Overview of Gender
Concepts
Philippine Commission on Women (PCW)
National Machinery for the Advancement of Women
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Objectives
To understand gender and how
gender roles and stereotyping lead
to gender discrimination and abuse
To understand Violence Against
Women (VAW):
from a social and cultural perspective
as a human rights violation
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Gender and Sex
Gender is very much related
to sex and many people
are often confused about
the distinction between
sex and gender.
gender
So, what’s the difference?
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SEX
• What makes one a male or a
female or an intersex
• Biologically determined
• Refers to physical
characteristics
• Constant across time,
different societies and
cultures
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GENDER
• What makes one
masculine or feminine
• Socially constructed
• Learned behavior
• Changes across time,
across places and
cultures
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GENDER
It is concerned with
differentiating people
based on perceptions,
roles, and social
expectations.
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Learned behavior makes up
gender identity and determine
gender roles…
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GENDER
ROLES
These are socially constructed roles,
behaviors, activities, and attributes
that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women.
These are what men and women
actually do, usually according to
what is expected of them – their
activity patterns, social relations and
behaviors in specific cultural
settings.
D:\Training Materials\YouTube- Gender Roles - Male an
d Female.mp4
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N
U
R
S
E
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WOMEN IN NON-TRADITIONAL JOBS
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Men can be good
nurturing fathers.
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Men can be good
cooks, too.
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Macho men wear pants.
Royal Regiments of Scotland
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MASCULINITY ACROSS CULTURES
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Sex Gender
(born with) (socially constructed)
Basically fixed, as sex- Can be changed
change operations do Women can do
not provide all the traditionally male
physical characteristics jobs
of one sex Men can do
Only women can give traditionally female
birth jobs
Only men can produce
sperm
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How is the gender system
perpetuated?
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The Process of Gender
Socialization
Gender Socialization
Learning to be a boy/man or a girl/woman
Processes of Gender Socialization:
1. Manipulation: Female babies are handled more
delicately than male babies
2. Canalization: Children’s attention are directed to
gender appropriate objects, i.e. choice of toys for girls and
boys
3. Verbal Appellations: Words that tell children what
they do. Phrases such as “brave boy” don’t cry; “pretty
girls” don’t climb trees
4. Activity Exposures: E.g. boys play outside the house
while girls help mother with the chores in the house
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1. Manipulation: Female babies are handled
more delicately than male babies
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2. Canalization: Children’s attention are directed to
gender appropriate objects, i.e. choice of toys for girls
and boys
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3. Verbal Appellations: Words that tell children what
they do. Phrases such as “brave boy” don’t cry;
“pretty girls” don’t climb trees
4. Activity Exposures: E.g. boys play outside the house
while girls help mother with the chores in the house
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SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
influence gender socialization
perpetuate the assignment of
characteristics and roles associated with
women and men
serve as the mechanisms that maintain
and affirm gender roles
FAMILY, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS,
RELIGION, STATE, MEDIA
D:\Training Materials\YouTube- Gender Stereotypes in Media.mp4
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Gender Gender
Roles (LEAD TO)
Biases
What’s the
problem?
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GENDER ROLES
The assignment of roles created a divide
between men and women.
Public Private
Productive Reproductive
Economic, Familial
Political
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Traditional Gender Roles Divide
DENY MEN DENY WOMEN
ACCESS TO: ACCESS TO:
the nurturing independence
emotional world of
other-oriented domestic life
world of domestic life power
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GENDER DIVISION OF LABOR
• Gender division of labor constraints the
capacities and potentials of men and
women to fully develop as human
beings.
• These differentiated roles result in
gender discrimination or gender bias
..\..\..\..\..\..\..\Training Materials\YouTube- Gender Inequality.mp4
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Five Major Institutions that
promote Gender Bias in
Phil. Society
FAMILY – most basic
Here socialization starts –
when baby is born –
influential in formative
years.
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SCHOOLS
Although equally accessible to both males
and females education encourages gender
bias:
Textbooks & Curricula- stereo-type images;
exclusive language; career options (gender
tracking of professions).
Sex-segregation among exclusive schools.
Teachers channel students towards
gender appropriate behaviors & activities.
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MASS MEDIA
Gender stereotype images of men and women
Women: limiting or negative images:
Housewives; loving mothers & wives;
Martyrs, victims, mistresses
Scheming & wicked villainesses
Men: expansive or positive images
Strong – physically, etc.
Determined & courageous
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Principled
PRINT MEDIA
Gender stereotype images of men and women
Women: limiting or negative images:
Housewives; loving mothers & wives;
Martyrs, victims, mistresses
Scheming & wicked villainesses
Men: expansive or positive images
Strong – physically, etc.
Determined & courageous
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Principled
ADVERTISING
Use of gender images to attract people to buy:
WOMEN: depicted as housewives, mothers, daughters
whose main concern is to answer the needs of her
family: serve food; keep house clean, send off sons,
husbands, fathers off to work & eagerly welcome their
return.
Shown as SEXY come-ons
Cigarettes,liquors, or other male-specific
products or as partners of male in parties and
sports.
MEN: are shown in out-door activities; sports, profession
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GAD
Gender and development (GAD) – an
approach to or paradigm of development
focusing on social, economic, political and
cultural forces that determines how
differently women and men participate in
benefit from, and control resources and
activities. It shifts the focus from women as
a group to the socially determined
relations between them. Its vision is
“gender equality” where women and men
equally contribute to and benefit from
development.
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Thank You very
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much!
