Introduction to Concepts of

Gender, Sex & sexuality

By Tadesse N.

June 2022

07/03/22
 Learning objectives
At the end of this session the students will be able to:
Explain the basic concepts of gender and sex
Explain the effects of gender on RH and development
Discuss the global efforts and future areas of action
Describe how gender is constructed and maintained

07/03/22 2
 Basic concepts
Difference between sex & gender?

Why to worry about gender issues?

Does gender gap really exist currently?

07/03/22 3
Concepts…
 Sex refers to the biological differences between men
and women

 Visible differences in genitalia.

 Related differences in procreative functions.

 Constant, can not be changed.

07/03/22 4
 Concepts…
Some examples of sex characteristics :
The physiological attributes that identify a person as male or
female
Type of genital organs
Women can menstruate while men cannot
Type of predominant hormones circulating in the body
Ability to produce sperm or ova (eggs)
Ability to give birth and breastfeed children.

07/03/22 5
Concepts…
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors,
activities, and attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women.

Not physically determined.

Socio-economically determined.
Culturally or socially constructed.
Variable, not constant.

07/03/22 6
 Concepts…
Characteristics Of Gender
Relational: Socially Constructed
Hierarchical: Power Relations
Changes: Changes over time
Context: Varies with ethnicity, class, culture, etc.
Institutional: Systemic

07/03/22 7
 Concepts…
Sexuality is about sexual
feelings,
thoughts,
attractions and behaviours towards other people.

 One can find other people physically, sexually or emotionally

attractive, and all those things are a part of your sexuality.

 Sexuality is diverse and personal, and it is an important part

of who you are.

07/03/22 8
Concepts…
Sexual orientation is a term used to describe the pattern of
Emotional,
Romantic or sexual attraction.

Sexual orientation may include attraction to

The same gender (homosexuality),
A gender different than your own (heterosexuality),
Both men and women (bisexuality),
All genders (pansexual), or
Neither (asexuality).

07/03/22 9
Theories of Gender

How do you think individuals learn gender roles & identity?

Theories of gender identity development

1.Biological determinism
2.Sex role socialisation
3.The construction of gender

07/03/22 10
Biological determinism
This explanation of gender is based on the belief that all
differences between men and women result from biology

Assumes that masculine and feminine responses are biologically

determined and pre-programmed.

Boys are rowdy and rough, competitive and motivated; girls

are bitchy, passive, obedient and co-operative.
But this idea of ‘natural’ difference does not explain why
gender behaviour changes over time, from culture to culture,
between classes and within the same individual.
Most importantly it does not explain why all men (and all
women) are not the same.
07/03/22 11
 Sex role socialisation
This asserts that gender behaviour is not innate, but
socially conditioned

Boys and girls learn to be masculine and feminine through

the different social expectations imposed on them by
family and peers.

Individuals have no control over the direction of their lives.

This theory became popular in the 1960s and 70s, but is

limited because it is a deficit model - difference is seen as
deviance

07/03/22 12
 The construction of gender
Men and women are actively involved in constructing their own
gender identities

Young people are put under a range of pressures to acquire the

attributes culturally associated with their sex.

Attempting to make oneself acceptable in gender terms

Thus individuals are active in constructing their own gender

identities, but the options available to them are limited.

They are influenced by the collective practices of institutions such

as school, church, media and family, which construct and
reinforce particular forms of masculinity and femininity

07/03/22 13
Approaches in Gender issues
When do you think the issues of gender come in to the attention
of global leaders?

 Two known approaches

1. Women In Development (WID)

2. Gender Health and Development (GHD)

07/03/22 14
Approaches….
Women in development approach (WID)
Started in the 1970s.

This period experienced a lot of analysis of the roles and

contribution of women in development.

The analysis recognised the roles of women as producers in

addition to reproductive and community management roles.

07/03/22 15
Approaches…
WID grew out of the idea that:
women had been "outside" health and development
processes

In order to integrate them, it was necessary to target efforts

specifically to women that were designed to correct this
situation.

This approach focused on women in isolation, with projects

designed to generate income, improve the nutritional status
of children and control fertility.

07/03/22 16
Approaches…
It was later (around 1985) recognized that, far from being
"outside" the development process, women had always been
an indispensable part of this process.
But they were invisible.
Then it was recognized that women were not the "problem.”

Rather, the problem arose from inequitable gender relations

which relegated women to a disadvantaged and subordinate
position to men
with respect to access to and control of resources that promote
health and development.

07/03/22 17
Approaches…
The new approach, called the "Gender, Health and
Development" (GHD) approach, developed
The GHD holds that:
Inequity in the relations between men and women places one or
the other sex at a disadvantage in terms of access to and control of
the resources needed.

In order to balance these relations, the entire process of promoting

health and development should be looked at through a gender lens.
A gender approach to development can, therefore, better
meet the needs of both men and women and enhance the
well-being of the whole community.

07/03/22 18
Global efforts on gender issues

Before 1970s
ICPD
MDG
SDG

07/03/22 19
Global efforts…
Establishment of The Commission on the Status of
Women (1946)
Formulated guidelines on actions to improve women's
status in the economic, political and social fields

07/03/22 20
 Global efforts…
Universal declaration of human rights (1948)

Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity
and rights…..

Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms …

without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other status.

07/03/22 21
Global efforts…
The first World Conference on Women organized by UN
General assembly and held in Mexico City -(1975)
1975 declared as International Women’s Year
1976-1985 declared as the UN Decade for Women
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women adopted by UN GA (1979)
Described as an International Bill of Rights for Women. 
Article 30: defines discrimination against women and sets
up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination

07/03/22 22
 Global efforts…
Second World Conference on Women was held in Copenhagen
in 1980
Called for stronger national measures to ensure women's
ownership and control of property, and

improvements in women's rights with respect to inheritance,

child custody and loss of nationality
The third world conference on women, Nairobi Kenya-(1985)
the movement for gender equality had true global recognition
described as “The birth of global feminism”.
It broke ground in declaring all issues to be women’s issues.

07/03/22 23
 Global efforts..
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women
(VAW)-(1993)
Article 1: defined violence against women
Article 2: identified what VAW encompass

07/03/22 24
 Global efforts..
ICPD held in Egypt, Cairo (1994)
Remarkable for its clear recognition of the need to empower
women
It underscores the imperative to integrate girls and women into
the mainstream of sustainable development.
It acknowledges that there can be no sustainable human
development without the full and equal participation of women
in all aspects of development

07/03/22 25
Global efforts…
The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing (1995)
Asserted women’s rights as human rights and committed to
specific actions to ensure respect for those rights. 
Fundamental transformation to shift the focus from women to
the concept of gender

07/03/22 26
Global efforts…
The Global millennium summit (2000)
MDG 3: To promote gender equality and empower women
 recognizes that the equal rights and opportunities of women
and men must be assured
acknowledge that gender can have a major impact on
development
calls for an end to disparities between boys and girls at all
levels of education
Addressing gender is of critical importance to every MDG.
Particularly addressing
Child mortality (MDG 4) and
Maternal health (MDG 5)

07/03/22 27
 Global efforts…
SDGs
Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and
promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free,
equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading
to relevant and effective learning outcomes
4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to
quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary
education so that they are ready for primary education
4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to
affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary
education, including university
4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion
of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

07/03/22 28
 Global efforts…
SDGs
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and
girls
5.1. End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls
everywhere
5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls
in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and
sexual and other types of exploitation
5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and
forced marriage and female genital mutilation

07/03/22 29
Efforts in Ethiopia
What efforts do you think has been made in Ethiopia?
Policy?
Program
Mainstreaming?
Leadership positions?

07/03/22 30
 Efforts in Ethiopia
Before the 1974 Revolution,
Women's organized activities were run mainly by non-
governmental
Ethiopian Women's Welfare Association,
The Ethiopian Officer's Wives Association,
The Ethiopian Female Students' Association.
Limited in scope, and only existed in the cities.
Had little or no impact on government policies, laws, regulations
or development programs.

07/03/22 31
 Efforts in Ethiopia...
After 1974,
the Revolutionary Ethiopian Women's Association (REWA) was
established by proclamation
The purpose was the consolidation of the Derg's power.
Promoting the interests of women was not the agenda
No influence on government policies to benefit women
There was little improvement in the lives of Ethiopian women

07/03/22 32
 Efforts in Ethiopia...
Efforts in 1990s
The National Policy on Women formulated in 1993,

Commitment in implementing the policy (Ministry of

women’s Affairs)

Committed to the implementation of

ICPD plan of action (1994)
Beijing plan of action (1995)

07/03/22 33
 Efforts in Ethiopia...
The Federal Constitution of 1995 included adequately
addressing women's concerns

A Plan for Accelerated and Sustained. Development to End

Poverty (PASDEP). (2005/06-2009/10)
Addressed the issues of gender

National Action Plan For Gender equality (NAP-GE) for 2006-

2010 prepared by MoWA

07/03/22 34
How gender affects RH?
Understanding gender provides:
Insights into men’s and women’s behaviour

Relationships and Reproductive decisions

These insights are crucial to communicating with and

serving both men and women effectively

07/03/22 35
 Fr
om
W
O
In M

O ld r s
B

ld
O 5y
Utero

es
Yo

>7
MB

t
Ol ung
(6 d Pre -
TO

5- Puberty
74

es
Fam mun

al
Co
yr

technic
advanc
s)

m
To

ily
Fa
m

s
su ily

&

ce
flu ly
pp

en
in mi
ort

ity
N ea r

fa
Community Puberty
School s
Old approval &
fluence
5 5 -64 yrs) Support re in
( a
l r
n d ss
e
u pee
infl
r
ra l p uen Ea

pe ssu
u
lt ta ce
Ad rly
pre
e n ce
ural

er
Cu ocie
io

ol
Soc

s
cult
influ
od es
re
h o ce
Ad ult n ce
Ad

La
ole

te
d
hoo

s
ng

ce

The Life Cycle

You

nc
lt

In RH
Adu

07/03/22 36
Gender & RH….
Traditional male and female gender roles:
Deter couples from discussing sexual matters
Condone risky sexual behavior
Ultimately contribute to poor reproductive health among
both men and women
Gender has a powerful influence on reproductive decision-
making and behavior
Men are the primary decision-makers about sexual activity,
fertility, and contraceptive use

07/03/22 37
 Inter-linkage between Gender, HIV/AIDS & poverty
 

Poverty &
income
Fuels HIV
transmission inequality
Gender inequality

Increase in
vulnerability Increased
Malnutrition,
worse health status
Dev’t susceptibility

Change in coping Increased in HIV

mechanism transmission
Loss of labor
Economic/ Resource
food/social diversion
07/03/22 crisis 38
 Laws,
Poverty, Gender and Policies,
HIV/AIDS Cycle
Technology

Socio-economic vulnerability leading to high-risk behaviours--

mainly affecting women’s behaviour
Lack of access to adequate nutrition, good hygiene and sanitation
Lack of access to affordable medical care for opportunistic infections
& ARVS
Lower education status and/or access to AIDS information

Low skill labour and housekeeping keep women Inability for women to negotiate safer sex
vulnerable to exploitation and sexual abuse Deepens gender imbalance
Exposure to commercial sex work

POVERTY GENDER
HIV/AIDS
INEQUALITY

Loss of productivity, High Medical Costs,

Increase in the number of orphans and other dependants
leading to child and elderly- headed households
Low national income, reduced national resources for
HIV/AIDS control

Cultural
Practices,
07/03/22 39
Religion
How to improve?
Couple, communication can be a crucial step toward increasing
men’s participation in reproductive health

Communication enables husbands and wives to know each

other’s attitudes toward Maternal health and service use

Communication also can encourage shared decision-making and

more equitable gender roles

Women education: better-educated women can communicate

more easily with their husbands

Policy, program, …..improvement

Gender Mainstreaming
07/03/22 40
Gender Construction
 Gender Construction
For the individual, gender construction starts with
assignment to a sex category on the basis of what the
genitalia look like at birth.

Then babies are dressed or adorned in a way that displays

the category because parents don't want to be constantly
asked whether their baby is a girl or a boy.

A sex category becomes a gender status through naming,

dress, and the use of other gender markers.

07/03/22 42
Gender Construction…
Once a child's gender is evident, others treat those in one
gender differently from those in the other, and the children
respond to the different treatment by feeling different and
behaving differently.

As soon as they can talk, they start to refer to themselves

as members of their gender.
Sex doesn't come into play again until puberty, but by that
time, sexual feelings and desires and practices have been
shaped by gendered norms and expectations.

07/03/22 43
Gender Construction…
Parenting is gendered, with different expectations for
mothers and for fathers, and people of different genders
work at different kinds of jobs.

The work adults do as mothers and fathers and as low-level

workers and high-level bosses, shapes women's and men's
life experiences, and these experiences produce different
feelings, consciousness, relationships, skills - ways of being
that we call feminine or masculine.

All of these processes constitute the social construction of

gender.

07/03/22 44
Gender Construction…
Gender roles are not natural roles: boys and girls are
systematically taught to be different from each other.

Socialization into gender roles begins early in life.

This includes learning to be different in terms of
dress codes
Activities they perform
Kind of game they play
Emotional & intellectual responses

07/03/22 45
Characteristics of gender
construction
1. Gender is “doing”
Girls (Insert: stereotypical girl picture)
Pink
Flower patterns
Barbie Dolls
Toy houses and household goods
Boys (Insert: stereotypical boy picture)
Blue
Camouflage patterns
Military toys and cars
Playing tough and rough

07/03/22 46
Characteristics …
1. Gender is “doing”
We are born sexed, not gendered
“Doing” gender can shape biology
“Doing” gender is inscribed on our bodies
Gender is “doing” difference
Gender is ascribed and achieved
Gender has a material base, rendered in social and cultural
practice

07/03/22 47
Characteristics …
2. Gender is normalised

Gender is so obvious, we don't notice it until it is

“disrupted”:

07/03/22 48
 Characteristics …
3. Gender is positioning
Gender is about more than the individual, it is about the social
institution
“Cult of the individual” – difficult to think of ourselves as
positioned
Subjectivity
Individuals are not passive in these social structures, we
challenge them or we rearticulate them (remember the moving
train?)

07/03/22 49
Characteristics …
4. Gender can be bent
What does “gender bending” tell us about
gender?
Shows us that boundaries:
exist
contain gender
are breach-able
are social

07/03/22 50
Characteristics …

5. Gender as process, stratification and structure

Process – doing, creates difference
Stratification – e.g. gendering of jobs nurse vs. doctor
Structure – division of labour, devaluing of “feminine”
labour

07/03/22 51
 Reading assignment
The ICPD Cairo plan of action: how does it address gender &
right-based approach

Social and cultural context for construction of gender

Gender equity, equality and discrimination at different contexts

07/03/22 52
 Thank You!
07/03/22 53