ACHIEVING GENDER JUSTICE

Gender is an important consideration in development. It is a way of looking at how social norms and power structures impact on the lives and opportunities available to different groups of men and women. Globally, more women than men live in poverty. Women are also less likely than men to receive basic education and to be appointed to a political position nationally and internationally. Understanding that men and women, boys and girls experience poverty differently and face different barriers in accessing services, economic resources and political opportunities helps to target interventions.

WHAT IS GENDER?

Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time. Gender is hierarchical and produces inequalities that intersect with other social and economic inequalities. Gender-based discrimination intersects with other factors of discrimination, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, age, geographic location, gender identity and sexual orientation, among others.

GENDER JUSTICE

Gender justice can be conceived of in terms of entitlements and choice, absence of discrimination, or positive rights. Gender justice entails ending the inequalities between women and men that are produced and reproduced in the family, the community, the market and the state. We need gender equality urgently. Gender equality prevents violence against women and girls. It’s essential for economic prosperity. Societies that value women and men as equal are safer and healthier. Gender equality is a human right. Everyone benefits from gender equality.

SEXISM

Sexism is prejudice and discrimination against people based on their sex or gender. A person’s sex is assigned at birth based on biological traits. Gender involves how a person feels and self-identifies. Gender also exists as a social construct. This consists of societal and cultural roles and norms considered appropriate for various genders. Any action, speech, law, practice, or media representation that places a higher value on one gender or sex over another is sexist. This applies whether the person or institution meant to cause harm or not. Worldwide, sexism affects women and girls most often. This is because in most cultures, being male or masculine is more highly valued than being female or feminine. Sexism also affects people who were not assigned female at birth but who express themselves in a way that people perceive as feminine. It is possible to be sexist toward men. However, because men possess more power and status in most countries, the harm that they experience is usually an indirect result of sexism toward women. For example, if a person believes that women are weaker than men, they may feel that they have to be strong or tough at all times.

SOCIAL LEARNING APPROACH

Social learning is learning by observing other people with the goal of adapting one's behaviour in social contexts. People typically don't adopt worldviews that make the most logical sense, but we are influenced to adopt behaviour that earns the least amount of criticism in our unique environment. It is human nature to want to be accepted by others, so we automatically observe how others behave and what the consequences are in order to adapt our behaviour. With social learning, we use this technique to adopt the behaviours with which another person has been successful in order to achieve the desired result. While social learning is usually associated with learning specific content, it is actually a process that we naturally use every day of our lives.

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 society.