Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia:

Woliso Youth Center

CSE ORENTATION , GENDER & SEX

Berhanu Leta ,YCH

May, 2013

Woliso
Sep 28, 2 From Choice, Country of Possibilities
020
 UNDERSTANDING
GENDER IDENTITY
AND
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Adapted from: Challenging Homophobia and Heterosexism: A K-12 Curriculum
 Gender and Development

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 Topics to be Covered

 Gender and Sex

 Gender Identity Development
 Gender Socialization
 Gender Division of Labor
 Gender Discrimination
 Gender Equality
 Gender Analysis
 Gender Needs
 Women in Development Vs
Gender and Development
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 Gender & Sex: Different or the Same?

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 Gender & Sex
Gender Sex
• Refers to socially • Refers to the
constructed roles and biological
responsibilities of characteristics that
women and men, and categorize someone
includes expectations as either female or
held about male
characteristics and • Denotes the
likely behaviors of both physiological
men and women. attributes that
identify a person as
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male or female
 Therefore…
“…to determine sex one must assay the following
physical conditions:
 chromosomes, external genitalia, internal
genitalia, gonads, hormonal states and secondary
sex characteristics…
One’s sex, then, is determined by an algebraic sum of
all these qualities, and as is obvious, most people fall
under one of two separate bell curves, the one of
which is called ‘male’ and the other ‘female’.

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 Defining Gender

Refers to the socially

learned behaviours and
expectations that are
associated with the two
sexes.
This is set by culture and
society
Attributes and
designations may change
depending on the place
and the culture
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 Therefore…
Gender is systematically constructed, maintained,
justified and perpetuated according to the existing
relational ideology.
Systematic: because it is orderly and follows an ideological
blueprint of what a woman or a man in a particular society
should be.
Constructed: because it is deliberate action that combines
various factors.
Maintained: in the sense that there are structures in place to
ensure its longevity.
Justified: in that it can always be explained away.
Perpetuated: in that it is reproduced in later generations.

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 Characteristics of Gender
Relational – socially constructed
Hierarchical – gender relations as power relations
Changes over time
Context specific – varies with ethnicity, class,
culture, religion, etc.
Learned – can also be unlearned.

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 Gender Identity Development
 Children younger than 2 have no concept of gender

 Cannot consistently label themselves or others as

male or female.

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 Gender Socialization & Stereotype

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 Gender Socialization & Stereotype

Socialization is the process through which the child

becomes an individual respecting her or his

environment laws, norms and customs.

Gender socialization refers to how children of

different sexes are socialized into their gender roles and

taught what it means to be male or female.

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 Gender Socialization & Stereotype, cont.
 Agents of socialization:
 Family neighborhood,
 schools peers,
 Religion workplace,
 mass media and others
 Stereotypes are generalizations of the
characteristics, beliefs, habits and/or behaviors of a
group of individuals based on some part of their
identity.

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 Some Gender Stereotypes:

 Powerful, creative,  Nurturant, supportive,

intelligent, rational, intuitive, emotional,
independent, self-reliant, needful, dependent,
strong, courageous, tender, timid/shy, fragile,
daring/brave, responsible, childlike, passive,
forceful, authoritative, obedient, submissive, etc.
successful political, etc

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 Stereotypical Generalizations:
 Women are weak and very emotional therefore unfit to
occupy leadership positions.
 Men are natural leaders because they are very rational
beings.
 Men are really “bread winners” as they are good
economic providers.
 All women want to be only wives and mothers.
 Fathers remain to have the final say.
 Childcare is the mother’s primary responsibility.

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 Gender stereotypes affect both women and men.

 Stereotypes discourage women

from ascending career ladders
faster.
 Places on both expectations
and roles not of their own
choice and decision.
 Puts unnecessary burdens on
both women men.
 Others?

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 Gender Division of Labor
 The division of labor is the process whereby workers

are allocated to the activity in which they are the most

productive.
 The division of labour by gender thus refers primarily

to the segregation of paid and unpaid work between

women and men in private and public life.

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 Division of Labor, cont.
Both men and women play multiple roles in society.
But, the gender roles of women can be identified as:
Reproductive Roles
Productive Roles
Community Managing Roles

These are termed as triple role/ multiple burden

considering the fact that women tend to work longer and
more fragmented days than men.

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 Gender Discrimination
Discrimination is as any distinction, exclusion or

preference based on race, colour, sex, religion, political

opinion, national extraction or social origin which
impairs equality of opportunity or treatment in
employment or occupation.
In most countries, though discrimination based on sex is

prohibited by law, women’s differential access to power

and control over resources still continued.
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 Gender Equality and Equity

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 Gender Equality, cont.
Gender equality means that the different behavior,

aspirations and needs of women and men are

considered, valued and favored equally.
It does not mean that women & men have to become

the same, but that their rights, responsibilities &

opportunities will not depend on whether they are
born male or female.

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 .
Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women

and men, according to their respective needs including

equal treatment or treatment that is different but which
is considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits,
obligations and opportunities.

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 Gender Analysis
 Is a tool to diagnose the differences between women and

men regarding their specific activities, conditions, needs,

access to and control over resources, and access to
development benefits and decision-making.
It entails collecting sex-disaggregated data (collection

and separation of data and statistical information by sex

to enable comparative analysis) and gender-sensitive
information about the population concerned.
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 Gender Analysis, cont.
 Gender analysis makes visible:
Different needs, priorities, capacities,
experiences, interests, and views of
women and men.
Who has access to and/or control of
resources, opportunities & power.
Who does what, why, and when.
Gender differences in social relations.
Different patterns and levels of
involvement that women and men
have in economic, political, social,
and legal structures.

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 Gender Needs
Practical Gender Needs (PGNs) are the immediate

needs identified to assist the survival of women in their

socially accepted roles, within existing power structures.
PGNs tend to 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, access
to income-earning opportunities.

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 Gender Needs, cont
Strategic Gender Needs (SGNs) are those that require

strategies for challenging male dominance and privilege.

These needs are related to inequalities in the gender

division of labor, in ownership and control over

resources, participation in decision-making, or to
experiences of domestic and other sexual violence.

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 WID and GAD Approaches
Women in Development (WID) policy framework

WID emerged in 1970’s- to respond women’s

practical needs.

It advocated for separate or women-only projects;

WID projects have improved health, income or

resources in the short term, but was not sustainable

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 WID…
 It didn’t examine and failed to address the root causes
of women’s subordination and oppression.

Because it was not based on gender analysis, WID

tended to view women as passive recipients of
development assistance, rather than as active agents.

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 Gender and Development (GAD)

GAD framework emerged in mid 1980s.

Improving the status of women is not a separate,

isolated issue but taking into account relationships of
the two sexes.
GAD seeks to have both sexes to participate, make
decisions and share benefits;

It seeks to understand the different priorities and needs

of men and women

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 GAD…
The GAD is based on gender-analysis

It aims at meeting practical and strategic interests

It believes that social constraints between men and

women can only be achieved if development projects
include both sexes.

It advocates the abolition of the existing unfair sexual

division of labor

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 GAD…
 GAD considers three main points:

1. Greater focus must be placed on women because

they have been more disadvantaged.
2. Women and men have different priorities and
perspectives.
3. Both women and men must be involved in
identifying problems and giving solutions.

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 Women in Development Gender and Development
Focus on women Focus on gender relations
Stress on practical needs Stress on strategic interests
Rationale is effectiveness Goal is equality
Enabling Empowering
Changes the condition of Changes the position of women
women
Aims to enhance women’s Aims to integrate gender
participation consideration into mainstream
Women primarily as agents

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 Women in Development Gender and Development
The Approach
An approach which views An approach to development
women as the problem
The Focus
Women Social relations between men
and women
The Problem
The exclusion of women (half Unequal relations of power
of the productive resources (rich and poor, women and
from the development men) that prevents equitable
process) development and women’s full
participation

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 Women in Development Gender and Development
The Goal
More efficient , effective Equitable, sustainable
development development with women and
men as decision-makers
The Solution
Integrate women into the Empower disadvantaged
existing development process women and transform
unequal relations

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 The Convention on the Elimination of
All forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW)
CEDAW was adopted in 1979, by the UN General
Assembly.
It came into force in 1981.
CEDAW is often described as an international Bill of
rights for women.
It is the first international convention which aimed to
address women’s: civil; Political; economic; social and
cultural rights

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 Why the UN declared CEDAW?
Major human right instruments:
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
in 1948
 International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in1966
 International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR) in 1966.
Because these international human rights
machineries are insufficient to guarantee
the protection of women’s human rights.
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 II. The Beijing Platform for Action

BPFA was adopted by the Fourth World Conference on

Women in 1995 by the United Nations in Beijing,
China.

It upholds/supports CEDAW.

The BPFA calls upon governments to take action to

address 12 critical areas.

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 Critical Areas of concern
1. The persistent and increasing burden of poverty on
women;
2. Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access
to education and training;
3. Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access
to health care and related services;
4. Violence against women;
5. The effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on
women, including those living under foreign occupation;
6. Inequality in economic structures and policies, in all
forms of productive activities and in access to resources;

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7. Inequality between men and women in the sharing of
power and decision-making at all levels
8. Institutional mechanisms: insufficient mechanisms at all
levels to promote the advancement of women
9. Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and
protection of the human rights of women
10. Stereotyping of women and inequality in women's access
to and participation in all communication systems,
especially in the media
11. Gender inequalities in the management of natural
resources and in the safeguarding of the environment;
12. Persistent discrimination against and violation of the
rights of the girl child
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 III. The Millennium Deve’t Goal(MDGs)
Signed in 2000 by the UN member states.

they agreed “to promote gender equality and the

empowerment of women, as effective ways to:

• combat poverty, hunger and disease

• stimulate sustainable development.

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 MDGs …

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 MDGs …

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 I. FDRE Constitution
Ethiopia signed and ratified CEDAW in 1980 and 1981,
respectively.
 The 1995 Constitution particularly Article 35(Rights of
Women) describes:
women’s equal rights with men in marriage.
affirmative action
Elimination of the influences of harmful customs.
the right to maternity leave with full pay.
the right to full consultation in the formulation of national
development policies, the designing and execution of
projects, and particularly in the case of projects affecting
the interests of women.
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 II. Federal Family and Penal Codes
The amendment of Federal Family Code in 2000
to ensure equal rights to women in marriage,
divorce, custody of children and rights to
matrimonial properties,

It also decides the age of marriage, divorce

procedures, and equality during and after marriage,

 Penal Code (2004) has made FGM/C, rape and women

trafficking and sexual exploitation as punishable crimes.

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III. Women’s National Policy (1993 E.C)
IV. Women’s Development and Change Package (1998
E.C.)
V-GTP

Implementation measures
The establishment of Women, Children & youth Affairs
Ministry, Bureau, office at National, Regional, District/Sub-
city, levels respectively
The establishments of Women’s affairs offices under
Human Rights Commission and Ombudsman;
Awareness raising programs for both sexes and so on.
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 THANK YOU

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