INTRODUCTION TO

GENDER STUDIES
 Important terms

Sex
• The biological characteristics
• It cannot really be changed (at least not without surgery and
hormone treatments, and even so, one’s DNA will still hold the
original unaltered code)
Gender
• Psychological experience of one’s sex
• The social significance of the difference in sex.
• Masculinity and femininity are the usual descriptors of gender,
and they refer to a complex set of characteristics and behaviors
that are prescribed for members of a particular sex category.
• it is an achieved social status.
• In most cases a person’s sex and gender are the same but not
always.
Transgendered
• Person with Gender identity problem
• As one’s biological sex is not congruent with their
psychological sex

Transsexuals
• Person whose sex has been biologically changed
Sexuality
• The behavior in which one is engaged to get sexual pleasure
• To all the feelings and beliefs that are interwoven with sexual
behavior
Sexual
orientation

Heterosexuals Homosexuals Bisexuals

Prefer same
Prefer Prefer same as well as
opposite sex partner other sex
sex partner partners
 Aspects of
Gender

Gender Gender
Identity Roles
Gender Identity
• Subjective experience of being male or female
• Part of personality
• Central component of self concept
• It develops early in life as in infancy i.e. immediately after the
infant is born
• Sometime develops well before birth through ultrasound
imagining new born’s sex is identified and gender identity
begins:
 when parents select a name for baby
 greet new born with their cultural values
Gender Roles
• All of the behaviors that communicate to others the degree to
which we are “masculine” or “feminine”
• The term is defined by our culture
• It is the outward behavioral expression of your gender identity

Dimensions

Masculinity Femininity Androgynity

Masculinity
• Strong
• Independent
• Competitive etc.

Femininity
• Sensitive to others
• Nurturing
• Emotionally expressive etc.
Androgynous
• A person with both masculine and feminine characteristics
• More likely to adapt well to a verity of situations
• More flexible in their approach to life’s demands
Stereotype
• A stereotype is a composite image of characteristics and
expectations pertaining to some group.
• This image is present in the social consciousness, but it is
generally not accurate or is skewed in one or more ways.

Equality
• The condition of being alike in value, having the same
potential for accomplishment, and having the same inherent
worth—in spite of individual differences.
• In other words, even though people are not the same, they can
(and should) be considered and treated as equals.
Patriarchy
• Most of the societies that we know of have tended to be
patriarchal.
• They are based upon an organizing principle that privileges the
males—or the fathers, specifically, from the Latin patrí family
and archós leader—over the females.
• In a patriarchy, power is held by and transferred through men.
This can be through educational and societal restrictions on
women or by laws that favor men.
• Feminists used this concept in early 20th century to explain the
social arrangement of male dominance over women.
Feminism
• Name of a movement that women deserve to be treated as
equal to men.
• Men and women’s awareness of women’s oppression,
subordination, discrimination, marginalization, exploitation in
society as I family, work etc. caused this concept to change
women’s situation.

• This movement says that:

 Through out women have been oppressed by men
 Women have not been given equal opportunities in
employment, education etc.
Ideal
• A concept concerning a role, a position, or a physical image
that contains only the most desirable traits or behaviors.
• It can be a standard of judgment, a goal, or both.
• It can contain ideas that are actually exclusive of each other,
and it is—as a hypothetical concept of perfection—
unobtainable in reality.

Positionality
This concept recognizes that people’s perspectives, their
perceptions of reality, and their actual realities—their truths—are
dependent upon where they are positioned in society.
Misogyny
• The hatred of or hostility toward women. In a society that
subordinates women it is easy to understand that people within
that society would or could hold such beliefs.

Ideologies
• Analysis of cultures in order to study their—the “hidden” as
well as the explicit values that societies and people hold—to
see what people have believed about gender and sex.
 GENDER STUDIES
BASIC CONCEPT
Gender Studies is a field for interdisciplinary study
devoted to gender identity and gendered
representation as central categories of analysis.

This field includes:

• Women studies
• Men’s studies
• LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender )
studies
• Gender studies is a discipline which studies gender and
sexuality in the fields of literature, language, geography,
history, political science, sociology, anthropology, cinema,
media studies, law and medicine.

• It analyzes how race, ethnicity, location, class, nationality and

disability intersect with the categories of gender and sexuality.

• Though different theorists have different views about gender

but according to Simone de Beauvoir “one is not born a
woman, one becomes one.” (See chapter of theories)

• Human life is based on the functions of men and women.

• Gender studies recognizes that gender has to be taken seriously.

• This field recognizes that often within academic disciplines and

also other spheres of society, the perspective that has been
applied has been that of the most powerful and less powerful
people in society.

• Gender studies help to correct the imbalance.

• It looks at the manners in which the norms and patterns of

behavior associated with masculinity and femininity come into
being and why.
• In Gender Studies there is recognition that men and women do
not exist in isolation from their social roles and positions.

• It focuses on that a woman is not only a woman within our

society, she also has a certain class position, caste position,
religious identity, and many more.

• From a gender studies perspective it has been seen that:

 Clothing that is common to both men and women is often
men’s clothing that women also have to adopt. As uniform,
business suits etc.

 This indicates that powerless adopts the powerful’s

characteristics.
• It also studies why and how world has become gendered. It
can be assessed with this statement that we often listen from
others that this subject and that profession is good for girls.
 As nursing is associated with girls.

• Women’s absence from position of power, policy and decision

making has intensified the need for women to establish an
academic platform for their ideologies and thoughts in their
struggle against oppression and subordination.
Gender Role Strain
• Researchers are interested to study the influence of society on
the nature of gender roles.
• A phenomenon that occurs when gender role expectations
have negative consequences for the individual.
• It occurs due to conflict between gender role expectations and
personal desires.
Female gender role strain (By Gillespie and Eisler)

i. Fear of unemotional relationship (feeling pressured to

engage in sexual activity)
ii. Fear of physical unattractiveness (as being overweight)
iii. Fear of victimization (having your car break down on road)
iv. Fear of behaving assertively (Bargaining to buy something)

Male gender role strain

According to Goldberg, Nichols, Tolson and Smith:
• Physical strength kept man from admitting pain or seeking
help for physical problems.
Gender Stereotypes
• They are generalizations about the gender attributes,
differences and the roles of individuals and or groups.
• Though from last three decades people are talking about
gender equality but gender differences are still there. As:
 Female as homemaker
 Male as provider

It is because gender stereotypes are deep-seated in people’s mind

till date.
 Compet
itive

Assertive Rational

Men

Courageous Aggressive
 Compas
sionate

Nurturing Caring

Women

Sympatheti
Loving
c
Sexist Language
• Often we see literature, words, expressions and languages in
which concepts are gender discrimination oriented though
language should be representative of the whole human race
not a single gender. As Neil Armstrong said:
 “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”

Though this sentence should be like this

 That’s one small step for a person, one giant leap for
humankind.
Some other examples are:

 Is not she a beauty?

 Guy talks about his car.

Tips for nonsexist writing

Replace
1. He with she
2. A person should wear his own clothes.
his/her

3. Salesman -------- Salesperson

4. Chairman --------Chairperson
5. Man -------------- Human
Gender Relations
• The ways in which a culture or society defines rights,
responsibilities and identify their roles differently which is not
because of sex but because of socially and culturally endorsed
roles.
• As
 In a family men is taken as decision maker or provider
whereas women as childcare and house maker.

• They are predesigned and biased role related relations.

• Modern life has very much changed.
• Gender roles are mostly influenced by factors like origin,
religion, culture, ideologies etc.
Gender Discrimination
• Unequal treatment with women because of social system
• Starts from conception as after knowing that fetus is girl it is
aborted
• It occurs in patriarchal society where man is on power
• Countries where Feminism is not working women are facing
such discriminations

 Examples are Gender based violence, pre-natal selection,

dowry, physical and sexual harassment.
Empowerment and Gender Equity
• A concept mainly focuses on women’s empowerment
• Redistribution of power in male dominating society
• Women’s movements worked for it to eliminate women
oppression
• Help to aware women to take decision as having power and
control over land, money, water, forest etc.
Gender Mainstreaming
• It is a process of assessing the implications for women and
men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or
programs in all areas.

• It is a strategy for making women’s and men’s concerns and

experiences an integral dimension of the design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and
programs in all political, economic and social spheres so that
women and men benefit equally.
Gender Analysis
• A check on effects of gender relations on development
• How gender inequity for women negatively effects on
economics and other areas.
Difference between Gender and Women Studies

Women Studies
 Done by Women and men
 Views women as subjects and authorities
 Includes women’s opinions
 Studies women the most
 Sees women as different from men but disagrees on how different,
in what ways they are different, and why they are different
 It is an education strategy for change
 It discusses all areas of health, work, education, politics from
women perspective
• In the middle to late 1960s, courses explaining and developing
feminist theory began to be taught on college campuses.
• By 1970, the phrase “Women’s Studies” was applied to them.
• By 1980, over twenty thousand courses were being taught in
that “discipline.”
• Today there are programs at all levels of study—
undergraduate minor, undergraduate major, master’s degree,
doctorate. It even has its own association, the National
Women’s Studies Association, and journal.
• It helps to break down hierarchies to interact collectively than
competitively.
Main Women Studies addresses:
1. Women’s personality
2. Sameness and differences between the terms “Masculinity”
and “Femininity”
3. Female experiences in male dominated society
4. Establishment and improvement of academic discipline
5. Comparison between male society and culture with human
society and culture
• From 1970s Women’s Studies have obtained great recognition.
• From 1989 in Pakistan Women’s divisions and Women’s
Studies in some universities have been seen.
• Pakistani society is also seeking for a neutral society with
respect to our traditions and values.
Gender Studies
• It studies women studies as well.
• Studies impact of gender on all levels of experience
• It discusses men equally as women
• It talks about androgyny
• Women’s Studies programs have been so successful as part of
an intellectual movement that there is now a greater awareness
of the importance of gender in people’s lives.
• Many school have Women’s Studies and/or Gender Studies
programs

“Women and men are more alike than they are different. Men
are not from Mars; women are not from Venus—we are all
from planet Earth.” Michael S. Kimmel
 Multidisciplinary/ Interdisciplinary
Nature of Gender Studies
It studies
• gender identity,
• gender representation
• Women
• Men
• LGBT
• Sexuality
In different fields like history, media, medicine, law, politics etc.
• Different disciplines also view gender differently and oppose
one and another such disciplines include literary theory, drama
theory, film theory, anthropology, sociology, and psychology.

• In politics gender can be viewed as a foundational discourse

that political actors employ in order to position themselves on
a variety of issues.
• Some intellectuals divide gender into three parts to study the
term as:
 Gender identity
 Gender expression
 Sex

• It means gender is studied from social, cultural and biological

perspective.
• Gender studies help to explore how individual’s thought
process is influenced by masculinity and femininity.

• Gender Studies is a discipline purely developed by activists,

by those who perceived gender discrimination, by those who
want to study, identify, analyze and correct social inequalities.
 Autonomy Vs. Integration Debate
in Gender Studies
• From 1979 this debate is going on after the conference of
Women’s Studies Association.
• Women’s Studies provided platform for Gender Studies.
• When Gender Studies talks about autonomy it refers to the
autonomy of women as using the feminist approach and
separates women studies from others like Men’s Studies and
LGBT’s Studies.
• As current trend is of inter-disciplinary fields to study certain
phenomenon so this trend reduced the criticism and strongly
favors the field of Women’s Studies and Gender Studies.
• Women’s Studies is new discipline which needs further
improvement and changes as it cant be autonomous because it is
still too limited in its studies of white, middle class, heterosexual,
young and able women.

• Autonomy refers to separatism which is more radical and favors

women liberation.

• Whereas those who are with integration strategy take into

consideration not only the feminists but also non-feminists as well
because attention of prestigious and influential people is required
to achieve change in this discipline and society.
• Integration is the moderate strategy in its limited focus on
academe and in its acceptance of the slow pace that any real
change always demands.

• Its focuses on multidimensional aspects for change rather than

a single small program focusing on women.
In short
• Supporters of autonomy believe
independent Women’s Studies
programs offer the best means
for generating new knowledge
through the interaction of like-
minded scholars, while
maintaining a critical
perspective of the academy.
• Supporters of integration
believe that two goals are
mutually beneficial in that
women’s studies programs
are strengthened by campus-
wide projects and
involvement, which, in turn,
promote broader change.
• The debate between autonomy and integration
lies in the field’s origins as both an educational
reform and social reform movement.
 Status of Gender Studies in Pakistan
• All material and theories about Gender and Women’s
Studies has been developed in West.
• Pakistani universities have adopted them as almost
the same.
• There is a need to develop such course which covers
Pakistani society’s peculiarities like socio-cultural
context, aspirations, nature and behavior of people,
their beliefs, their values etc.
• Ministry of Women Development, Government of Pakistan
has established “the Centre of Excellence for Women Studies”
in 1989 in five universities of Pakistan.
• University of Karachi offered in 1996 MA in Women’s Studies
for the first time.
• In 2002 center offered M.Phil/Ph.D programs.
• Women’s Studies as side subject is added in BS course as well
in 2007.
Following public sector universities offering Ph. D programs in
Women’s and Gender Studies:
1. The Islamia University of Bahawalpur
2. Quaid - e - Azam University Islamabad
3. Szabist Islamabad
4. University of Sindh Jamshoro,
5. Bahauddin Zakriya University Lahore and Multan
6. University of Punjab Lahore
7. University of Peshawar
8. Women University Islamabad

Private universities and many other educational institutions are also

offering Women’s and Gender Studies.
• From 1991 Pakistan Association for Women’s
Studies (PAWS) have also been found.
• In 1991 workshop on “Women’s Studies” was
held by the center.
• Some of the objectives of PAWS are given
below:
1. To provide a forum for interaction and
coordination for those engaged in teaching,
research or action for women’s studies and
development.
2. To build solidarity among women’s studies
3. To identify, re-examine and develop feminist research from
Pakistani reference.
4. To assist women in developing their own resources for self-
employment.
5. To strengthen the capabilities of Pak women through
training, education, and research activities.
6. To help the individuals for the elimination of discrimination
against women.
7. To promote the interests of women’s studies by organizing
conference, seminar, workshops ,and short courses.
8. To help to connect the women across the world for gender-
sensitive research.
• There is a need to review course and content of Gender and
Women’s Studies with respect to Law and Islam.

• In order to avoid westernization’s label and to make it more

Islamic feminism oriented.

• Need objective research which will help to know about actual

ground realities.
• Islam provides solution to the contemporary challenges and
there is need to bring the feminist thought and struggle in its
paradigm. This would help the women right activists in
gaining immediate and larger support in the society.

• As an underlying concept it should be kept in mind that the

status and respective roles of male and female in the social life
are not the same, but this must not cause anyone to think that
either of the two genders is superior or inferior to the other.
They complement each other and thus two halves make one
whole.