead and answer the questions below in essay form.

1. To what gender identity do they belong? Justify.

2. Do you think there are still (at present) some Male’s orientations of Mr. Ian Angelo King towards
life, if there what are those? Justify.
3. What are the obvious woman’s orientations of Ms. Joey Mead towards life? Justify.
4. Is there a gender equity to both of them?