GE 11: Gender and Society

GENDER - refers to culturally/ socially constructed differences between females and males. Or:
Belief with practices of feminity and masculinity.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE: Violence against women based on their perceived subordinate

status (e.g.) physical abuse, sexual assault, psychological abuse, trafficking)

GENDER EQUALITY: Equal power and opportunities for men and women

Gender Inequality is an obstacle for economic progress and the human development because it
creates crimes against women. Violence, femicide (mass killing of women), rape (war rape),
honour killing, misogynistic violence, female genital mutilation, sex selective abortion, human
trafficking and sexual exploitations.

GENDER GAP: Discrepancy between men and women in the areas of health, education, political
empowerment, and economic empowerment.

GENDER ROLES are roles which are classified by sex, where this classification is social, and
not biological. For example, if child-rearing is classified as a female role, it is a female gender
role, not a female sex role since child-rearing can be done by men or women.

SEX ROLES may therefore be contrasted with gender roles, since sex roles refer to an
occupation or biological function for which a necessary qualification is to belong to one
particular sex category. For example, pregnancy is a female sex role because only members of
the female sex may bear children.

GENDER ROLE STEREOTYPING is the constant portrayal, such as in the media or in books,
of women and me occupying social roles according to the tradition gender division of labour in
a particular society. Such gender role stereotyping works to support and reinforce the
traditional gender division of labour by portraying it as “normal” and “natural”.

GENDER DISCRIMINATION means to give differential treatment to individuals on the grounds

of their gender. In many societies, this involves systematic and structural discrimination against
women in the distribution of income, access to resources, and participation in decision making.

GENDER ISSUES arise where an instance of gender inequality is recognized as undesirable, or

unjust.
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GENDER DIVISION OF LABOUR means an overall societal pattern where women are allotted
one set of gender roles, and men allotted another set. Unequal gender division of labour refers
to a gender division of labour where there is an unequal gender division of reward.
Discrimination against women in this sense means that women get most of the burden of
labour, and most of the unpaid labour, but men collect most of the income and rewards
resulting from the labour. In many countries the most obvious pattern in the gender division of
labour is that women are mostly confines to unpaid domestic work and unpaid food
production, whereas men dominate in cash crop production and wage employment.
GENDER SENSITIVITY is the ability to recognize gender issues, and especially the ability to
recognize women’s different perceptions and interests arising from their different social
location and different gender roles. Gender sensitivity is often used to mean the same as
gender awareness, although gender awareness can also mean the extra ability to recognize
gender issues which remain “hidden” from those with a more conventional point of view. But
here we define gender sensitivity as the beginning of gender awareness, where the latter is
more analytical, more critical and more “questioning” of gender disparities.

GENDER AWARENESSmeans the ability to respond to problems arising from gender inequality
and discrimination, even if these are not very evident on the surface, or are “hidden”—i.e are
not part of the general or commonly accepted explanation of what and where the problem lies.
In other words, gender awareness means a high level of gender conscientisation.

GENDER ANALYSIS means a close examination of a problem or situation in order to identify

the gender issues. The Women’s Equality and Empowerment Framework provides a way of
unpacking the different aspects of gender issues in the development process, in order to make
them more visible and easily recognizable. Gender analysis of a development programme
involves identifying the gender issues within the problem which is being addressed and in the
obstacles to progress, so that these issues cn be addressed in all aspects of programme – in the
project objectives, in the choice of intervention and in the methods of programme
implementation.

Sex and Gender Role

SEXUALITY- central aspect of being human throughout life and includes gender identities, roles
and sexual orientation.

HUMAN SEXUALITY- the way in which we experience ourselves as sexual beings. It is an integral
part of our personality.

ACTUAL GENDER- is the main factor that develop our sexuality.

BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS- deals with human reproduction and the physical means which carry it
out, it is the aspect of sexuality, heredity and hormones and gender.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS- focus on psychological influences that affect social behavior.

EMOTION- deals with intense emotions associated with social bonds.

PHYSICAL- Physiological, sociological psychological aspect of human behavior.

SEX- Biological and anatomical differences between man and woman. Including the primary sex
and the secondary sex.