GENDER RELATIONS, POWER AND

STEREOTYPES: UNDERSTANDING
THE WORK PLACE ENVIRONMENT
By:
Prof. Halimu S. Shauri, PhD
Chair-Social Sciences
 Gender
• ‘the relations between men and women, both
perceptual and material, based on attitudes,
feelings, and behaviors that a given culture
associates with a person’s biological sex.
• not determined biologically but constructed
socially.
• A central organizing principle of societies, and often
governs the processes of production and
reproduction, consumption and distribution’ (FAO,
1997).
• often misunderstood as being the promotion of
women only.
 Gender perceptions
• How individuals are classified as either male,
female or transgendered based on physical cues
such as genitalia, facial hair and body structure.
• At birth, this determination is made upon observing
the genitalia of a newborn.
• Societal norms, in particular, play a role in how a
person views his or her own gender, as well as how
his or her gender is perceived by others.
• Newborn girls and boys are dressed in different
colors and styles of clothing, given different toys to
play with as they begin to grow and develop.
• At work, the “ultimate powers that be” are men,
and the culture favors men on the issues driving the
organization.
• Men are unlikely to be the target of sexual
harassment at work, sexually motivated attacks in
public or domestic violence at home. As such,
personal safety is not a daily concern for them, as it
is for many women.
• At work men earn more than women in the same
job function and receive more opportunities for
advancement than women colleagues.
• No man is averagely expected to change their
name at the time of marriage.
 Gender stereotypes
•Oversimplified notions about the attitudes, traits, or
behavior patterns of women or men .
•Form the basis of sexism, or the prejudiced beliefs
that value one sex over another.

A "Man's Place" and a "Woman's Place" - In all of

history, there's been a "man's world" and a "woman's
world," and never the twain shall meet.
•Acceptance of gender-stereotyped roles as normal
behaviors, with boys being rewarded for assertive
behavior, uniqueness, and risk-taking, and girls for
nurturing, conformity, and placing others' needs
before their own, renders women invisible.
 Gender relations
•Social and economic relationships that exist in any
family, community, workplace or society between males
and females.
•Influences people’s ability to freely decide, influence,
control, enforce, and engage in collective actions.
•Affects how both men and women relate- leads to more
physical violence, confrontation.
•Women are taught how to be ‘’feminine’’ and men are
taught to be ‘’masculine’’.
•These are learned attributes and can be changed when
both men and women start to understand this and how it
came to be widely practiced in their society.
• Exclusion from certain roles (such as leadership and
decision making); the view that women are inferior
to men; the view that it is okay for men to discipline
women; and that women’s work is less valuable
and less important than men’s work.
• Women are assumed to be the problem
themselves- are seen as backward, poor, illiterate,
ignorant and powerless.
• Gender relations are the real problem, not women
because- determine whether women will be
educated, have equal opportunities and how much
power they have.
• Sexual division of labor, at a societal level, divides
women and men into gender specific occupations
where women are assigned to unequal, lower
paying positions.
• At the institutional level, women are often assigned
to do “women’s work”, uncompensated
responsibilities, that favors men over women,
which has a profound implication on women’s
health and economic well-being
• Is the glass ceiling been broken?
• Is It a compliment to Call a Female “A Chick”?
 Gender and the Constitution
• The Constitution of Kenya 2010 (CoK) recognizes
women, youth, persons with disabilities and ethnic
minorities as special groups deserving of
constitutional protection.
• Article 81 (b) -not more than two-thirds of the
members of elective public bodies shall be of the
same gender.
• Article 27 obligates the government to develop and
pass policies and laws, including affirmative action
programs and policies to address the past
discrimination against women
• Though many studies have recognized the benefits
of empowering women, it is important to realize
that, in some societies, empowering women may
actually lead to increased domestic violence and
family tensions.

Way forward : Gender Diversity

• The equal treatment and acceptance of both males
and females in an organization –Social Justice and
Equity.
• Always target a strength so that it empowers
rather than humiliates the target.