MODULE 5

GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

SCOPE
A. Gender and Development
B. Gender Equality
C. Gender Stereotype
D. Gender Socialization
E. Gender Sensitivity

A. Gender and Development (GAD)

GAD refers to 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.
-Commission on Population, Philippines

GAD focuses on the socially constructed basis of differences between men and
women and emphasizes the need to challenge existing gender roles and relations. GAD
is not concerned specifically with women, but with the way in which a society assigns
roles, responsibilities and expectations to both women and men. GAD applies gender
analysis to uncover the ways in which men and women work together, presenting
results in neutral terms of economics and efficiency. In an attempt to create gender
equality, (denoting women having same opportunities as men, including ability to
participate in the public sphere.
In the context of the world of work, equality between women and men includes
the following elements (International Labor Organization):
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
 B. Gender Equality

What is Gender Equality?

Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and
opportunities across all sectors of society, including economic participation and
decision-making, and when the different behaviors, aspirations and needs of women
and men are equally valued and favored.

How Do We Measure Gender Equality?

Gender equality is measured by looking at the representation of men and of

women in a range of roles.

Are men and women equal?

Gender Equality vs. Gender Equity

“Gender equality, equality between men and women…does not mean that
women and men have to become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities and
opportunities will not depend on whether they were born male or female. Gender equity
means fairness of treatment for men and women according to their respective needs.
This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but which is considered
equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations, and opportunities.” –United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Sex and Gender

Sex refers to the anatomical and other biological differences between females
and males that are determined at the moment of conception and develop in the womb
and throughout childhood and adolescence.

Gender is a social concept. It refers to the social and cultural differences a

society assigns to people based on their (biological) sex. A related concept, gender
roles, refers to a society’s expectations of people’s behavior and attitudes based on
whether they are females or males.

“An extremely important part of an individual’s identity and one that begins at
least at birth, is gender.” – Dr. Kenneth Cushner, American Professor (Human Diversity
in Education: An Intercultural Approach)

Sex is a biological characteristic; Gender is social characteristic Gender role can

be affected by: race, ethnicity, social class, religion, and geographical region (Crushner,
2012).
Comparison between sex and gender:
Sex Gender
 Categorized as male or female  Masculinity and femininity
 Biological  Socially, culturally and historically
 Fixed at birth determined
 Does not change across time and  Learned through socialization
space  Varies over time and space
 Equally valued  Unequally valued (masculinity as the
norm)

C. Gender Stereotypes

Gender stereotypes can be a result of gender socialization: girls and boys are
expected to act in certain ways that are socialized from birth. Children and adults who
do not conform to gender stereotypes are often ostracized by peers for being different.
A. Gender stereotype. A form of prejudgment, bias or limitation given to roles and
expectations of males and females.
B. While individuals are typically socialized into viewing gender as a masculine-
feminine binary, there are individuals whose gender identity does not align with
their assigned gender, which indicates that the gender binary is not universally
applicable.
C. Individuals are socialized into conceiving of their gender as either masculine
(male) or feminine (female).
D. Sociologists explain through gender socialization why human males and females
behave in different ways: For example, girls learn to do different household
chores than boys; girls learn to bake and clean, and boys learn to mow lawns
and take out garbage. Gender socialization occurs through such diverse means
as parental attitudes, schools, how peers interact with each other, and mass
media.
E. Sometimes gender roles lead to inequality; for example, women's social roles
were once more restricted regarding politics, and United States law prohibited
women from voting. Some researchers believe that biological differences
underlie some behavioral differences between males and females; others
disagree.
F. However, some individuals do not fall into the gender binary. For example,
individuals that identify as transgender have a gender identity that does not
match their assigned sex. For example, they may have been assigned male at
birth because they have a male organ, and a gender identity that is feminine.
G. Individuals that identify as genderqueer have a gender identity that challenges
classifications of masculine and feminine, and may identify as somewhere other
than male and female, in between male and female, a combination of male and
female, or a third (or fourth, or fifth, etc.) gender altogether.

Gender Differentiations in 3 aspects:

1. Social roles
2. Capacities
 3. Traits and characteristics

Gender Stereotype in Social Roles

Men Women
 Provides financially for the family  Takes care of the household and
 Works as managers, construction children
builders, engineers  Works as nurse, teacher, secretary
 Portray as leaders  Portray as followers

Gender Stereotype in Capacities

Men
 good in Math and Science
 Physically strong
 Firm decision-makers
Women
 good in arts and less intellectual
pursuits
 Physically weaker and fragile
 Wishy-washy or fickle minded in
decision-making

Gender Stereotype in Traits and Characteristics

Men Women
 Active  Passive
 Aloof  Loving
 Aggressive  Peaceful
 Independent  Dependent
 Brave  Fearful

D. Gender Socialization

Gender socialization is the process by which individuals are taught how to

socially behave in accordance with their assigned gender, which is assigned at birth
based on their sex phenotype.

Gender socialization is the process of educating and instructing males and

females as to the norms, behaviors, values, and beliefs of group membership as men or
women. Today, it is largely believed that most gender expression differences are
attributed to differences in socialization, rather than genetic and biological factors.

Areas of Gender Socialization

- Family
- Church
- Mass Media
- School
Family

4 processes involved in gender socialization:

1. Manipulation – means that people handle girls and boys differently as infants
Examples:
- Mothers tend to use more physical stimulation on male infants and more verbal
stimulation on female infants.
- Boy babies are tossed in the air.
- Girl babies get more delicate handling.

2. Canalization – means that people direct children’s attention to gender-

appropriate objects
Examples:
- In the choice of toys, boys are given toy cars and machines, girls are given dolls
and tea sets.
- Toys teach children what their prescribed roles in life will be.

3. Verbal Appellation – telling children what they are and what is expected of them
Examples:
- Brave boy, pretty girl.
- Boys don’t cry, girls don’t hit playmates.

4. Activity exposure – familiarizing children to their gender-appropriate tasks

Examples:
- Girls help their mother with housework.
- Boys are encouraged to play outside the house.

Gender-Free Education
1. Shared parenting
- Taking care of the baby
- Helping the children with their homework
- Disciplining the children

2. Shared decision-making
- Family council
- Giving permission to children
- Deciding for the affairs of the children
3. Shared home management
- Fixing the house, cleaning the house
- Doing laundry
- Going to market
- Cooking, preparing the table, washing the dishes
Church

Gender roles in Christianity vary considerably today as they have during the last
two millennia. This is especially true with regards to marriage and ministry.

Mass Media

What are examples of Mass Media?

Ex. Internet, etc.
- Media’s sexualization of young female celebrities
- Marketing of unrealistic beauty standards through fashion magazines
- Video games that promote violence and negative stereotypes.
- Music lyrics and music videos that promote negative stereotypes and violence
- Sex stereotypes in kid`s TV program

School

- Instructional Language
- Classroom Management
- Instructional Materials

1. Instructional Language
The use of generic words to refer to both girls and boys.
Examples:
he, his, man

The use of stereotyped language.

Examples:
freshman …. first year student
mankind …. humanity
fisherman …. fisher folk
chairman …. chairperson

2. Classroom Management
Assigning of groups – (boys and girls together not boys against girls)
Tasks given by teachers
Discipline

3. Instructional Materials
Textbooks
Direct teaching materials
Peripheral teaching materials