LESSON 28 GENDER AND OTHER

CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES
(EDUCATION, GENERAL HEALTH,
MENTAL HEALTH)
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. discuss how and why gender lens is necessary in

understanding other social issues and

2. show appreciation of the intersectionality between gender,

education, and health (especially mental health)
Definition of Terms:
• Social services-services that are necessary for individuals
and families to maintain social functioning and achieve their
utmost potentials.
• Education-process of teaching and learning, and related
activities geared towards making this process organized,
effective, and responsd to people's needs.
• Health-sense of well-being; absence of disease.
• Mental Health - sense of mental well-being which allows
achievement of human potentials through positive coping.
 In earlier discussions, it has been noted that laws provide
for equity among people of all genders. In principle, humans
regardless of genders have basic human rights emerging
from their intrinsic human dignity. Practically, these rights
are translated into programs, projects, and services that are
made accessible to us, for the purpose of satisfying our
basic needs and for achieving our highest potentials.
 Regardless of gender, we have seen that people are
capable of making something of creating, of making
responsible choices, of developing. This capability is
promoted by resources we have access to. The State has a
role in making sure that we people receive the services we
need and deserve.
 Regardless of gender, we have seen that people are
capable of making something of creating, of making
responsible choices, of developing. This capability is
promoted by resources we have access to. The State has a
role in making sure that we people receive the services we
need and deserve.

Two of the primary needs of individuals are: (a) access

to education, and (b) access to health services.
 GENDER AND EDUCATION
The UNICEF (2011) report on adolescence show that while there is already an
increase in access to education for all genders, there remains to be many girls and
women who are unable to go to school. However, interesting trends can be observed
from the 2013 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS).
This study showed that there are more males (4.6 in a 1000) children aged 6 to 14
who are able to attend school compared to females (2.4 in a 1000). However, for
people aged 15 to 24, there are actually more females (24 in a 1000) who are able to
go to school compared to males (11.2 in a 1000) (Philippines Statistics Authority
2015). This may mean that while there are more males who are able to receive basic
education, there are more females who are able to proceed to higher education.
 Practically, this only shows that interventions towards
making education accessible to women and men may also
differ, e.g., encouraging younger girls to go to basic
education, and providing opportunities for men to earn a
college degree.
 GENDER AND HEALTH
Another basic social service we all need is health service. Health,
according to World Health Organization, does not only mean absence
of diseases but a state of well-being. The Department of Health of
the Philippines follows a cluster approach in health, wherein there
are more primary clusters: (a) public health, (b) water sanitation and
hygiene, (c) nutrition, and (d) mental health and psychosocial
support. In earlier lessons, we discussed that males and females have
unique reproductive health needs. This also means that in terms of
health services, all genders should be able to access services. In turn,
health services should also be gender-responsive.
 GENDER AND
MENTAL HEALTH
 One of the most prevalent issues facing adolescents nowadays is
mental health. the changing environment also brings forth stressors that
are not existing before. People are challenged to pay attention not only
to their physical health, but also to their psychological wellness.
In the context of gender and sexuality, some issues faced by humans
related to their sexuality and to the roles they assume in the society are
mental/psychological in nature. Some of these issues are as follows
coping with sexual and reproductive health psychological impacts of SOGIE-related
issues (teen pregnancy, STD/HIV, confusion concerns and gender roles and expectations;
and doubt);

psychological concerns emerging from psychological trauma from GBV.

intimate/romantic relationships; and
Hence, there is also a need to establish systems so people would have access to
services that address these issues. In schools, for instance, there are counselors
(trained professionals who has a master's degree in counseling and have seated and
passed a licensure in counseling) who deal with students' mental health concerns.
In some other schools and workplaces, there are also psychologists (trained
professional who have a master's degree in psychology and have seated and passed
a licensure in psychology), social workers (trained professionals with license in
social work), and psychiatrists (a medical doctor with specialization in psychiatry),
who are able to provide additional and more specialized help. In the context of
gender and sexuality, some issues faced by humans related to their sexuality and to
the roles they assume in the society are mental/psychological in nature. Some of
these issues are as follows
Thank you