Introduction to Gender Concepts

Gender and Value Chain Training for LIVES Project Team,

Adama, Ethiopia, August 19-21, 2013Dr Valentine J Gandhi

Gender Concepts

• Learning Objectives • To define gender, gender concepts and terminologies • To identify the differences between sex and gender. • To discuss the difference between sex roles and gender roles. • To explore the relationship between gender and power.

• Learning Outcomes: • Participants will have a sound understanding of gender

concepts and terminologies

Gender Concepts

• Let’s Define Gender?• Let’s Define Sex?

• List some Jobs

Definition of Gender

• Gender refers to those characteristics and roles of women and men that are socially constructed.

• What is Gender about? • Social roles and relations between men and women in

the society. • It affects all parts of our lives (social, economic and

political). • It changes over time. • It is what we expect men and women to do and behave. • It is about how power is used and shared

Differences Between Sex and Gender

Gender Equality

• Entails the concept that all human beings, both men and women, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles, or prejudices.

• Gender equality means that the different behaviours, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favoured equally.

• It does not mean that women and men have to become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.

Gender Equity

• Means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs.

• This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities.

• In the development context, a gender equity goal often requires built-in measures to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages of women.

Gender analysis

• Is a tool /set of tools to assist in strengthening development planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and to make programmes and projects more efficient and relevant.

• Gender analysis should go beyond cataloguing differences to identifying inequalities and assessing relationships between women and men.

• Gender analysis helps us to frame questions about women and men's roles and relations in order to avoid making assumptions about who does what, when and why.

• The aim of such analysis is to formulate development interventions that are better targeted to meet both women's and men's needs and constraints.

Empowerment

• Implies people – both women and men – taking control over their lives by setting their own agendas, gaining skills (or having their own skills and knowledge recognized), increasing their self-confidence, solving problems, and developing self-reliance.

• It is both a process and an outcome.

• Empowerment implies an expansion in women's ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them.

Gender Mainstreaming

• Is a strategy for making women's, as well as men's, concerns and experiences an integral dimension in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and social spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated.

• The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality

• Gender mainstreaming should be done in all areas and at all levels in society.

Approaches• Gender-neutral approaches do not account for the differences between

women and men and do not consider how women and men may be marginalized and harmed or may not benefit from research, programs and policy.

• Gender aware (or responsive) approaches are designed to meet both women’s and men’s needs. These approaches ensure that both women and men will benefit, and neither will be harmed by research, programs and policy, such as, for example, by exacerbating their work burdens.

• Gender transformative approaches actively strive to examine, question, and change rigid gender norms and the imbalance of power as a means of achieving development goals as well as meeting gender equity objectives. These research, programmatic and policy approaches challenge the distribution of resources and allocation of duties between men and women.

Why Gender?

• Why is it a big deal?• Abraham Lincoln’s Quote

Realities• Consistent gender disparities in access to and benefits from

technologies, services and inputs across developing countries.

• Participation in and benefits from markets: Low female membership in agricultural marketing cooperatives, lack of important information on prices for marketing systems etc.

• Men and women are impacted differently by technologies, interventions and other emerging threats such as climate change, HIV/AIDs on women.

• Focus on gender can increase the productivity of agriculture and livestock systems, and improve food security and nutrition.

Realities• Findings have shown the importance of the explicit focus on gender

in promoting household poverty reduction.

• Meaningful representation in both men and women decision making and policy bodies, in management positions, in research and development is an important component of reducing gender inequalities.

• The participation of men and women in agriculture research and development leads to better decision outcomes, better performance, creativity and innovation and this has been shown in a variety of settings, occupations, and organizations (Pelled et al, 1999; Hamilton et al, 2003).

Realities The potential gains from reducing gender disparities• If women had the same resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by

20-30%– raise agricultural output by 2.5-4% and reduce hungry people by 100-150 million

(FAO, 2011)

• There is evidence that income under the control of women is more likely to be used to improve family welfare– women spend upto 90% of their income on their families, while men spend 30-40%– strengthening marital bargaining power and "voice" within the household decision-

making

Extent of gender mainstreaming /integration in agriculture research and development programs remains adhoc– There is no evidence on what potential entry points bring the most benefits or

catalyse change

GaD vs WiD

• Women in Development (WID) is an approach that emerged in the 1970s, with the goal of integrating women more fully into the development process. It includes strategies such as women – only projects and credit and training projects for women.

• Gender and Development (GAD) Approach was developed in 1980s in response to perceived failings of the WID Approach. Rather than focusing exclusively on women, this approach is concerned with relations between women and men. It Challenges unequal decision-making and power relations between not only men and women but also between rich and poor

Policy Approaches to WiD and GaD

Session 2

Practical and Strategic Gender Needs

• Practical Gender Needs (Practical Gender Issues)Practical Gender Needs are related to immediate needs of living, such as food, drinking water, and medical care. These needs can be fulfilled by providing inputs (such as food, installation of wells, and establishment of clinics, etc.). Although the situation of women may be improved by meeting their practical gender needs, this alone can not be sufficient to change existing gender roles and social relationships between men and women.

• Strategic Gender Needs (Strategic Gender Issues)Strategic gender needs arise from women’s subordinate position and gender bias, such as lack of resources and education, and inability to avert poverty and resist violence. Although these strategic gender needs are commonly experienced by many women, women may not be aware of their disadvantaged position nor their potential powers to bring about change. To meet these strategic gender needs, it is necessary to encompass social and political reforms through the empowerment of women. These measures are seen as relatively long-term objectives.

Thanks for Listening