Gender and Development

Gender Equality and Gender Equality

Theoretical Views on Gender and Development
 Definition of Gender
• The state of being male or female (typical used
with reference to social and cultural differences
than biological ones).feminine/masculine
• Normal disposition and behaviors that culture
assign to each sex.
• The rights and obligations that are normative for
men and women in particular time.
 Definition of Sex
.
•Sex-refers to two biological differentiated
categories(male and female)into which humans and
many other things are divided on the basis of their
reproductive functions
Example:
Female-uterus and breast
Male-penis and beard
 Difference
• Gender between
equality, equality Gender
between men andEquality andthe concept
women, entails
thatInequality
all human beings, both men and women, are free to develop their
personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by
stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. Gender equality means
that the different behavior, aspirations and needs of women and men are
considered, valued and favored equally. It 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 are born male or female. Gender
equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, 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."
• — ABC Of Women Worker's Rights And Gender Equality, ILO, 2000. p. 48.
• Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, is the
state of equal ease of access to resources and
opportunities regardless of gender, including economic
participation and decision-making; and the state of
valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs
equally, regardless of gender.
 Difference between Gender Equality and
Inequality
• Gender inequality is the idea and situation that women and 
men are not equal. Gender inequality refers to unequal
treatment or perceptions of individuals wholly or partly due
to their gender. It arises from differences in socially
constructed gender roles.[1] Gender systems are often 
dichotomous and hierarchical; gender binary systems may
reflect the inequalities that manifest in numerous
dimensions of daily life. Gender inequality stems from
distinctions, whether empirically grounded or socially
constructed.
Theoretical Views on Gender and Development

• Structural Functionalism
• Structural functionalism has provided one of the most important perspectives of sociological research in the
twentieth century and has been a major influence on research in the social sciences, including gender
studies. Viewing the family as the most integral component of society, assumptions about gender roles
within marriage assume a prominent place in this perspective.
• Functionalists argue that gender roles were established well before the pre-industrial era when men
typically took care of responsibilities outside of the home, such as hunting, and women typically took care
of the domestic responsibilities in or around the home. These roles were considered functional because
women were often limited by the physical restraints of pregnancy and nursing and unable to leave the
home for long periods of time. Once established, these roles were passed on to subsequent generations
since they served as an effective means of keeping the family system functioning properly.
• When changes occurred in the social and economic climate of the United States during World War II,
changes in the family structure also occurred. Many women had to assume the role of breadwinner (or
modern hunter-gatherer) alongside their domestic role in order to stabilize a rapidly changing society. When
the men returned from war and wanted to reclaim their jobs, society fell back into a state of imbalance, as
many women did not want to forfeit their wage-earning positions (Hawke 2007).
 Theoretical Views on Gender and Development
• Conflict Theory
• According to conflict theory, society is a struggle for dominance among social groups (like women
versus men) that compete for scarce resources. When sociologists examine gender from this
perspective, we can view men as the dominant group and women as the subordinate group.
According to conflict theory, social problems are created when dominant groups exploit or oppress
subordinate groups. Consider the Women’s Suffrage Movement or the debate over women’s “right
to choose” their reproductive futures. It is difficult for women to rise above men, as dominant group
members create the rules for success and opportunity in society (Farrington and Chertok 1993).
• Friedrich Engels, a German sociologist, studied family structure and gender roles. Engels suggested
that the same owner-worker relationship seen in the labor force is also seen in the household, with
women assuming the role of the proletariat. This is due to women’s dependence on men for the
attainment of wages, which is even worse for women who are entirely dependent upon their
spouses for economic support. Contemporary conflict theorists suggest that when women become
wage earners, they can gain power in the family structure and create more democratic
arrangements in the home, although they may still carry the majority of the domestic burden, as
noted earlier (Rismanand and Johnson-Sumerford 1998).
Theoretical Views on Gender and Development

• Inter-actionist Theory
Inter-actionist theories of gender inequality focus on how inequality is perpetuated by the transmission of
traditional cultural definitions of masculinity and femininity from generation to generation. For example,
learning these definitions influences people's expectations about the types of statuses that women and men
are capable of occupying and the types of roles they are capable of performing. Compared with functionalist
and conflict theories, inter-actionist theories are optimistic as to the prospects of reducing if not eliminating
such inequalities. Since gender roles and division of labor that they support are the products of what each
generation teaches the next generation, we can change them by teaching different gender roles and different
ideas about division of labor. Greater gender equality can be achieved; therefore, without having to wait for
the massive restructuring of society implied by functionalist theories, which process might take several
generations. Neither is it necessary to resort to revolutionary strategy to achieve gender equality as proposed
by such conflict theorists as Marx and Engels.
Theoretical Views on Gender and Development

• Feminist Theory
• Feminist theory is a type of conflict theory that examines inequalities
in gender-related issues. It uses the conflict approach to examine the
maintenance of gender roles and inequalities. Radical feminism, in
particular, considers the role of the family in perpetuating male
dominance. In patriarchal societies, men’s contributions are seen as
more valuable than those of women. Patriarchal perspectives and
arrangements are widespread . As a result, women’s viewpoints tend
to be silenced or marginalized to the point of being discredited or
considered invalid.
•Feminism views the personal experiences of women and men through the
 lens of gender. How we think ofourselves (gender identity), how we act
 (gender roles), and how our sex's social standing (gender stratification) are all rooted in
the operation of our society.
•Basic feminist ideas although people who consider themselves feminist disagre
about many things ,most support five general principles:
1.The importance of change. Feminist thinking is decidedly political, linking ideas to
action. Feminism is critical of
the status quo, advocating change toward social equality for women and men.
2.Expanding human choice. Feminists maintain that cultural conceptions of gender divi
de the
full range of human qualities into two opposing and limited spheres: the female world 
of emotions and cooperation and the male world of rationality and competition. As an
alternative, feminists propose a "reintegration of humanity" by
which each human can develop all human traits.
3.Eliminating gender stratification. Feminism opposes laws and cultural norms that limit the
education, income, and job opportunities of women. For this reason feminists advocate
passage of the Equal Rights Laws.
4.Existing sexual violence. Today's women's movement seeks to eliminate sexual violence
Feminists argue that patriarchy distorts the relationships between women and men ,
encouraging violence against women in
the form of rape, domestic abuse, sexual harassment ,and pornography.
5.Promoting sexual autonomy. Feminists advocate women's control of their sexuality
 and reproduction. Feminists support the free availability of birth control information. Most
feminists also support a women's right to choose whether to bear children or terminate
pregnancy, rather than allowing men ­or husbands, physicians, and legislators ­to control
women's sexuality. Many feminists support the gay people's efforts to overcome the many
barriers they face in a predominantly heterosexual culture.