KEY Gender Concepts

Culture-The distinctive patterns of ideas, beliefs, and norms which characterise the way of life
and relations of a society or group within a society.
Sex and Gender
Sex refers to the biological characteristics that categorise someone as either female or male. A
person’s sex is biologically determined as female or male according to certain identifiable
physical features which are fixed.
Gender refers to the socially determined ideas and practices of what it is to be female or male.
Gender refers to how a person’s biology is culturally valued and interpreted into locally accepted
ideas of what it is to be a woman or man. ‘Gender’ and the hierarchical power relations between
women and men based on this are socially constructed, and not derived directly from biology.
Gender identities and associated expectations of roles and responsibilities are therefore
changeable between and within cultures.
Patriarchy
Patriarchy refers to systemic societal structures that institutionalise male physical, social and
economic power over women. Patriarchy explains the systematic subordination of women by
societal structures. These structures work to the benefit of men by constraining women’s life
choices and chances.
The main areas of patriarchal oppression include housework, paid work, the state, culture,
sexuality, and violence. Behaviours that discriminate against women because of their gender are
seen as patriarchal ‘practices’; for example occupational segregation, exclusion, and unequal
pay.
Gender analysis
Gender analysis refers to the systematic gathering and examination of information on gender
differences and social relations in order to identify, understand and redress inequities based on
gender.
A gender analysis or perspective looks at the roles society says men and women must play as
well as the unequal power relations between men and women. It then looks at the needs that arise
from gender roles and how to respond to them.

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Gender Discrimination-

Gender discrimination

Gender discrimination refers to the systematic, unfavourable treatment of individuals on the

Within the household, women and girls can face discrimination in the sharing out of household
resources including food, sometimes leading to higher malnutrition and mortality indicators for
women. At its most extreme, gender discrimination can lead to son preference, expressed in sex
selective abortion or female feticide. In the labour market, unequal pay, occupational exclusion
or segregation into low skill and low paid work limit women’s earnings in comparison to those
of men of similar education levels.
Also, women may face gender discrimination in terms of access to public services, such as
schooling and health care, or discriminatory laws.
Gender Division of Labour
Gender division of labour refers to the socially determined ideas and practices which define what
roles and activities are deemed appropriate for women and men.
However, roles typically designated as female are almost invariably less valued than those
designated as male. Women are generally expected to fulfill the reproductive role of bearing and
raising children, caring for other family members, and household management tasks, as well as
home based production. Men tend to be more associated with productive roles, particularly paid
work, and market production.
Gender equality
Gender equality denotes women having the same opportunities in life as men, including access to
education, the labour market, health services, and the ability to participate in the public sphere
(politics). Judicial reform is another key tool in the fight for equality.
This expresses an idea that removing discrimination in opportunities for women allows them to
achieve equal status to men. Equal opportunities policies and legislation tackle the problem
through measures to increase women’s participation in public life. It assumes that once the
barriers to participation are removed, there is a level playing field.
Gender equity
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Gender equity denotes the equivalence in life outcomes for women and men, recognising their
different needs and interests, and requiring a redistribution of power and resources.
The goal of gender equity moves beyond equality of opportunity by requiring transformative
change. It recognises that women and men have different needs, preferences, and interests and
that equality of outcomes may necessitate different treatment of men and women.
An equity approach implies that all development policies and interventions need to take account
of men’s and women’s different realities and interests.
Gender Mainstreaming
Gender Mainstreaming refers to an organisational strategy to bring a gender perspective to all
aspects of an institution’s policy and activities, through building gender capacity and
accountability.
With a mainstreaming strategy, gender concerns are seen as important to all aspects of
development; for all sectors and areas of activity, and a fundamental part of the planning process.
Responsibility for the implementation of gender policy is diffused across the organisational
structure, rather than concentrated in a small central unit.
Gender Needs
Gender Needs refers to shared and prioritised needs identified by women that arise from their
common experiences as a gender. Since women and men play different roles, have differential
access to and control over resources and face different types of constraints, they usually have
different needs and prioririties.
Practical Gender Needs (PGNs)
Practical Gender Needs (PGNs) are the immediate needs identified by women to assist their
survival in their socially accepted roles, within existing power structures.
Practical gender needs focus on ensuring that women and their families have adequate living
conditions, such as health care and food provision, access to safe water and sanitation, but also
seek to ensure access to income-earning opportunities.
PGNs do not directly challenge gender inequalities, even though these needs may be a direct
result of women’s subordinate position in society.
Strategic gender needs (SGNs)
Strategic gender needs (SGNs) are those needs identified by women that require strategies for
challenging male dominance and privilege. These needs may relate to inequalities in the
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gender division of labour, in ownership and control of resources, in participation in decision-
making, or to experiences of domestic and other sexual violence. These needs often seek to
change women’s status and position in society in relation to men. As such, they are more likely
to be resisted than PGNs.
Gender Planning
Gender Planning refers to the technical and political processes and procedures necessary to
implement gender-sensitive policy.
The purpose of gender planning is to ensure gender-sensitive policy outcomes through a
systematic and inclusive process. If gender policy has transformatory goals, then gender planning
as a process will necessarily be a political one, involving consultation with and participation of
different stakeholders.
Gender Relations
Gender Relations refers to hierarchical relations of power between women and men that tend to
disadvantage women.
These gender hierarchies are often accepted as ‘natural’ but are socially determined relations,
culturally based, and are subject to change over time. They can be seen in a range of gendered
practices, such as the division of labour and resources, and gendered ideologies, such as ideas of
acceptable behaviour for women and men.
Gender Training
Gender Training refers to a facilitated process of developing awareness and capacity on gender
issues, to bring about personal or organisational change for gender equality.
Gender training is one of strategies used to integrate gender into the work of development
agencies. Its objectives can include raising general awareness of the relevance of gender to an
organisation’s work and skills transfer in gender analysis, gender-aware planning, programme
design and implementation. Gender training typically involves: group discussion and reflection
on gender roles and relations; case studies of the impact of development policies and
programmes on gender relations;

Gender Violence
Gender Violence refers to any act or threat by men or male-dominated institutions, that inflicts
physical, sexual, or psychological harm on a woman or girl because of their gender.
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Gender violence happens in virtually all societies, across all social classes, with women
particularly at risk from men they know.
Commonly, the acts or threats included in the definition of gender violence are rape, sexual
harassment, wifebattering, sexual abuse of girls, dowry-related violence, and non spousal
violence within the home. Other acts are such as marital rape, female genital mutilation, female
infanticide, sex-selective abortion, enforced prostitution, trafficking of women and girls, and
pornography.
WID (Women in Development)
WID (or Women in Development) approach calls for greater attention to women in development
policy and practice, and emphasises the need to integrate them into the development process.
GAD (Gender and Development)
GAD (Gender and Development) approach focuses on the socially constructed basis of
differences between men and women and emphasizes the need to challenge existing gender roles
and relations.
Women’s Empowerment
Women’s Empowerment refers to ‘bottom-up’ process of transforming gender power relations,
through individuals or groups developing awareness of women’s subordination and building
their capacity to challenge it.
Empowerment is essentially a bottom-up process rather than something that can be formulated as
a top-down strategy. It involves a process whereby women, individually and collectively, freely
analyse, develop and voice their needs and interests, without them being pre-defined, or imposed
from above. The ultimate goal of women’s empowerment is for women themselves to be the
active agents of change in transforming gender relations.
Whilst empowerment cannot be ‘done to’ women, appropriate external support can be important
to foster and support the process of empowerment. A facilitative rather than directive role is
needed, such as funding women’s organisations that work locally to address the causes of gender
subordination and promoting dialogue between such organisations and those in positions of
power.
Women’s Human Rights-
Women’s Human Rights refers to the recognition that women’s rights are human rights and that
women experience injustices solely because of their gender.
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