Gender and development

Gender equality is considered a critical element in achieving Decent Work for All Women
and Men, in order to effect social and institutional change that leads to sustainable
development with equity and growth. Gender equality refers to equal rights, responsibilities
and opportunities that all persons should enjoy, regardless of whether one is born male or
female.

In the context of the world of work, equality between women and men includes the following
elements:

1. Equality of opportunity and treatment in employment

2. Equal remuneration for work of equal value
3. Equal access to safe and healthy working environments and to social security
4. Equality in association and collective bargaining
5. Equality in obtaining meaningful career development
6. A balance between work and home life that is fair to both women and men
7. Equal participation in decision-making at all levels

Given that women are usually in a disadvantaged position in the workplace compared to
men, promotion of gender equality implies explicit attention to women’s needs and
perspectives. At the same time, there are also significant negative effects of unequal power
relations and expectations on men and boys due to stereotyping about what it means to be
a male. Instead, both women and men, and boys and girls, should be free to develop their
abilities and make choices – without limitations set by rigid gender roles and prejudices –
based on personal interests and capacities.

The ILO has adopted an integrated approach to gender equality and decent work. This
means working to enhance equal employment opportunities through measures that also aim
to improve women’s access to education, skills training and healthcare – while taking
women’s role in the care economy adequately into account. Examples of these include
implementing measures to help workers balance work and family responsibilities, and
providing workplace incentives for the provision of childcare and parental leave.

http://ilo.org/global/topics/economic-and-social-development/gender-and-
development/lang--en/index.htm
WHAT IS GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT (GAD)?

The Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710) defines Gender and
Development Program (GAD) as the development perspective and process that is
participatory and empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respectful of
human rights, supportive of self-determination and actualization of human potentials. It
seeks to achieve gender equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in
development choices and contends that women are active agents of development, not
just passive recipients of development.

GAD focuses on Gender Mainstreaming or a strategy for:

 making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral

dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies,
programs and projects in all social, political, civil, and economic spheres so that
women and men benefit equally.
 assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including
legislation, policies or programs in all areas and at all level.

HOW GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT STARTED?

Gender and Development was developed in the 1980’s as an alternative to the Women
in Development (WID) approach.

Unlike WID, the GAD approach is not concerned specifically with women, but with the
way in which a society assigns roles, responsibilities, and expectations to both men and
women.

GAD applies gender analysis to uncover the ways in which men and women work
together, presenting results in neutral terms of economics and competence.

GAD focus primarily on two major frameworks, Gender Roles and Social Relations
Analysis. Gender role focus on social construction of identities within the household, it
also reveals the expectations from ‘maleness and femaleness’ in their relative access to
resources. Social relations analysis exposes the social dimensions of hierarchical power
relations imbedded in social institutions; also it’s determining influence on ‘the relative
position of men and women in society. In an attempt to create gender equality,
(denoting women having same opportunities as men, including ability to participate in
the public sphere) GAD policies aim to redefine traditional gender role expectations.

GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT IN PHILIPPINES

Philippine Plan for Gender and Development, 1995-2025, is a National Plan that
addresses, provides and pursues full equality and development for men and women.
Approved and adopted by former President Fidel V. Ramos as Executive No. 273, on
September 8, 1995, it is the successor of the Philippine Development Plan for Women,
1989-1992 adopted by Executive No.  348 of February 17, 1989.

Republic Act No. 9710, otherwise known as the Magna Carta of Women was approved
on August 14, 2009 which mandates non-discriminatory and pro-gender equality and
equity measures to enable women’s participation in the formulation, implementation and
evaluation of policies and plan for national, regional and local development.

A Memorandum Circular No. 2011 – 01 dated October 21, 2011 was released
addressing to all Government Departments including their attached agencies, offices,
bureaus, State Universalities and Colleges (SUCs), Government-Owned and Controlled
Corporations (GOCCs) and all other government instrumentalities as their guidelines
and procedures for the establishment, strengthening and institutionalization of the GAD
Focal Point System (GFPS).

https://djnrmh.doh.gov.ph/index.php/gender-and-development

GAD OVERVIEW

WHAT IS GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT (GAD)

— is a development perspective that recognizes the unequal status and situation of

women and men in society.

— Women and men have different development needs and interests, which is
institutionalized and perpetuated by cultural, social, economic and political norms,
systems and structures.

GOAL OF GAD

— As a development approach, GAD seeks to equalize the status and condition of and

relations between women and men by influencing the process and output of policy-
making, planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation so that
they would deliberately address the gender issues and concerns affecting the full
development of women.

GENDER EQUITY
— Means giving more opportunities to those who have less and those who are
historically and socially disadvantaged based on their needs for them to operate on a
level playing field. “Focusing on the needs of women does not mean discriminating
against men or putting them at a disadvantage”

— UN–CEDAW (United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination Against Women) recognized the need to remove the biases against and
provide special attention to women through affirmative action. It is a temporary
measure that will be discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and
treatment have been achieved.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING

— Is the Philippine government’s strategy for making agencies work for women’s
empowerment and gender equality.

— It is the process of analyzing existing development paradigms, practices, and goals;

assessing the implications for women and men of existing legislation policies, programs,
projects, and mechanisms.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT

— Is a goal of and an essential process for women’s advancement.

— Is a process and condition by which women mobilize to understand, identify, and

overcome gender discrimination and achieve equality.

— Women become agents of development and not just beneficiaries.

— A kind of participation in development that enables women to make decisions based

on their own views and perspective.

— To empower women, access to information, training, technology, market, and credit

is necessary.

https://zrc.pshs.edu.ph/gender-and-development-gad-corner/