GENDER ANALYSIS

An organised approach for considering gender issues in the entire process of programme or organisational development project. The purpose of gender analysis is to ensure that development projects and programmes fully incorporate the roles, needs and participation of women and men. Gender analysis requires separating data and information by sex (gender disaggregated data) and understanding how labour, roles, needs and participation are divided and valued according to sex (whether one is a man or woman). Gender analysis is done at all stages of development projects

GENDER CONCEPTS

GENDER

The socially constructed roles and responsibilities assigned to women and men in a given culture or location. Gender Identity is learned and changes over time

GENDER ROLES AND RELATIONS

Ways in which a culture or society defines rights, responsibilities, identities of men and women in a relation to one another

GENDER EQUALITY

Gender equality refers to an equal sharing of power between women and men, in their equal access to education, health, administration and managerial positions, equal pay for work of equal value and equal seats in parliament, among others.(The same status, rights and responsibilities for women and men).

SEX VRS GENDER ROLES

GENDER EQUITY

Gender equity refers to the fair distribution of resources and benefits between women and men according to cultural norms and values. It is usually based on the traditional perception that men and women do not necessarily have the same needs and rights.

GENDER SENSITIVE

Being aware of the differences between women’s and men’s needs, roles, responsibilities and constraints.

GENDER BLIND

No recognition of gender differentials: assumption include bias in favour of existing gender relations

GENDER –RESPONSIVE

Interventions intended to transform existing distributions to create a more balanced relationship between women and men.

SUBORDINATION

A phrase used to describe the generalized situation whereby men as a group have more social and economic power than women, including power over women. As a result, women come off worst in most measurable indices of the outcome of social and economic processes Pearson, (1992 p. 294)

Subordination within gender relationship can take various forms ranging from inhibited access to certain kinds of work to skewed structure of the legal framework. In general, subordination can result in the marginalization of women that is, their exclusion from the process and benefit of development. It is important to note that this relationship –as well as roles of women are expected to fulfil; is often socially defined by what is expected culturally, by religion, by the balance of power within society and other factors. As such, this relationship is a difficult one to change through policy, particularly if the policy environment is one that favours the status quo. Subordination and marginalization can lead to a planning process which does not consider the needs of the woman, nor their contributions made through the various roles they play. It is premised on the perception that decisions made will have universal benefits and it can occur in the household, in the community or in institutions.

GENDER DIVISION OF LABOUR

The different roles, responsibilities and activities assigned/ascribed to women and men according to what is considered appropriate in a given society. This involves two main elements

-         The allocation of different tasks and responsibilities

-         The differential (economics/social/political) valuation of work and other activities based on gender.

Three main categories of work

Ο   Productive Work

Ο   Reproductive Work

Ο   Community Work/Service

Most societies consider their particular “traditional” gender division of labour to be the natural one. However,

-most “traditional” divisions of labour are not so “traditional”. They are the result of important social transformations. (eg. through colonization, commercialization and other processes) These processes have also affected the gender division of labour

- Different societies have different ways of dividing work roles between men and women, and all find their ways just as “natural”

PRODUCTIVE WORK

Involves the production of goods and services for consumption and trade (farming, fishing, employment and self employment)

Women’s productive work is often less valued and less visible than men’s productive work.

REPRODUCTIVE WORK

Involves the care and maintenance of the household and its members including bearing and caring for children, food preparation, water and fuel collection, shopping, housekeeping and family healthcare. Reproductive work is almost always the responsibilities of women and girls.

COMMUNITY WORK

Clean-up in communities, eg the refuse damps, traditional roles such as preparing girls for initiation rites etc.

All together is the “Triple Role of Women”

GENDER NEEDS

It is the fulfilment of those “gender roles” that determines people’s “gender needs”. Such needs can be further broken down into practical gender needs and strategic gender needs (Moser 1989).

PRACTICAL GENDER NEEDS

Practical gender needs refer to those needs of men and women as defined by their existing engendered roles within society, in which as mentioned, women mostly fulfill three roles while men usually fulfill one practical need and practical policies are concerned with the effective fulfillment of these socially defined roles: that is, they do not seek to change the status quo.

Practical gender needs are to do with what people need to perform their current roles more easily, effectively and efficiently (projects can be designed to meet the practical gender need of both men and women without necessarily changing their relative position in society (commonwealth secretariat 1995: 15) Examples of policies that address women’s practical Gender Needs are:

-          provision of conveniently located stand-pipes and the development of fuel-efficient stoves, both of which will reduce their workload

-          Training in traditional production activities (such as crafts) to increase their income.

-          Provision of child health education for women as a support to their child rearing role;

-          The provision of crèches so that mothers can bring children to work

Actions Addressing Practical Gender Needs

Ο   Reduce women’s workload with grinding mills, blenders, fuel efficient stoves and conveniently located standpipes and hand pumps

Ο   Improve family health through primary health centres, child spacing and family planning advices and clean water supply

Ο   Improved services, including primary schools, transport facilities and housing

Ο   Increased access to enterprise services through skills training, credit groups, and improved access to markets

STRATEGIC GENDER NEEDS

Strategic gender needs are what people need to improve the position or status of a particular group to equalise gender relations. These turn to be abstract and refer to social relations. Strategic gender needs are less visible, relate to long term, and are more ideological- influencing attitudes, behaviour and power strucutes

Actions Addressing Strategic Gender Needs

Ο   Improved educational materials using gender-neutral text books and female teachers as role models

Ο   Improved access to productive assets, including the right to legally own and use common property and the right access to financial resources

Ο   Allow women to take part in decision-making in local communities, in elections and through women’s groups

Ο   Allow equal opportunities for employment, through access to jobs traditionally performed by men and equal pay for comparable jobs.

HELENA AWURUSA

NATIONAL COORDINATOR, GENDER & HIV/AIDS PROGRAMMES