Key Concepts of Gender

Introduction to Gender
Studies
Dr Ambreen Salahuddin
Assistant Professor,
Department of Gender
Studies,
University of the Punjab,
Lahore
[email protected]
Gender
• Gender is a social construct
• Gender is the behavioral, cultural, or
psychological traits typically associated with
one sex (Merriam-Webster)
• Gender is the range of characteristics
pertaining to, and differentiating between
masculinity and femininity.
• Depending on the context, these characteristics
may include biological sex, sex-based social
structures (including gender roles and
other social roles), or gender identity.
Gender
• Sexologist John Money introduced the
terminological distinction between biological
sex and gender as a role in 1955. Before his
work, it was uncommon to use the
word gender to refer to anything
but grammatical categories.

• Money's meaning of the word did not become

widespread until the 1970s, when feminist
theory embraced the concept of a distinction
between biological sex and the social
construct of gender.
Gender and Sex
• Gender is different from sex because sex
is the state of being male, female or
an intersex
Gender Identity
• Gender identity refers to a personal
identification with a particular gender and
gender role in society. The
term woman has historically been used
interchangeably with reference to the
female body, though more recently this
usage has been viewed as controversial
by some feminists
Gender Stereotypes
• Gender stereotypes are simplistic
generalizations about the gender
attributes, differences, and the roles of
individuals and/or groups.
• Stereotypes can be positive or negative,
but they rarely communicate accurate
information about others.
Gender Roles
• Gender roles can be defined as the social roles
that a person is expected to fulfill based upon his
or her gender. These vary in different social,
cultural and historical contexts.
• They vary among different societies and cultures,
classes, ages and during different periods in
history.
• Gender –specific roles and responsibilities are
often conditioned by household structure, access
to resources, specific impacts of the global
economy, and other locally relevant factors such as
ecological conditions
Gender Relations
• Gender relations are the ways in which a
culture or society defines rights,
responsibilities, and the identities of men and
women in relation to one another (Bravo–
Baumann, 2000).
• Men and women respond to different
situations and conditions differently, this is not
because of their biological traits but because
of their socially and culturally endorsed roles;
therefore they ascribe to acquire distinct and
diverse sets of knowledge and needs.
Gender Lens
• Gender Lens helps focus our attention on
gender differences and identify
• Using the gender lens is like putting on
glasses to bring different perspectives into
focus. Through one lens of the glasses, you
see the participation, needs and realities of
women. Through the other lens, you see the
participation, needs and realities of men.
These glasses do not make you see something
that is not there they just help you see clearly
Gender discrimination
• Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial
treatment of different categories of
people, especially on the grounds of race,
age, or sex.

• Discrimination based on gender,

especially discrimination against women
is the belief that one gender is superior to
the other, especially that men are
superior to women
Gender Oppression
• Oppression is prolonged cruel or unjust
treatment or exercise of authority

• Gender oppression is defined as oppression

associated with the gender norms, relations
and stratification of a given society.

• Gendered oppression is the systemic

manner in which certain groups are
privileged or disadvantaged because of
Gender Exploitation
• Exploitation is the action or fact of
treating someone unfairly in order to
benefit from their work
• Sexual exploitation means taking the
advantage of sexuality and attractiveness
of a person to make a personal gain or
profit. It is the abuse of a position of
vulnerability, differential power, or trust
for sexual purposes
Gender subordination
• The condition of being subordinated, or
made dependent, secondary, or
subservient.

• The refusal to allow women to be

educated was part of
society's subordination of women to men
 Gender gap
• A gender gap, by definition, is a disproportionate
difference or disparity between the sexes.
• In the workplace, gender gaps refer to job
opportunities and salary differences. Statistics
show that men often earn more for the same
work than women.
• It can also be seen as difference that exists
between males and females in access to some
social good or benefit based solely on their
difference in gender
• When economists speak of the “gender gap”
these days, they usually are referring to
Gender sensitization
• Gender sensitizing "is about changing
behavior and instilling empathy into the views
that we hold about our own and the other
genders.“
• It helps people in "examining their personal
attitudes and beliefs and questioning the
'realities' they thought they know.
• Its aim is to make people aware of the power
relations between men and women in society
and understand importance of providing
equal opportunities and treatment to both.
Gender equality
• "Gender equality requires equal enjoyment
by women and men of socially-valued goods,
opportunities, resources and rewards."
• Gender equality refers to equal access to
social goods, services and resources and
equal opportunities in all spheres of life for
both men and women. When there is gender
inequality, it is women that are more likely to
be disadvantaged and marginalised; but we
should not ignore the negative impact that
gender inequality can have on men as well.
Gender equity
• "Gender equity is the process of being fair to
women and men.“
• Women and men should not only be given equal
access to resources and equal opportunities, but
they should also be given the means of benefiting
from this equality. This is where the concept of
‘gender equity' comes into play. Gender equity
implies fairness in the way women and men are
treated. The different life experiences and needs
of men and women are taken into consideration
and compensation is made for women's historical
and social disadvantages.
Gender Justice
• Gender justice can be defined as ‘the
protection and promotion of civil,
political, economic and social rights on
the basis of gender equality. It
necessitates taking a gender perspective
on the rights themselves, as well as the
assessment of access and obstacles to the
enjoyment of these rights for both women,
men, girls and boys and adopting gender-
sensitive strategies for protecting and
 Gender Socialization
• Gender socialization is the process of learning the
social expectations and attitudes associated with one's
sex. Sociologists explain through gender socialization
why human males and females behave in different
ways: they learn different social roles. For example,
girls learn to do different household chores than boys;
girls learn to bake and clean, and boys learn to mow
lawns and take out garbage. Gender socialization
occurs through such diverse means as parental
attitudes, schools, how peers interact with each other,
and mass media. Sometimes gender roles lead to
inequality; for example, women's social roles were
once more restricted regarding politics, and United
States law prohibited women from voting. Some
Women empowerment
• Women Empowerment refers to the
creation of an environment for women
where they can make decisions of their
own for their personal benefits as well as
for the society.
• Women Empowerment refers to
increasing and improving the social,
economic, political and legal strength of
the women, to ensure equal-right to
women, and to make them confident
 Women Empowerment
• freely live their life with a sense of self-worth, respect
and dignity,
• have complete control of their life, both within and
outside of their home and workplace,
• to make their own choices and decisions,
• have equal rights to participate in social, religious and
public activities,
• have equal social status in the society,
• have equal rights for social and economic justice,
• determine financial and economic choices,
• get equal opportunity for education,
• get equal employment opportunity without any gender
bias,
Sex disaggregated data
• Data that are collected and presented
separately on men and women
• This typically involves asking the “who”
questions in an agricultural household survey:
who provides labor, who makes the decisions,
who owns and controls the land and other
resources. Or it may involve asking men and
women about their individual roles and
responsibilities.
• They are not gender-based because they are
limited to raw data. They feed gender analyses.
Sex disaggregated Data
• Some people mistakenly believe that the goal
of collecting sex-disaggregated data and
conducting gender analysis is simply to
understand the situation for women. But,
both men and women are involved in
agricultural production, so it’s necessary to
understand both of their roles and
responsibilities and how these may change in
the context of new policies, markets, and
technologies. The purpose of collecting sex-
disaggregated data is to provide a more
complete understanding of agricultural