REYES, Jeremae G.

BSBA-FMA4

Reflection Paper: Gender and Development

Gender is an important factor to consider in development. It is a method of examining how

social norms and power structures influence the lives and opportunities available to various
groups of men and women. Globally, women outnumber men in poverty. Gender equality is
viewed as a crucial component in achieving Decent Work for All Women and Men in order to
effect social and institutional change that leads to equitable and long-term development.
Gender equality refers to the equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities that all people
should have regardless of gender.

The topic of Atty. Sandoval's Webinar was Gender and Development. She discussed the various
factors influencing gender in our society, as well as the laws governing gender and
development. While she was talking, I realized how important it is to know these things,
especially now that our society has so much to think about. Gender and Development Program
(GAD) is defined by the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710) as a development
perspective and process that is participatory and empowering, equitable, sustainable, free of
violence, respectful of human rights, supportive of self-determination, and actualization of
human potentials. It aims to achieve gender equality as a fundamental value that should be
reflected in development decisions, and it contends that women are active agents of
development rather than passive recipients. Gender dynamics and relationships change over
the course of a person's life. Age, marriage, number of children, disability, economic resources,
and educational level attained are frequently used to determine household status. Girls,
particularly adolescent girls, frequently have the lowest status in the household, particularly in
societies where families must pay dowry and daughters are sent to live with the husband's
family after marriage. According to recent research, adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to
gender-based discrimination, including sexual violence, forced and early marriage, dropping out
of school, and the risk of death during childbirth. Early marriage and pregnancy can be harmful
to a girl's health and may limit her ability to pursue educational and employment opportunities.
In some cultures, daughters-in-law and unmarried women are regarded as outsiders or burdens
on the family. Widows and married women who have been abandoned by their husbands may
face stigma and a loss of status as well. Families frequently choose to invest in boys as the
family's future earners and caregivers. As a result, boys have a higher status in the household
than girls and have more opportunities for earning money.