1. Gender and Policies Hyunjoo Song, Ph.D. Korean Institute for
Gender Equality Promotion and Education

2. Contents Concepts related to Gender Policy - Sex vs. Gender MDGS
- Gender Equality vs. Gender Equity
- Gender Analysis
- WID/GAD/GM
MDGS

3. Gender and Policies
Sex vs. Gender

4. Sex Sex is the biological difference between men and women
Gender and Policies
Sex
Sex is the biological difference between men and women
Sex differences are concerned with men’s and women’s bodies
Men produce sperm; women bear and breastfeed children; also visible differences in genitalia, the related differences in procreative functions
Sexual differences are the same throughout the human race.

5. Gender Sex is a fact of human biology; gender is not
Gender and Policies
Gender
Sex is a fact of human biology; gender is not
The experience of being male or female differs dramatically from culture to culture

6. Gender and Policies
Gender
The concept of gender is used by sociologists to describe all the socially given attributes, roles, activities, and responsibilities connected to being a male or a female in a given society; that is, the social classification into ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’
Our gender identity determines how we are perceived, and how we are expected to think and act as women and men, because of the way society is organized.

7. Gender (power) relations
Gender and Policies
Gender (power) relations
Gender relations are concerned with how (unbalanced) power is distributed between the sexes.
They create and reproduce systematic differences in men’s and women’s positions in a given society.
They define the way in which responsibilities and claims are allocated and the way in which each is given a value.

8. Gender (or sexual) division of labour
Gender and Policies
Gender (or sexual) division of labour
In all societies, men and women are assigned tasks, activities, and responsibilities according to what is considered and suitable and appropriate.
Because in most societies, gender power relations are skewed in favor of men, different values are ascribed to men’s tasks and women’s tasks.
A distinction can be made between productive work and reproductive work.

9. Gender and Policies
Production
This includes the production of goods and services for income or subsistence.
It is this work which is mainly recognized and valued as “work” by individuals and societies, and which is most commonly included in national economic statistics.
Both women and men perform productive work, but not all of this is valued or rewarded in the same way.

10. Gender and Policies
Reproduction
This encompasses the care and maintenance of the household and its members, such as cooking, washing, cleaning, nursing, bearing children and looking after them, building and maintaining shelter.
This work is necessary, yet it is rarely considered the same value as productive work.
It is normally unpaid and is not counted in conventional economic statistics. It is mostly done by women.

11. Patriarchy / Feminism

12. Gender and Policies
Patriarchy
A system of male authority which oppresses women, minors, and less privileged men through its social, political and economic institutions
Patriarchy has power from men’s greater access to, and mediation of, the resources and rewards of authority structures inside and outside the home.

13. Gender and Policies
Feminism
No single definition, but incorporates both a doctrine of equal rights for women and an ideology of transformation aiming to create a world for women (and men) beyond simple equality

14. A movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression
Gender and Policies
A realization of what has been natural so far is not definitely natural, rather it has been constructed.
A movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression
Political struggle for women’s equality

15. Gender Equality vs. Gender Equity

16. Gender Equality Women and men have equal conditions
Gender and Policies
Gender Equality
Women and men have equal conditions
for realizing their full human rights and
for contributing to, and benefiting from,
economic, social, cultural and political
development.

17. Gender Equality Gender equality is therefore the equal
Gender and Policies
Gender Equality
Gender equality is therefore the equal
valuing by society of the similarities and
the differences of men and women, and
the roles they play.
It is based on women and men being full partners in their home, their community and their society.

18. Gender and Policies
Gender Equality
The result of the absence of discrimination on the basis of a person’s sex

19. Gender Equity The process of being fair to women and men
Gender and Policies
Gender Equity
The process of being fair to women and men
To ensure fairness, measures must often be put in place to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from operating on a level of playing field.

20. Gender and Policies
Gender Equity
Therefore, the concept recognizes that women and men have different need and power and that these differences should be identified and addressed in a manner that rectifies the imbalances between the sexes.
Equity is a means.
A means for a society to overcome inequalities
Equality and equitable outcomes are the results.

21. Gender Analysis

22. Gender and Policies
Gender analysis
Gender analysis is the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated information.
Men and women both perform different roles. This leads to women and men having different experience, knowledge, talents, and needs.
Gender analysis explores these differences.

23. Gender and Policies
Gender analysis
Gender analysis explores these differences so policies, programs and projects can identify and meet the different needs of men and women.
Such an analysis explores and highlights the relationships of women and men in society, and the inequalities in those relationships, by asking: Who does what? Who decides? How? Who gains? Who loses?

24. Gender and Policies
Practical needs
Practical needs are immediate, material daily needs such as water, shelter, health and food.
If these were met, the lives of women (or men) would be improved without changing the existing gender division of labor or challenging women’s subordinate position in society.

25. Gender and Policies
Strategic needs
Interventions addressing strategic gender interests focus on fundamental issues related to women’s (or less often men’s) subordination and gender inequalities.
If these were met, the existing relationship of unequal power between men and women would be transformed.
They include legislation for equal rights, reproductive choices, and increased participation in decision-making.

26. Gendered allocation of resources
Gender and Policies
Gendered allocation of resources
Access :This is defined as the opportunity to make use of a resource
Control : This is power to decide how a resource is used, and who had access to it
Women often have access to resources but not have control of benefits.

27. WID / GAD / GMS

28. Women in development (WID)
Gender and Policies
Women in development (WID)
The WID approach aims to integrate women into the existing development process by targeting them, often in women-specific activities.
Women are usually passive recipients in WID projects, which often emphasize making women more efficient producers and increasing their income.

29. Women in development (WID)
Gender and Policies
Women in development (WID)
Although many WID projects have improved health, income or resources in the short term, because they did not transform unequal relationships, a significant number were not sustainable.
A common shortcoming of WID projects is that they do not consider women’s multiple roles or that they miscalculate the elasticity of women’s time and labor.

30. Gender and development (GAD)
Gender and Policies
Gender and development (GAD)
The GAD approach focuses on intervening to address unequal gender relations which prevent inequitable development and which often lock women out of full participation.
GAD seeks to have both women and men participate, make decisions and share benefits.

31. Gender and development (GAD)
Gender and Policies
Gender and development (GAD)
This approach often aims at meeting practical needs as well as promoting strategic interests.
A successful GAD approach requires sustained long-term commitment.
The biggest difference between WID and GAD is that WID projects traditionally were not grounded in a comprehensive gender analysis; The GAD approach is gender-analysis driven.

32. Gender and Policies
Gender mainstreaming
UN ECOSOC Resolution 1997/2 describes gender mainstreaming as the process of accessing the implications for women and men of many planned actions, including legislation, policies or programs, in all areas and at all levels.

33. Gender and Policies
Gender mainstreaming
It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic, and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated.
The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality.

34. Gender and Policies
Empowerment
Empowerment is about people – both women and men – taking control over their lives, setting their own agendas, gaining skills, building self-confidence, solving problems and developing self-reliance.
No one can empower another: only individual can empower herself or himself to make choices or speak out.

35. Gender Classifications of Policies

36. Gender-blind policies
These recognize no distinction between the sexes.
They make assumptions, which leads to a bias in favor of existing gender relations.
Therefore, gender-blind policies tend to exclude women.

37. Gender-aware policies
This type of policy recognizes that women are development actors as well as men; that the nature of women’s involvement is determined by gender relations which make their involvement different, and often unequal; and that consequently women may have different needs, interests, and priorities which may sometimes conflict with those of men.

38. Gender-aware policies
Gender-neutral policies use the knowledge of gender differences in a given society to overcome biases in development intervention, in order to ensure that interventions target and benefit both sexes effectively to meet their practical gender needs. Gender-neutral policies work within the existing gender division of resources and responsibilities

39. Gender-specific policies use the knowledge of gender differences in a given context to respond to the practical gender needs of women and men; they work within the existing gender division of resources and responsibilities.
Gender-redistributive policies are intended to transform existing distributions of power and resources to create a more balanced relationship between women and men, touching on strategic gender interests. They may target both sexes, or women or men separately .

41. The starting point: A person or a group of people decide a form of gender inequality must end. The disparity will no longer be passively accepted.
The disparity is analyzed and proven. The harmful effects of the disparity are made visible. Data is collected as evidence. This is the process of gender analysis.
The gender data is used to get others to commit to change. Often the first tier of change is an ‘equity mechanism’. For example: equal pay legislation; mandatory free education for all girls and boys; quotas for women in local government. These create the permissive structures and formal environments for men and women to perform the same roles and have the same rights.

42. However, equity mechanisms alone often do not lead to gender equality
However, equity mechanisms alone often do not lead to gender equality. They are often only an important step in the process. Just because legislation says all girls and boys should be in school, does not mean that all children are. Deeper gender analysis is now needed into what are the barriers. Socio-cultural, economic and/or political realities may need to change. (If the issue of inequity is within an organization/structure, then the ‘deep culture’ of that organization will need a comprehensive and sensitive gender analysis.)
A good gender analysis will identify ‘who’ needs to be engaged as an ally for change. It will also identify engagement mechanisms to bring these people on side. These engagement mechanisms often include: mentoring, networking, sensitizing, recognizing, collaborating, publishing, advocating.
Successful engaging of enough of the right influential people will bring action: girls and boys into the class; more male teachers into a female-dominated profession; more women in political office etc.

43. When males and females are both in the boardroom, in the classroom, on the community water committee….. the dialogue starts. It is through communication that men and women get to know the ideas, contribution and skills the other sex possess. It is this ‘sharing the same space’ that leads to women and men equally valuing the other. That is the essence of gender equality.

44. ENGAGEMENT MECHANISMS
Gender and Policies
Steps to Gender Equality
Gender equality
ENGAGEMENT MECHANISMS
Gender analysis
EQUITY MECHANISMS
Commitment to act
Gender analysis
Gender inequity/inequality
© 2003 Linda Pennells

45. UNDP Status of Women in the World
Labor hours
67%
Of whole
income
10%
Of whole
fortune 1%
Of poor
population
70%

46. Millennium Development Goals

47. PROGRESS FOR WOMEN IS PROGRESS FOR ALL
PROGRESS FOR WOMEN IS PROGRESS FOR ALL. - General Assembly Resolution 60/1-

48. WHERE WE ARE
Of the 867 million adults who cannot read today, 64% are women, according to World Bank estimates. Of the approximately 113 million children aged 6-11 years who do not attend school, the majority are girls. Research shows 60% of youth not attending school are girls.
On average, $8.5 billion of the $26 billion reported bilateral aid allocated by sectors focused on gender equality in , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC). Most of that funding was to the social sectors, primarily health and education, while limited funds were allocated to promoting gender equality in areas such as agriculture, infrastructure or finance.

49. WHERE WE ARE
Investing in women and girls has a multiplier effect on productivity, efficiency and sustained economic growth. Educated women have more economic opportunities and engage more fully in public life.
Women who are educated tend to have fewer and healthier children, and those children are more likely to attend school. Education also increases the ability of women and girls to protect themselves against HIV.
Information provided by the Office of the Special Adviser for Gender Issues (OSAGI), unless otherwise specified.
Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information – DPI/2497 Rev.1 – February 2008

50. Gender budgeting
Gender-responsive budget analysis focuses beyond the balance sheets to probe whether existing revenue and expenditure patterns impact men and women differently.
This does not mean creating separate budgets for women, or aim solely to increase spending on women’s programmes. Instead, it helps governments understand how they may need to adjust their priorities and reallocate resources to honor their commitments towards achieving gender equality and progress on women’s issues.
Information provided by the Office of the Special Adviser for Gender Issues (OSAGI), unless otherwise specified.
Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information – DPI/2497 Rev.1 – February 2008

51. The MDGs : synthesise, in a single package, many of the most important
commitments made separately at the international conferences
and summits of the 1990s;
recognise explicitly the interdependence between growth, poverty
reduction and sustainable development;
acknowledge that development rests on the foundations of
democratic governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights
and peace and security;
are based on time-bound and measurable targets accompanied
by indicators for monitoring progress; and
bring together, in the eighth Goal, the responsibilities of developing countries with those of developed countries, founded on a global
partnership endorsed at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002, and again at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in
August 2002.

52. Millennium Development Goals
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and
empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for
development

53. Promote gender equality and empower women
Target 4: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015
► 9. Ratio of Girls to Boys in Primary, Secondary,
and Tertiary Education (UNESCO)
► 10. Ratio of Literate Women to Men years
old (UNESCO)
► 11. Share of Women in Wage Employment in the
Non-Agricultural Sector (ILO)
► 12. Proportion of Seats Held by Women in National
Parliaments (IPU)

54. Gender Issues in Development of Women
What are you doing for
gender equality today?
Thank you very much!