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Frequently Asked Questions about Gender
The term gender refers to the economic,
social and cultural attributes and opportunities associated
with being male or female. In most societies, being
a man or a woman is not simply a matter of different
biological and physical characteristics. Men and women
face different expectations about how they should dress,
behave or work. Relations between men and women, whether
in the family, the workplace or the public sphere, also
reflect understandings of the talents, characteristics
and behaviour appropriate to women and to men. Gender
thus differs from sex in that it is social and cultural
in nature rather than biological. Gender attributes
and characteristics, encompassing, inter alia, the roles
that men and women play and the expectations placed
upon them, vary widely among societies and change over
time. But the fact that gender attributes are socially
constructed means that they are also amenable to change
in ways that can make a society more just and equitable.
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Taking gender concerns into account
when designing and implementing population and development
programmes therefore is important for two reasons. First,
there are differences between the roles of men and women,
differences that demand different approaches. Second,
there is systemic inequality between men and women.
Universally, there are clear patterns of women’s inferior
access to resources and opportunities. Moreover, women
are systematically under-represented in decision-making
processes that shape their societies and their own lives.
This pattern of inequality is a constraint to the progress
of any society because it limits the opportunities of
one-half of its population. When women are constrained
from reaching their full potential, that potential is
lost to society as a whole. Programme design and implementation
should endeavor to address either or both of these factors.
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Gender mainstreaming is a strategy
for integrating gender concerns in the analysis, formulation
and monitoring of policies, programmes and projects.
It is therefore a means to an end, not an end in itself;
a process, not a goal. The purpose of gender mainsteaming
is to promote gender equality and the empowerment of
women in population and development activities. This
requires addressing both the condition, as well as the
position, of women and men in society. Gender mainstreaming
therefore aims to strengthen the legitimacy of gender
equality values by addressing known gender disparities
and gaps in such areas as the division of labour between
men and women; access to and control over resources;
access to services, information and opportunities; and
distribution of power and decision-making. UNFPA has
adopted the mainstreaming of gender concerns into all
population and development activities as the primary
means of achieving the commitments on gender equality,
equity and empowerment of women stemming from the International
Conference on Population and Development.
Gender mainstreaming, as a strategy,
does not preclude interventions that focus only on women
or only on men. In some instances, the gender analysis
that precedes programme design and development reveals
severe inequalities that call for an initial strategy
of sex-specific interventions. However, such sex-specific
interventions should still aim to reduce identified
gender disparities by focusing on equality or inequity
as the objective rather than on men or women as a target
group. In such a context, sex-specific interventions
are still important aspects of a gender mainstreaming
strategy. When implemented correctly, they should not
contribute to a marginalization of men in such a critical
area as access to reproductive and sexual health services.
Nor should they contribute to the evaporation of gains
or advances already secured by women. Rather, they should
consolidate such gains that are central building blocks
towards gender equality.
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Gender equality is intrinsically
linked to sustainable development and is vital to the
realization of human rights for all. The overall objective
of gender equality is a society in which women and men
enjoy the same opportunities, rights and obligations
in all spheres of life. Equality between men and women
exists when both sexes are able to share equally in
the distribution of power and influence; have equal
opportunities for financial independence through work
or through setting up businesses; enjoy equal access
to education and the opportunity to develop personal
ambitions, interests and talents; share responsibility
for the home and children and are completely free from
coercion, intimidation and gender-based violence both
at work and at home.
Within the context of population
and development programmes, gender equality is critical
because it will enable women and men to make decisions
that impact more positively on their own sexual and
reproductive health as well as that of their spouses
and families. Decision-making with regard to such issues
as age at marriage, timing of births, use of contraception,
and recourse to harmful practices (such as female genital
cutting) stands to be improved with the achievement
of gender equality.
However it is important to acknowledge
that where gender inequality exists, it is generally
women who are excluded or disadvantaged in relation
to decision-making and access to economic and social
resources. Therefore a critical aspect of promoting
gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a
focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances
and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives.
This would enable them to make decisions and take actions
to achieve and maintain their own reproductive and sexual
health. Gender equality and women’s empowerment do not
mean that men and women become the same; only that access
to opportunities and life changes is neither dependent
on, nor constrained by, their sex.
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The achievement of gender equality
implies changes for both men and women. More equitable
relationships will need to be based on a redefinition
of the rights and responsibilities of women and men
in all spheres of life, including the family, the workplace
and the society at large. It is therefore crucial not
to overlook gender as an aspect of men’s social identity.
This fact is, indeed, often overlooked, because the
tendency is to consider male characteristics and attributes
as the norm, and those of women as a variation of the
norm.
But the lives of men are just as
strongly influenced by gender as those of women. Cultural
norms and practices about “masculinity” and expectations
of men as leaders, husbands or sons create demands on
men and shape their behaviour. Men are too often expected
to concentrate on the material needs of their families,
rather than on the nurturing and caring roles assigned
to women. Socialization in the family and later in schools
promotes risk-taking behaviour among young men, and
this is often reinforced through peer pressure and media
stereotypes. So the lifestyles that men’s roles demand
often result in their being more exposed to greater
risks of morbidity and mortality than women. These risks
include ones relating to accidents, violence and alcohol
consumption.
Men also have the right to assume
a more nurturing role, and opportunities for them to
do so should be promoted. Equally, however, men have
responsibilities in regard to child health and to their
own and their partners’ sexual and reproductive health.
Addressing these rights and responsibilities entails
recognizing men’s specific health problems, as well
as their needs and the conditions that shape them. The
adoption of a gender perspective is an important first
step; it reveals that there are disadvantages and costs
to men accruing from patterns of gender difference.
It also underscores that gender equality is concerned
not only with the roles, responsibilities and needs
of women and men, but also with the interrelationships
between them.
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