Input 2: Manifestation of Gender Bias

1. Marginalization [Economic]
The process which forces women out into the periphery of economic and
social life, on the periphery of decision-making process as well as diminishing
the value of the activities in which they engage and through which they
contribute to the national development process. The women’s economic
concerns and rights are not given their due importance or recognition. These
are manifested in the following:
- Women are not recognized for their valuable work;
- Women have less access to and control over resources and benefits;
- Women receive unequal pay for work of equal value;
- Last to be hired, first to be fired

2. Subordination [Political]
One sex is inferior to the other; gender subordination is the institutionalized
domination by men of women in the political and social sphere as shown in
the following:
- Position: very few women are in politics and holding top position
- Status: women are considered the weaker sex
- Decision-Making: women are not included in planning and decision
making processes
- Process of socialization: girls learn about the roles society has in store for
them as daughters, sisters, wives and mothers
- Men are considered strong, leaders, owners, they dominate and always
first
 3. Multiple-Burden
Women are involved in the three spheres of work such in their homes doing
reproductive roles, in their workplaces doing productive roles and in the
community doing community management and political roles
- Parenting
- Housework
- Community work
- Work in the public sphere/informal sector

4. Gender Stereotyping
The process of attributing a set of characteristics, roles and traits, favorable
or unfavorable based on sex to all members of a social group. These are
fixed, unquestionable beliefs or images we carry in the back of our minds
about men and women which are transmitted from generation to generation
through the following:
- child rearing
- Religion
- Occupations
- Education
- Language
- Behavior
- Government programs
- Media
- Popular culture

5. Violence Against Women (Annex 1)

These are acts of instilling fear and inflicting pain with the aim to injure, or
abuse a person usually women. The verbal, psychological and physical
forms of violence are:
- Jokes, Wolf-whistles
- Peeking, “chancing” or making sexual passes
- Sexual harassment
- Domestic violence
- Rape
- Prostitution
- Commodification – the act of treating women as a commodity or object
and not as a person

6. Effects on Personhood
- Lack of self-esteem;
- No control over one’s body.

The different forms of gender bias can be summarized in the diagram below. Added
with the cross, it also symbolizes women’s sacrifices by their silent bearing of these
burdens every day. It is also the symbol for female.
 USING COERCION AND THREATS
• Making and/or carrying out threats to do
something to hurt her
• threatening to leave her, to commit suicide,
to report her to welfare
• making her drop charges USING INTIMIDATION
• making her do illegal things • Making her afraid by using looks, actions,
gestures
• smashing things, destroying her properly
USING ECONOMIC ABUSE
• abusing pets, displaying weapons
• preventing her from getting or
keeping a job
• making her ask for money
USING EMOTIONAL ABUSE
• giving her an allowance
• putting her down
• taking her money
• making her feel bad about
• not letting her know about or
herself
have access to family income
• calling her names
• making her think she's
crazy
• playing mind games
• humiliating her
• making her feel guilty
USING MALE PRIVILEGE
• treating her like a servant USING ISOLATION
• making all the big decisions • controlling what she does,
• acting like the “master of the castle who she sees and talks to,
• “being the one to define men's and
what she reads, where she
women's roles
goes
• limiting her outside
USING CHILDREN involvement
• making her feel guilty about the • using jealousy to justify
children actions
• using the children to relay messages
• using visitation to harass her
• threatening to take the children away`
MINIMIZING, DENYING AND BLAMING
• making light of the abuse and not
taking her concerns about it seriously
• saying the abuse didn’t happen
• shifting responsibility for abusive
behavior
• saying she caused it