Gender And Culture Handout PDF

**IHC-HANDOUT 3** **MAN, GENDER AND CULTURE** **[GENDER]** **Gende**r refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.  This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As...

**IHC-HANDOUT 3** **MAN, GENDER AND CULTURE** **[GENDER]** **Gende**r refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.  This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time. *Gender is hierarchical and produces inequalities that intersect with other social and economic inequalities*.  Gender-based discrimination intersects with other factors of discrimination, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, age, geographic location, gender identity and sexual orientation, among others. This is referred to as intersectionality.  *Gender interacts with but is different from sex*, which refers to the different biological and physiological characteristics of females, males and intersex persons, such as chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs. Gender and sex are related to but different from gender identity. **Gender identity** refers to a person's deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person's physiology or designated sex at birth. *Gender influences people's experience of and access to healthcare*. The way that health services are organized and provided can either limit or enable a person's access to healthcare information, support and services, and the outcome of those encounters. Health services should be affordable, accessible and acceptable to all, and they should be provided with quality, equity and dignity. *Gender inequality and discrimination faced by women and girls puts their health and well-being at risk.*  Women and girls often face greater barriers than men and boys to accessing health information and services. These barriers include restrictions on mobility; lack of access to decision-making power; lower literacy rates; discriminatory attitudes of communities and healthcare providers; and lack of training and awareness amongst healthcare providers and health systems of the specific health needs and challenges of women and girls. Consequently, women and girls face greater risks of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, cervical cancer, malnutrition, lower vision, respiratory infections, malnutrition and elder abuse, amongst others. Women and girls also face unacceptably high levels of violence rooted in gender inequality and are at grave risk of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, and child, early and forced marriage. WHO figures show that about 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. *Harmful gender norms -- especially those related to rigid notions of masculinity -- can also affect boys and men's health and wellbeing negatively.* For example, specific notions of masculinity may encourage boys and men to smoke, take sexual and other health risks, misuse alcohol and not seek help or health care. Such gender norms also contribute to boys and men perpetrating violence -- as well as being subjected to violence themselves. They can also have grave implications for their mental health.  Rigid gender norms also negatively affect people with diverse gender identities, who often face violence, stigma and discrimination as a result, including in healthcare settings. Consequently, they are at higher risk of HIV and mental health problems, including suicide. **[GENDER CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS]** **Sex** refers to biologically defined and genetically acquired differences between males and females, according to their physiology and reproductive capabilities or potentialities. It is universal and mostly unchanging, without surgery. **Gender** refers to the economic, social, political, and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being women and men. The social definitions of what it means to be a woman or a man vary among cultures and change over time. Gender is a sociocultural expression of particular characteristics and roles that are associated with certain groups of people with reference to their sex and sexuality. **Gender Assessment** examines how a program or project addresses and responds to gender disparities and inequalities through its objectives, activities, and policies. It responds to two key questions: 1. 2. **Gender Equity** is the process of being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, measures must be taken to compensate for historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from operating on a level playing field. **Gender Equality** is the state or condition that affords women and men equal enjoyment of human rights, socially valued goods, opportunities, and resources. **Gender Integration** refers to strategies applied in program assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation to take gender norms into account and to compensate for gender-based inequalities. **Gender Mainstreaming** is the process of incorporating a gender perspective into policies, strategies, programs, project activities, and administrative functions, as well as into the institutional culture of an organization. **Gender Stereotypes** are ideas that people have on masculinity and femininity: what men and women of all generations should be like and are capable of doing. (e.g., girls should be obedient and cute, are allowed to cry, and boys are expected to be brave and not cry, women are better housekeepers and men are better with machines, or boys are better at mathematics and girls more suited to nursing). **Gender-Based Violence** is violence derived from gender norms and roles as well as from unequal power relations between women and men. Violence is specifically targeted against a person because of his or her gender, and it affects women disproportionately. It includes, but is not limited to, physical, sexual, and psychological harm (including intimidation, suffering, coercion, and/or deprivation of liberty within the family or within the general community). It includes violence perpetuated by the state. **Homophobia** is the irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuals or homosexual behavior or cultures. Homophobia also refers to self-loathing by homosexuals, as well as the fear of men or women who do not live up to society's standards of what it is to be a "true man" or "true woman." **Heterosexism** is the presumption that everyone is heterosexual and/or the belief that heterosexual people are naturally superior to homosexual and bisexual people. **Men's Engagement** is a programmatic approach that involves men and boys a) as clients and beneficiaries, b) as partners and c) as agents of change, in actively promoting gender equality, women's empowerment and the transformation of inequitable definitions of masculinity. In the health context, this comprises engaging men and boys in addressing their own, and supporting their partners' reproductive, sexual and other health needs. Men's engagement also includes broader efforts to promote equality with respect to caregiving, fatherhood, and division of labor, and ending gender-based violence. **Sexual orientation** refers to one's sexual or romantic attractions, and includes sexual identity, sexual behaviors and sexual desires. It is an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people. Note: an individual's sexual orientation is independent of their gender identity. **Transgender** is an umbrella term referring to individuals who do not identify with the sex category assigned to them at birth or whose identity or behavior falls outside of stereotypical gender norms. The term "transgender" encompasses a diverse array of gender identities and expressions, including identities that fit within a female/male classification and those that do not. Transgender is not the same as intersex, which refers to biological variation in sex characteristics, including chromosomes, gonads and/or genitals that do not allow an individual to be distinctly identified as female/ male at birth **Gender identity** is one\'s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither -- how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One\'s gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth. **Gender expression** refers to external appearance of one\'s gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine. *Gender expression* is defined as the way in which an individual publicly expresses their gender, for example, through aspects such as clothing, hair, makeup, and body language. Gender expression can, but does not always reflect a person's gender identity. **Gender transition** is the process by which some people strive to more closely align their internal knowledge of gender with its outward appearance. Some people socially transition, whereby they might begin dressing, using names and pronouns and/or be socially recognized as another gender. Others undergo physical transitions in which they modify their bodies through medical interventions. **Gender dysphoria** refers to clinically significant distress caused when a person\'s assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify **Gender discrimination** is when someone is treated unequally or disadvantageously based on their gender but not necessarily in a sexual nature. This includes harassment/discrimination based on sex, gender identity, or gender expression. Gender discrimination occurs when a person is treated negatively or unequally based on their gender. It includes restricted access to education, jobs, and healthcare; unequal pay; sexual harassment; and much more. **Gender inequality** is discrimination on the basis of sex or gender causing one sex or gender to be routinely privileged or prioritized over another. Gender equality is a fundamental human right and that right is violated by gender-based discrimination. **Gender bias** is the tendency to prefer one gender over another. It is a form of unconscious bias, or implicit bias, which occurs when one individual unconsciously attributes certain attitudes and stereotypes to another person or group of people. These biases can affect how the individual understands and engages with others.In today's society, gender bias is often used to refer to the preferential treatment men receive --- specifically white, heterosexual men. It's often labeled as sexism and describes the prejudice against women solely on the basis of their sex. Gender bias is most prominently visible within professional settings. **Gender sensitivity"** is the way service providers treat male or female clients in service delivery facilities and thus affects client willingness to seek services, continue to use services, and carry out the health behaviors advocated by the services. It is about understanding and consideration of socio-cultural factors underlying sex-based discrimination. The term also applies to attitudes that socialize girls and boys into certain behaviors or opportunities, for example, pushing boys to play sports or - not expecting girls to do well at sports. Gender Responsiveness is recognizing and accounting for the important differences between men and women in psychological development, socialization, culture, exposure to trauma, and life experiences. If you are aware of how gender influences the opportunities of individuals in society, you are "gender-sensitive". If you actively address the causes of gender inequality, you are being "gender-responsive. **GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT (gad)** **Gender alludes not simply to women** **or men but to the relationship between them and the way it is socially constructed. Since** **gender biases exist and these biases prevent people from attaining their full potentials,** **development is impeded. To ensure that explicit, implicit, actual and potential gender** **biases are removed, the government embarked on gender and development (GAD) as one** **of its priority programs. GAD focuses on the principle that development is for all. Everyone** **in society, female or male, has the right to equal opportunities to achieve a full and** **satisfying life. Women and men enjoy the same conditions for realizing their full human** **rights and potentials to contribute to development as well as benefit from the results.** "GAD focuses on the principle that development is for all," explains an expert on the subject. "Everyone in society, female or male, has the right to equal opportunities to achieve a full and satisfying life. Women and men enjoy the same conditions for realizing their full human rights and potentials to contribute to development as well as benefit from the results." ** LEGAL BASIS:** - **EO 227**, The New Family Code of the Philippines - **RA 6725, **An Act Strengthening the Prohibition on Discrimination against Women with Respect to Terms and Conditions of Employment, amending 135 of the Labor Code, as Amended. - **Joint Circular No. 2012-01** (GAD Plans and Budgets and Accomplishment Report Implementing MCW) - **RA 7877**, Anti-Sexual Harassment Act, which declares sexual harassment unlawful in the employment, education and training environment - **RA 6949** declares March 8 of every year as a working holiday to be known as National Women's Day - **RA 6972** mandates the establishment of day care centers in every barangay - **RA 7322** increases the maternity benefits of women in the private sector - **RA 7655** increases the minimum wage of domestic helpers - **RA 10361** Batas Kasambahay - **RA 9262** Anti-Violence Against Women and Children [**[GAD RELATED LAWS AND ISSUANCES]**](http://www.nfa.gov.ph/files/gad/sample1.pdf) 1. [***REPUBLIC ACT (RA) NO. 7192: WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT AND NATION BUILDING ACT***](http://www.dof.gov.ph/GAD/?page_id=53) - **RA 7192,** the Women in Development and Nation Building Act which promotes the integration of women as full and equal partners of men in development and nation building 2. [***RA NO. 9710: MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN, AND IRR***](http://www.pcw.gov.ph/sites/default/files/documents/laws/republic_act_9710.pdf) - Rights of Women - Inter-sectoral Implementation - Mainstreaming as form of implementation - Funding - It mandates: a. planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation for gender and development, b. the creation and/or strengthening of gender and development focal points, and c. the generation and maintenance of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated databases to aid in planning, programming and policy formulation. ** [CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS FOR GAD ]** The 1987 Constitution states three prominent provisions. The Declaration of Principles Article II Section 14 asserted that: "The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men." Following from constitutional provisions and the subsequent efforts to broaden the its principles, numerous legislations were enacted that relates to the various aspects of women and gender concerns. The list included the following: -- Art. II, Sec. 14, 1987 Constitution - "The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building, and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men." --Art. XIII, Sec. 14, 1987 Constitution - "The State shall protect working women by providing safe and healthful working conditions, taking into account their maternal functions, and such facilities and opportunities that will enhance their welfare and enable them to realize their full potential in the service of the nation." --Art. XIII, Sec. 11, 1987 Constitution - "The State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost. There shall be priority for the needs of the under-privileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children. The State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers." --Art. IV, Sec. 1(2), 1987 Constitution - Section 1. The following are citizens of the Philippines: Other laws and legislations include *Anti-Rape Law* (elevation of rape as crime against person), *Women in Nation-Building Law* (allocation of budget for women from development funds from foreign governments and multilateral institutions), *Anti Mail-Order-Bride Law* (making the practice unlawful), *Repatriation Law* (repatriation of Filipinas who lost citizenship by marriage in case of need), *Non-Discrimination Law in Labor Code* (women protection in hiring and pay), *Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law* (equal rights for women to be recipients of land), and Military Training Equality (women can enter the military and police schools and be provided with the same facilities provided men). Section 5 of the *Women in Development and Nation Building Act* states: "Women of legal age, regardless of civil status, shall have the capacity to act and enter into contracts which shall in every respect be equal to that of men under similar circumstances. "In all contractual situations where, married men have the capacity to act, married women shall have equal rights. To this end: 1. Women shall have the capacity to borrow and obtain loans and execute security and credit arrangement under the same conditions as men; 2. Women shall have equal access to all government and private sector programs granting agricultural credit, loans and non-material resources and shall enjoy equal treatment in agrarian reform and land resettlement programs; 3. Women shall have equal rights to act as incorporators and enter into insurance contracts; and\ (4) Married women shall have rights equal to those of married men in applying for passport, secure visas and other travel documents, without need to secure the consent of their spouses What is Gender Socialization? ----------------------------- The term **sex** refers to the biologically determined characteristics of males and females. The term [**gender refers to socially constructed**](https://study.com/learn/lesson/gender-identity-overview-history.html) characteristics assigned to the sexes. In every culture, norms, behaviors, and social expectations are associated with what it means to be male or female. **Gender socialization** is the process of teaching individuals how to behave under the social expectations of their gender, known as [**gender roles**](https://study.com/learn/lesson/gender-roles-in-society-overview-examples-how-society-enforces-gender-roles.html). Gender socialization involves the teaching of **gender stereotypes**. Gender stereotypes are certain behaviors and attitudes that are considered characteristic of boys or girls. An example of [gender stereotyping](https://study.com/learn/lesson/gender-stereotyping-concept-examples.html) is that girls are passive and boys are aggressive. Most children begin to learn gender stereotypes by the time they are three years old.  -------------------------------------------- ***Gender socialization of female child*** -------------------------------------------- Agents of Gender Socialization ------------------------------ Most gender socialization comes from the child\'s closest contacts in early childhood, mainly parents and school. It can also come from more distant sources such as the media. **Parents** Parents provide children with their first experiences regarding gender expectations. Fathers act as gender role models for sons, and mothers model gender roles for daughters. Parents expect boys and girls to have gender-- related differences in abilities as well as personality traits. Parents reinforce these gender-specific expectations in many ways. One way that parents reinforce the gender expectations of their children is through play. An example of this is the kind of toys they provide. For example, dolls and kitchen sets are typically provided for girls and sports equipment and toy cars for boys. Boys\' play is expected to be more active, and girls\' play is more passive. For example, girls are typically expected to play tea parties, and boys are expected to play war. Another way parent reinforce gender expectations is through the assignment of chores. Girls are typically given household chores such as laundry or dishes. Boys are given more physically active chores such as mowing the lawn or taking out the trash. Dressing children in gender-specific clothes or decorating their bedrooms in gender-- specific themes is another way parents teach gender norms. Traditionally, parents have held certain expectations for their children\'s futures based on gender. For example, boys were expected to become providers for their future families while girls were expected to become mothers and homemakers. However, [family dynamics](https://study.com/learn/lesson/family-dynamics-roles-examples.html) have changed dramatically in the past half-century. The two-parent home with father as breadwinner and mother as a housewife is no longer the standard. Some parents still have traditional expectations, while others hold a more equal and unrestricted expectation for sons and daughters. Boy and girl playing with toys ------------------------------------------------ ***Male and female children playing equally*** **Schools** Teachers, peers, and curricular materials are the primary gender socialization agents in schools. Curricular materials such as textbooks have historically contained gender-stereotypical pictures and text. However, modern school resources contain much more egalitarian portrayals of gender roles. Teachers contribute to the gender socialization of students in several ways. One is through modeling gender roles. For example, male teachers tend to coach school sports teams more than female teachers. Female teachers tend to be more nurturing and caregiving with students. Teachers may exhibit gender expectations of students in the classroom. For example, a teacher may set up activity centers based on gender. Boys are expected to prefer construction centers with blocks or Legos. Girls are expected to prefer dress-up or kitchen centers. Teachers may unconsciously expect boys to be better at math than girls or girls to be better at reading. Teachers may also use gender as a way to organize group activities. Boys and girls may be asked to line up separately. Or they may be asked to sit in boy-girl-boy order to discourage talking. In school, children tend to interact most with their same-sex peers. Peers model gender roles for each other. Children that do not conform to gender roles are likely to be bullied or ostracized. **Media** The word \"medium\" refers to a way of doing something. For example, television is a medium of mass communication. So is the Internet. \"Media\" is the plural form of the word medium. All forms of mass communication are referred to collectively as media, or \"the media.\" Media include books, television, movies, advertisements, the Internet, music, and video games. The images and messages produced by media strongly influence how people understand the world. From early childhood, gender stereotypes presented in media play a key role in gender socialization. Women have been portrayed in media in less dominant or powerful roles than men. Men have been portrayed as more aggressive or violent than women. Women are more likely to be portrayed as victims or in roles of domesticity. At the same time, men are more likely to be portrayed as criminals or in business or industry. Such portrayals affect societal perceptions of gender roles. The agents of gender socialization - parents, schools, teachers, peers, the media - are all elements of one\'s environment. Gender is influenced by biological factors as well. Men and women have differences in genes, sex hormones, and brain makeup. Gender development is a combination of environmental and biological factors. Even if you are not familiar with the concept of "gender socialization", it is most likely that you have been influenced by it and in turn passed on your own beliefs about what constitutes gender-appropriate attitudes and behaviour to others. Gender socialization begins at birth, intensifies during adolescence and contributes to gender inequalities in education, employment, income, empowerment, and other significant outcomes of well-being during adolescence and later in life Gender Socialization Examples ----------------------------- **Example** Tamika is expecting a baby. She has just learned that the baby is going to be a girl. She invites all of her friends to her house to help her paint and decorate the baby\'s room. They paint the walls a pastel pink and hang lacey white curtains and pictures of princesses and unicorns. Her friends have a baby shower for her the following weekend and gift her with pink baby blankets and baby girl clothes. They have fun thinking of girl\'s names for the baby. Tamika and her friends have started the gender socialization of her baby. **Example** Mike and Janet\'s son Mikey has just turned three years old. Mikey\'s hair is almost shoulder length and curls at the ends. Mike wants to take Mikey for his first haircut. Janet says she can\'t bear to lose those adorable baby curls. Mike agrees, and they put off the haircut a while longer. They are in the park with Mikey the following week, and someone mistakes him for a baby girl. They go immediately to the barber and get Mikey\'s haircut. Mike and Janet\'s concern now is not with hair but gender socialization. **Example** A group of third-graders are in line to check out books in the school library. Most of the girls have chosen princess books. The girl in line behind Maria notices that Maria has chosen a dinosaur book. She tells Maria, \"That\'s a boy\'s book!\" The other girls snicker. Maria gets out of the line and runs to get a princess book instead. Maria\'s peers are acting as agents of gender socialization.