Gender

GenderGender is another

category of classifying humans reflecting not just biological, but also social differences between men and women

Social concepts of what is “masculine” and what is “feminine” vary across space and time

Gender has received a great deal of attention from cultural geographers in the past three decadesGender implies a

socially created difference in power between groups

Gives an advantage to males over females Plays out differently in

different parts of the world South Asia

South AsiaIn South Asia, gender

is greatly complicated by class such that among the poor, women bear the greatest social and economic burden and the most suffering

South Asia is intensely patriarchal India, Pakistan,

Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh

Common denominatorsConstant responsibilities

Motherhood, household

Work in informal sector jobs

Lack of property rightsPublic behavior

restrictedEducation limitedParticipation in waged

labor force is limited

Education opportunity for young girls is improving

India

2012 Global Gender Gap Index

Gender GapThe Gender Gap

refers to the differences in social, economic, and political power and opportunity between men and women

Gender GapPatterns related to

the Gender GapHigh maternal

mortality ratesDeath rates among

women giving birth Indicate that women in

poorer regions are 100 to 600 times more likely to die giving birth than are women in wealthier countries

High female infanticide ratesMurder of female

infants

Dowry deathsOccurs when a bride

is murdered by her husband’s family because her father failed to pay her dowry

Lack of enfranchisement

Gender imbalancesOccur where men

outnumber womenChina, India

Gender ImbalanceGender

empowerment indexMeasures the degree

of balance between male and female equity in society

These measurements are often used in assessing a country’s level of developmentThe more parity

between men and women = the high the level of the country’s development

Keys to improvement of Gender Gap

EducationWhen girls receive

an education there is an improvement in all faucets of lifeSuffrageLack of

discrimination Job opportunitiesGender

empowermentPopulation changes