Understanding Gender, Social Construction of Gender and Gender Role Stereotyping Atinuke Odukoya

1. Understanding Gender, Social Construction of Gender and Gender Role Stereotyping Atinuke Odukoya

2. Session Objectives By the end of this session participants will have a clearer understanding of: • the concept gender • key gender related concepts • how gender is constructed • how gender role stereotyping promotes vulnerability and GBV • how power relations affect decision making and choice

3. Ice breaker • What is your recollection of your earliest gender consciousness? • Your wife or your brother’s wife just delivered their first child? What was your first reaction when you were told about the child’s delivery? • What was your reaction? • What was your first question? When you realized it was a boy or girl? How did you feel – proud, angry or indifferent?

4. What is and why Gender? • Gender means different things to different people • Not everyone views, defines and uses the term ‘gender’ in the same way. • Like class and ethnicity or race, gender is an analytical social category, one that interacts with other social factors in influencing life experiences of groups and individuals

5. What is and why Gender? • “People are born female or male but learn to be girls and boys who grow up into men and women; • They are taught what the appropriate behaviour and attitudes, roles and activities are for them and how they should relate to other people; • This learned behaviour is what makes up gender identity and determines gender roles (Oxfam, 1994)”

6. What is and why Gender? • Gender determines to a great extent how we think, how we feel and what we believe we can or we cannot do as women and men • The fact that gender attributes are socially constructed means that they are also subject to change, • Gender is a dynamic concept, it changes from one culture to the other and varies from one group to the other within the same culture. • Gender helps us to understand differences in relation to work, human rights, culture and religion, control over resources etc.

7. GENDER DETERMINES … “MASCULINITY” AND “FEMININITY” (GENDER ROLES) Roles, status, norms, values Responsibilities, needs, expectations Sexuality and Sexual behaviour GENDER THE DIVISION OF LABOUR, POWER AND RESPONSIBILITIES THE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES AND REWARDS

8. What is sex? • Sex refers to the biological differences between males and females. Sex differences are concerned with male and female physiology.

9. Differences Between Gender and Sex

10. Constructs of femininity • Good women are shy, do not talk about sex • Assigned reproductive/domestic roles • Virgins, virtuous • Dependent on men • Submissive • Quiet • Weak and vulnerable to violence

11. Consequences of femininity • Feminization of poverty - women’s unpaid care work, type of education, etc • Economic dependence on men (sex trade, cross-generational sex/sugar daddy phenomenon) • Low self-esteem, timidity • Require permission to seek healthcare • Women cannot negotiate or discuss safer sex with spouses

12. Consequences … • Shut out of decision making in micro and macro spheres • Her entire life is controlled by a man from the cradle to the grave • Often valued as a means to an end and not an end in herself (baby factory) • More exposed to stigma and discrimination (STIs are called woman disease • Prone to violence, rape, battery-the penal code sanctions wife battery.

13. Key Gender Concepts

14. Women and Domestic chores

15. Gender roles • Are socially-defined roles for women and men. For example, most cultures define child-rearing as a female role, although there is no biological reason why men cannot do it. • Definitions of gender roles change over time and differ between cultures • Gender-specific roles and responsibilities are often conditioned by household structure, access to resources, specific impacts of the global economy, and other locally relevant factors such as ecological conditions (FAO, 1997).

16. Is this Possible in your Community? If not, Why?

17. Gender division of labour • Describes a pattern in which society assigns women one set of roles and men another set, based on gender. • This is generally associated with a grossly unequal distribution of reward. For instance, many societies expect women to perform most of the unpaid domestic work and subsistence food production, whereas men are dominant in cash crop production and wage employment

18. Gender division of labour (Cont.) • There are increasing concerns that the vital contribution of women to the management of biological resources, and to economic production generally, has been misunderstood, ignored, or underestimated.

19. Gender stereotype What is Stereotype? • Stereotype means reducing a person to a mere instance of a characteristic. (Oxford English Dictionary) • Gender stereotypes are socially constructed beliefs about men and women. They are constructed through sayings, songs, proverbs, the media, religion, culture, custom, education, drama, etc

20. Gender stereotype (cont.) This occurs when men or women are persistently attributed certain characteristics or roles, thereby creating the belief that these are invariably linked to gender. For instance, the perceptions that all women are weak and caring and that all men are strong and able to make important decisions Gender stereotyping reinforces gender inequality

21. A good example of stereotyping gender roles is to think about how babies are colour coded, girls in pink and boys in blue for example. The kinds of toys that little girls receive give messages about feminine traits such as; dolls, dress ups and fairies. The kinds of toys that little boys receive give messages about masculinity for example; cars, trucks and building blocks.

22. Gender discrimination • Means that individuals are treated differently on the basis of their sex. In many societies, this is maintained by structural discrimination against women in the distribution of income, access to resources and participation in decision-making • Systematic, unfavourable treatment of individuals on the basis of their gender, which denies them opportunities, rights, and/or resources

23. Gender Analysis • Gender analysis focuses on understanding and documenting the differences in gender roles, activities, needs and opportunities in a given context • It examines the differential effects of projects and programmes on men and women as a result of their social location, access to and control over resources, and decision making capacity

24. Gender gap • Is a measure of gender inequality. It is a useful social development indicator. For example, we can measure the gender gap between boys and girls in terms of the educational levels achieved Gender-sensitive Indicator • a signal that helps to measure gender-related changes e.g., female-male literacy gaps

25. Practical and Strategic Gender Needs Practical Gender Needs (PGN) • Needs of immediate interest – safe water, food, health care, cash income – essential to improve living conditions of women, but in itself can not change the prevailing disadvantaged (subordinate) positions of women Strategic Gender Needs(SGN) • SGNs are those that women themselves identify as due to their subordinate position to men in their society. They relate to issues of power and control, and to exploitation under the sexual division of labour.

26. Practical Gender Needs • These refer to material conditions of life e.g. availability of food, water, shelter, clothing, health care, basic education and gainful employment. • They are not unique to women but affect disadvantaged men as well. • They tend to be short-term and can therefore be met through direct material inputs e.g. supplying water if there is a water shortage. • They mainly deal with providing finished goods and services or making them easily available to the needy. • Meeting the practical gender needs does not challenge the power relations between men and women.

27. Strategic Gender Needs • These refer to socio-economic and political positions of women compared to men and therefore affect all women regardless of socio-economic class e.g. a law that children belong to their fathers will affect all women regardless of their material welfare. • They concern the power relations between men and women. • They look at legal rights, violence, equal pay, women’s control over their bodies, political representation, religious and cultural barriers to gender equality, policies etc. • They relate to structures and systems e.g. religion, culture, policies and legislation. • They require transformation of attitudes, policies, legislation, culture etc.

28. Gender Equality (GE) Gender Equality is the state or condition that affords women and men equal enjoyment of human rights, socially valued goods, opportunities, and resources. • accepting and valuing equally the differences between women and men and the diverse roles they play in society.

29. Refers to the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. Does NOT mean that women and men will become the same BUT that women’s & men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female. Gender Equality

30. What gender equality is about being valued equally, regardless of sex; and – taking steps to ensure that women and men have the same chances and opportunities in life: this is also known as formal equality or making sure that formal structures allow for equal access and participation for groups of women and men.

31. Key Terms in Gender Equality

32. Gender Equity Gender Equity is the process of being fair to women and men. • A fair sharing of resources, opportunities and benefits according to a given framework. • Measurable and manifested in parity. • One of the measures of equality. • Equivalence in life outcomes for women and men, recognising their different needs and interests, and requiring a redistribution of power and resources

34. Gender is an important determinant of violence with implications for women and men. • Gender inequality puts millions of women and girls at risk of violence globally. • Gender norms, roles and relations can influence life conditions and opportunities for men and women and girls and boys that, ultimately, affect their behaviour, capacity and outcomes.

35. Example of some Gender Issues related to violence • How do the roles and responsibilities of men within the family affect their acceptance of condoms? • How do women’s roles and status in the family affect their ability to discuss and negotiate safe sex? • What are the cultural norms regarding sexual behavior for men and for women, and how do these impact issues of domestic violence, sexual harrasment etc.? • What are the implications of the answers to these questions in designing, implementing, and evaluating effective and sustainable programs?

36. Gender Mainstreaming • Gender Mainstreaming is ensuring that the concerns and experiences of women, men, boys and girls form an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes relating to all aspects of human life so that they can all benefit equally and such that inequality is not perpetuated.

37. Gender Mainstreaming in Project Cycle The process of: assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all projects and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres

38. Gender Mainstreaming in Project Cycle (Contd) • Programmes that do not take into consideration the differing needs of men and women and their social, economic, cultural, linguistic realities during all their phases run the risk of being ineffective, inefficient and unsustainable. • If gender issues are addressed at project conception, they can more easily be incorporated in the design, implementation and evaluation • It is important for the project to be clear on its objectives in relation to gender and equity issues.

39. Gender Mainstreaming in Project Cycle (Contd) Some questions that need to be asked are: • How are the needs of men and women reflected in the project? • Who has been consulted? How was consultation done to facilitate input from men and women of different social classes? • Is the project plan based on an understanding of gender differences in the target group/s? • Have gender-sensitive indicators been identified to clarify objectives and facilitate monitoring?

40. Gender Mainstreaming in Project Cycle (Contd) • How will objectives for gender equality and women's participation be pursued in the project? Have specific strategies been identified? • Have obstacles that may hinder the participation of men and women from all sectors of society been identified and strategies put in place to deal with these? • Does the project management structure provide the necessary expertise on gender and diversity? • Have the budgetary implications of diversity and gender been considered?

41. Issues and Questions to Consider when Mainstreaming Gender into the Project Cycle Identification of Programmes and Projects: Issues and Questions Gender issues in capacity building projects. • What is the existing capacity of institutions and individuals to work with a gender perspective? • What is the capacity of institutions and individuals to promote women’s and men’s participation at all levels? • What is diverse women’s and men’s capacity to participate in tasks in technical fields, in decision making positions, and at the community level?

42. Issues and Questions to Consider when Mainstreaming Gender into the Project Cycle (Contd) Gender considerations in project development: Issues and Questions • Have gender differentials in existing human rights been identified? • Have existing patterns of access and control been analysed and addressed? • Has consideration been given to legal frameworks and institutional reform so as to work towards equitable access for both women and men to productive resources? • Have needs, roles and workloads of women and men been assessed?

43. Issues and Questions to Consider when Mainstreaming Gender into the Project Cycle (Contd) Appraisal stage -Using the logical framework • The logical framework is a matrix that summarises the main elements in programme and project design. Issues and Questions • Are gender issues clearly set out in the logical framework? • Are there specific indicators identified to monitor results relating to diversity and gender equality? • Will indicators be disaggregated on the basis of sex?

44. Issues and Questions to Consider when Mainstreaming Gender into the Project Cycle (Contd) Determining activities • Once the outputs have been agreed to, the activities that will produce these outputs must be determined. Issues and Questions • What activities are required to ensure attention to gender issues? • Is training required? • Is it necessary to research specific issues or draw in particular stakeholders? • Experience has shown that careful planning is required to ensure that the gender focus is not lost.

45. Issues and Questions to Consider when Mainstreaming Gender into the Project Cycle (Contd) Evaluation Issues and Questions • Do the evaluation 'terms of reference' clearly specify the gender issues and questions to be addressed in the evaluation? • Will the evaluation consider project outcomes/results with respect to differences in needs and priorities of women and men? • In conducting the evaluation, will evaluators: • Disaggregate data by sex? • Seek the input of both women and men and analyse differences and similarities?

46. Conclusion • Mainstreaming gender is key in the fight against sexual and gender based violence.

47. Thank You for Listening!!!