GENDER AND

SOCIETY
GE EL 2

Instr. Clydee E. Villosa

 Module 1
Introduction to Gender
 GENDER
◦A social construct specifying the
socially and culturally prescribed
roles that men and women are to
have.
◦It changes over time.
◦It is what we expect men and
women do and behave.
◦Range of characteristics pertaining
to and differentiating between,
masculinity and femininity.
◦Sexologist John Money introduced
the terminological distinction
between biological sex and gender
as a role in 1955.
◦WHO (World Health Organization)-
defines gender as the result of
socially constructed ideas about the
behaviour, actions, roles, and
relationships of and between groups
of women and men.
◦It varies from society to society
and it can be changed.
 History of the
concept
◦The concept of gender in the
modern sense, is a recent
invention in human history.
◦Being a malleable cultural
construct in the 1950s and 1960s.
◦In a bibliography of
12,000 reference on
marriage and family from
1900-1964, the term
gender does not even
emerge once.
◦Analysis of more than 30
million academic article titles
from 1945-2001 showed that the
uses of term “gender”
outnumbered uses of “sex” in
the social sciences, arts and
humanities.
◦It was in 1970s that feminists
scholars adopted the term gender
as way of distinguishing “socially
constructed male-female
differences (gender) from
“biologically determined” aspect”
(sex).
 Why we use gender rather
than the word sex?

◦To avoid the connotation

of “copulation” as
according to David
Haig.
 Sex…
◦Historically- the terms
“sex” and “gender” has
been used interchangeably.
◦Refers to the biological
differences between males
and females, such as the
genetalia and genetic
differences.
Gender
vs.
sex
 Sex Gender

• Categorized as • Masculinity and

male or female Femininity
• Socially, culturally and
• Biological historically determined
• Fixed at birth • Learned through
• Does not change socialization
• Varies overtime and
across time and
space
space • Unequally valued
• Equally valued (masculinity as the norm)
 GENDER IDENTITY
◦Personal identification with a
particular gender and gender
role in the society.
 Social identity
◦Refers to the common
identification with a collectively
or social category that creates a
common culture among
participants that are concerned.
 According to Identification Theory..

◦Inter-group relationships
impact significantly
individual’s self-perception
and behaviours.
◦Group of people- provide
members with the
definition of who they
are and how they should
behave within their social
sphere.
Gender role
 Gender role is…
◦ Actions or responses that may reveal
their status as a boy, man, girl, or woman,
respectively.
◦ Includes clothing, speech patterns,
movement, occupations, and other factors
not limited to biological sex.
According to taxonomic
approaches…
◦Gender is a vast orchestration of
subtle mediations between
oneself and others rather than a
private cause behind manifest
behaviours.
Gender equality
 Gender equality is…
◦Equality of the sexes, a state of
equal ease of access to resources
and opportunities regardless of
gender, including economic
participation and decision-
making.
 Furthermore…
◦A state of valuing different
behaviours, aspirations and
needs equally, regardless of
gender.
◦Gender equality is
strongly tied to
women’s rights, and
often requires policy
changes.
 According to UNICEF…
◦Gender equality “means that women
and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the
same rights, resources, opportunities
and protections. It does not requires
that girls and boys, or women and men,
be the same, or that they be treated
exactly alike.
Gender Inequality
Gender inequality…
◦Is an idea that men and
women are not equal and
that gender affects an
individual’s living
experience.
Examples of Gender Inequalities…

◦Gender biased in EDUCATION

◦Sexual violence
◦Unrecognized domestic work
◦Child Marriage- accrdg. to
UNICEF more than 700 million
women were married before
they turned 18. around 250
million of them were married
before the age of 15.
Gender Equity
Gender equity is…
◦Those who have greater
need regardless of gender
shall be provided with
more resources.
◦Equity leads to
equality…
 Gender
mainstreaming
 Gender mainstreaming is…
◦Set of processes and strategies to
integrates women’s concerns and
experiences in the design,
implementation, monitoring, and
evaluation of policies, programs, in all
political, and economics of the
government.
Gender perspective
 Gender perspective…
◦Focuses particularly on gender-based
differences in status and power, and
considers how such discrimination
shapes the immediate needs, as well as
the long-term interests, of women and
men.
socialization
 Socialization is…
◦Process by which social norms,
roles, and expectations are learned
and internalized.
◦In sociology, socialization is the
process of internalizing the norms
and ideologies of society.
Gender socialization
 Gender socialization…

◦Process by which norms and

expectations about gender are learned
by women and men.
◦Individuals are taught how to socially
behave in according to assigned gender,
which is assigned based on their sex
phenotype.
 Additionally…
◦It is the process of educating
and instructing males and
females as to the norms,
behaviours, values, and beliefs of
group membership as men or
women.
Gender stereotypes
Gender stereotypes…
◦Can be a result of gender
socialization: girls and boys are
expected to act in certain ways
that are socialized from birth.
Additionally…
◦Gender stereotypes is a form
of prejudgement, bias or
limitation given to roles and
expectations of males and
females.
1.Gender stereotypes in social
roles
MEN
Provides WOMEN
financially for the Takes care of the
family house and children
Works as
Works as nurse,
managers,
construction teacher, secretary
builders, engineers Portrayed as
Portrayed as followers
leaders
2. Gender stereotypes in
capacities

WOMEN
MEN
• Good in arts and
◦ Good in math and less intellectual
science pursuits
◦ Physically strong • Physically weaker
◦ Firm decision and fragile
maker
GENDER STEREOTYPES IN TRAITS AND
CHARACTERISTICS

MEN WOMEN
• Passive
◦ Active
• Loving
◦ Aloof • Peaceful
◦ Aggressive • Dependent
◦ Independent • fearful
◦ brave
 Areas of
socialization
◦Family
◦Church
◦Mass media
◦School
END OF LESSON
1!