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What Is Meant by Gender

The document discusses the terms gender, gender equality, gender equity, and women's empowerment. It states that gender refers to social and cultural expectations placed on men and women, which differ from biological sex. Gender equality requires equal access to opportunities and resources for both men and women. Gender equity aims to compensate for historical disadvantages that prevent equal treatment. Women's empowerment focuses on addressing power imbalances and increasing women's autonomy.

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Lance Aldrin Adion
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135 views4 pages

What Is Meant by Gender

The document discusses the terms gender, gender equality, gender equity, and women's empowerment. It states that gender refers to social and cultural expectations placed on men and women, which differ from biological sex. Gender equality requires equal access to opportunities and resources for both men and women. Gender equity aims to compensate for historical disadvantages that prevent equal treatment. Women's empowerment focuses on addressing power imbalances and increasing women's autonomy.

Uploaded by

Lance Aldrin Adion
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is meant by gender?

The term gender refers to the economic, social and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with
being male or female. In most societies, being a man or a woman is not simply a matter of different
biological and physical characteristics. Men and women face different expectations about how they should
dress, behave or work. Relations between men and women, whether in the family, the workplace or the
public sphere, also reflect understandings of the talents, characteristics and behaviour appropriate to
women and to men. Gender thus differs from sex in that it is social and cultural in nature rather than
biological. Gender attributes and characteristics, encompassing, inter alia, the roles that men and women
play and the expectations placed upon them, vary widely among societies and change over time. But the
fact that gender attributes are socially constructed means that they are also amenable to change in ways
that can make a society more just and equitable.

What is the difference between gender equity, gender equality and women’s
empowerment?
Gender equity is the process of being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, strategies and measures
must often be available to compensate for women’s historical and social disadvantages that prevent women
and men from otherwise operating on a level playing field. Equity leads to equality. Gender equality
requires equal enjoyment by women and men of socially-valued goods, opportunities, resources and
rewards. Where gender inequality exists, it is generally women who are excluded or disadvantaged in
relation to decision-making and access to economic and social resources. Therefore a critical aspect of
promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and redressing
power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives. Gender equality does not
mean that men and women become the same; only that access to opportunities and life changes is neither
dependent on, nor constrained by, their sex. Achieving gender equality requires women’s empowerment to
ensure that decision-making at private and public levels, and access to resources are no longer weighted in
men’s favour, so that both women and men can fully participate as equal partners in productive and
reproductive life.

Why is it important to take gender concerns into account in programme design and
implementation?
Taking gender concerns into account when designing and implementing population and development
programmes therefore is important for two reasons. First, there are differences between the roles of men
and women, differences that demand different approaches. Second, there is systemic inequality between
men and women. Universally, there are clear patterns of women’s inferior access to resources and
opportunities. Moreover, women are systematically under-represented in decision-making processes that
shape their societies and their own lives. This pattern of inequality is a constraint to the progress of any
society because it limits the opportunities of one-half of its population. When women are constrained from
reaching their full potential, that potential is lost to society as a whole. Programme design and
implementation should endeavour to address either or both of these factors.

What is gender mainstreaming?


Gender mainstreaming is a strategy for integrating gender concerns in the analysis, formulation and
monitoring of policies, programmes and projects. It is therefore a means to an end, not an end in itself; a
process, not a goal. The purpose of gender mainstreaming is to promote gender equality and the
empowerment of women in population and development activities. This requires addressing both the
condition, as well as the position, of women and men in society. Gender mainstreaming therefore aims to
strengthen the legitimacy of gender equality values by addressing known gender disparities and gaps in
such areas as the division of labour between men and women; access to and control over resources; access
to services, information and opportunities; and distribution of power and decision-making. UNFPA has
adopted the mainstreaming of gender concerns into all population and development activities as the
primary means of achieving the commitments on gender equality, equity and empowerment of women
stemming from the International Conference on Population and Development.
Gender mainstreaming, as a strategy, does not preclude interventions that focus only on women or only on
men. In some instances, the gender analysis that precedes programme design and development reveals
severe inequalities that call for an initial strategy of sex-specific interventions. However, such sex-specific
interventions should still aim to reduce identified gender disparities by focusing on equality or inequity as
the objective rather than on men or women as a target group. In such a context, sex-specific interventions
are still important aspects of a gender mainstreaming strategy. When implemented correctly, they should
not contribute to a marginalization of men in such a critical area as access to reproductive and sexual
health services. Nor should they contribute to the evaporation of gains or advances already secured by
women. Rather, they should consolidate such gains that are central building blocks towards gender
equality.

Why is gender equality important?


Gender equality is intrinsically linked to sustainable development and is vital to the realization of human
rights for all. The overall objective of gender equality is a society in which women and men enjoy the
same opportunities, rights and obligations in all spheres of life. Equality between men and women exists
when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence; have equal
opportunities for financial independence through work or through setting up businesses; enjoy equal access
to education and the opportunity to develop personal ambitions, interests and talents; share responsibility
for the home and children and are completely free from coercion, intimidation and gender-based violence
both at work and at home.
Within the context of population and development programmes, gender equality is critical because it will
enable women and men to make decisions that impact more positively on their own sexual and
reproductive health as well as that of their spouses and families. Decision-making with regard to such
issues as age at marriage, timing of births, use of contraception, and recourse to harmful practices (such as
female genital cutting) stands to be improved with the achievement of gender equality.
However it is important to acknowledge that where gender inequality exists, it is generally women who are
excluded or disadvantaged in relation to decision-making and access to economic and social resources.
Therefore a critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on
identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own
lives. This would enable them to make decisions and take actions to achieve and maintain their own
reproductive and sexual health. Gender equality and women’s empowerment do not mean that men and
women become the same; only that access to opportunities and life changes is neither dependent on, nor
constrained by, their sex.

Is gender equality a concern for men?


The achievement of gender equality implies changes for both men and women. More equitable
relationships will need to be based on a redefinition of the rights and responsibilities of women and men in
all spheres of life, including the family, the workplace and the society at large. It is therefore crucial not to
overlook gender as an aspect of men’s social identity. This fact is, indeed, often overlooked, because the
tendency is to consider male characteristics and attributes as the norm, and those of women as a variation
of the norm.
But the lives of men are just as strongly influenced by gender as those of women. Societal norms and
conceptions of masculinity and expectations of men as leaders, husbands or sons create demands on men
and shape their behaviour. Men are too often expected to concentrate on the material needs of their
families, rather than on the nurturing and caring roles assigned to women. Socialization in the family and
later in schools promotes risk-taking behaviour among young men, and this is often reinforced through
peer pressure and media stereotypes. So the lifestyles that men’s roles demand often result in their being
more exposed to greater risks of morbidity and mortality than women. These risks include ones relating to
accidents, violence and alcohol consumption.
Men also have the right to assume a more nurturing role, and opportunities for them to do so should be
promoted. Equally, however, men have responsibilities in regard to child health and to their own and their
partners’ sexual and reproductive health. Addressing these rights and responsibilities entails recognizing
men’s specific health problems, as well as their needs and the conditions that shape them. The adoption of
a gender perspective is an important first step; it reveals that there are disadvantages and costs to men
accruing from patterns of gender difference. It also underscores that gender equality is concerned not only
with the roles, responsibilities and needs of women and men, but also with the interrelationships between
them.

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