Gender

Gender Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men and women that are

created in our families, our societies and our cultures.

Gender roles and expectations are learned. They can change over time and they vary within and between cultures.

The concept of gender is vital because, applied to social analysis, it reveals how women’s subordination (or men’s domination) is socially constructed

Gender- concepts 1. Gender Mainstreaming is a globally accepted strategy for promoting

gender equality. Mainstreaming is not an end in itself but a strategy, an approach, a means to achieve the goal of gender equality.

2. Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs.

3. Gender Division of Labour is the result of how each society divides work among men and among women according to what is considered suitable or appropriate to each gender.

4. Gender Analysis is the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated information. Men and women both perform different roles.

• Women in Development (WID) The WID approach aims to integrate women into the existing development process by targeting them, often in women-specific activities.

• Gender and Development (GAD ) GAD seeks to have both women and men participate, make decisions and share benefits.

• Literacy Gender Parity Index (GPI) is the ratio of the female to male adult literacy rates which measures progress towards gender equity in literacy and the level of learning opportunities available for women in relation to those available to men.

Importance of gender differences in Human Development

• The delivery of public services is essential for helping women and men to reach their full potential and realise their human rights.

• 1. Gender-specific biases in the way services are designed and delivered are failing women in many countries.

For example, a lack of separate toilets (or any toilet facilities) in schools can deter adolescent girls from attending school.

2. Corruption in the provision of basic services such as health and education.

has disproportionate negative consequences for women and girls. 3. Economic autonomy 4. Limited access to agricultural inputs. 5. Discrimination against women in employment

• gender vulnerability within the home• Men are more likely to be the victims of

occupational diseases• Women's health risks, which are mainly linked

to reproduction.• Wider gap in literacy between two sexes.• Socio-cultural prejudices and stereotyping

Theories

• Gender orientation theory• Gender Schema Theory• Theory of ego development and gender

• Gender identity Gender identity is how we feel about and express our gender and gender roles – clothing, behavior, and personal appearance.

• Gender roles Gender roles are the way people act, what they do and say, to

express being a girl or a boy, a woman or a man. These characteristics are shaped by society

Gender stereotype

• A stereotype is a widely accepted judgement or bias regarding a person or group. Stereotypes about gender can cause unequal and unfair treatment because.e of a person’s gender.

• Four kinds of gender stereotypes• Personality traits.• Domestic behaviours• Occupations• Physical appearance

Gender Differences In Development

• Girls are more physically and neurologically advanced at birth.• Boys have more mature muscular development but are more

vulnerable to disease and hereditary anomalies.• Girls excel early in verbal skills, but boys excel in visual-spatial and

math skills.• Boys' superior mathematic abilities, however, reflect only a better

grasp of geometry, which depends on visual-spatial abilities. Boys are more aggressive, and girls more nurturant.

• Boys have more reading, speech, and emotional problems than girls. More equivocal are gender differences in activity level, dependency, timidity, exploratory activity, and vulnerability to stress.

 

• There are no gender differences in sociability, conformity, achievement, self-esteem, or verbal hostility. Although differences exist, it is important to remember that the overlap between the distributions is always greater than the differences between them.

• In addition, noting the existence of the differences does not tell us why they exist. It is clear that girls and boys have many different experiences and opportunities as they develop, which may lead to divergent outcomes or highlight existing differences.

INFLUENCE OF THE FAMILY ON GENDER TYPING

• Parents' Influence on Children's Gender-Typed Choices

• Parental Behavior toward Girls and Boys• Modeling Parents' Characteristics• Parental Absence or Unavailability

EXTRA FAMILIAL INFLUENCES ON GENDER ROLES

• Books and Television• Peers, Gender Roles, and Self-Esteem• Schools and Teachers• Androgyny•

Main Highlights of the Global Gender Gap Report 2014 

• No country in the world has fully closed the gender gap, but all five of the Nordic countries have closed more than 80 percent of it. Eight countries—Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, France, Guyana, Latvia, Namibia, and the Philippines have fully closed the gap on both the health and education

• The gap between women and men on economic participation and political empowerment remains wide: only 60 percent of the economic outcomes gap and only 21 percent of the political outcomes gap has been closed.

Top ten gender-equal societies in the world

• (1), Finland (2), Norway (3) and Sweden (4) Denmark (5), Nicaragua (devil), Rwanda (7), Ireland (music), Philippines (9) and Belgium (10).

Gender discrimination in India

• Sexism or gender discrimination is prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex or gender (predominantly against women).

traditional stereotypes of gender roles,

• Female infanticide and sex-selective abortion • female literacy rate lags behind the male

literacy rate. • Discrimination against women has contributed

to gender wage differentials.• Women do not own property under their own

names and usually do not have any inheritance rights to obtain a share of parental property

• The dowry practice makes the prospect of having a girl even more distasteful to poor families.

• Young girls receive less food, healthcare and fewer vaccinations overall than boys.(neglect)

• Young girls receive less food, healthcare and fewer vaccinations overall than boys.

• The frequency of rape and violent attacks against women in the developing world is alarming

Demographic challenges to family ecology

• Human Life expectancy is increasing and more population is aging

• Socio economic in equitalities in health are growing

• Divorce rates are increased.• Declining fertility rates resulting in fewer

potential adult caregivers for aging caregivers

Gender role socialization

• Gender socialization is the process of learning the social expectations and attitudes associated with one's sex.

• Gender socialization occurs through such diverse means as parental attitudes, schools, how peers interact with each other, and mass media

• Influence of Family• parents are the primary influence on gender role development in early

years of life . Parents encourage children to participate in sex-typed activities, such as playing with dolls for girls and playing with trucks for boys.

• Influence in Education• Teachers would focus on boys, calling on them more and challenging

them. Because boys were believed to be more analytical, teachers assumed they would excel in math and science. Teachers encouraged them to go into careers that require a lot of math and science, such as computer science or engineering.

• Infancy and early childhood • Parents encourage their sons and daughters to participate in sex typed

activities. Girls are encouraged to play with dolls and tea sets and boys are encouraged to play with cars and footballs.

• Early in development • parents provide experiences that encourage assertiveness, exploration

and emotional control in boys. • Middle childhood • During this age parents expect more independence from boys and help

from girls. Parents hold gendered differentiated expectations for children’s competencies in school subjects English for girls , maths for boys

• Mother versus father : Father engage in more physically stimulated play with boys. Parents seem committed to ensuring the gender typing of children of their own sex. Mothers are more likely to go on shopping and bake biscuits with their daughters and fathers are more likely to play cricket with their sons.

• Siblings• Their impact depends on birth order and family size. The

activities of same sex siblings were highly gender appropriate. However among mixed sex siblings choices of play were determined by the sex of the older child

Gender Issues in family • Divisions of labour for family work are particularly problematic in dual

worker families.• Employed mothers adjust their jobs and personal lives to accommodate

family commitments more than employed fathers do. Mothers are less likely to work overtime and are more likely to take time off work to attend to children's needs.