1. NEED FOR GENDER SENSITIZATION

2. Sex and Gender
Sex refers to the biological differences between women and men. They are permanent and universal
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles and responsibilities of women and men in a given culture or location.

3. Therefore Gender is A neutral term
The term ‘Gender’ is not synonymous with
women and men
Gender refers to the socially constructed
relationship between women and men
Gender describes the social, economic, cultural
and political societies and their change from
time to time
Gender denotes the social roles of women and
men as opposed to their biological difference
Gender roles are dynamics and change over time

4. Gender Issues
Traditionally women are expected to perform farm operations which involve manual, repetitive tasks
Men possess and control land
Women labour is unpaid and undervalued
Women’s work is unaccounted
Women undertake multiple workload at home, farm and community
Women lack access to skills, trainings and information

5. Women are discriminated in design and testing of technologies
Women get displaced from traditional employment opportunities when technology is introduced and men take over the task
Women lack access to farm input, credit and financial incentives
Women lack access to market and control over income
Women face food insecurity
Women’s priorities, needs, problems are unattended and neglected
Farmer is regarded as male

6. Some important facts
Women do two-third of the world’s work, receive 10 per cent of the world’s income and own 1 per cent of the means of production. (UN Report)
Women cultivate, plough, harvest more than half of all the food in the world. (Inter Press Service report)
In no country in the world do men come anywhere close to women in the amount of time spent in housework. (UN Report)

7. There is lack of Equity and Balance leads to progress.
Transfer of Agriculture related knowledge (Inadequate transfer from house hold to life)
Educational level (Lack of education of women….)
Promotion of social justice (Equality between women and men)
Therefore,
Be sensitive
Don’t ignore the half world
Equity and Balance leads to progress.

8. Aims and Objectives of Gender Sensitization
To sensitize the newly induced members regarding prevalent gender inequalities in the society
To enable them to reflect upon their own socialization process and attempt to break that influence
To educate them on the status of women and the impact on development of the nation

9. To appreciate the need for sensitivity in their roles as extension officers dealing with cases of inequality against women
To learn modes of execution of the programme for women and where/how to intervene
To ensure an engendered work force within the organization.

10. Need for gender Sensitization
Women farmers have significant contribution to the agriculture production and productivity. But they get benefits very marginally from all the support services. This is due to lack of sensitivity at all levels, which includes policy level to the implementation level. Hence, it is required to create awareness on the gender needs, gender differences in gender relations etc. among all the functionaries.

11. Outcomes of gender sensitization
Achieve gender equity
Leads to women empowerment
Gender equality ultimately leads to women’s empowerment
Women’s empowerment is against patriarchy and not against men
Srilatha Batlivala,a well known women activist defined women empowerment as a process by which women gain greater control over material and intellectual resources and challenge the ideology of patriarchy and the gender based discrimination against women in all institutions and structures of society.

12. Bridging agricultural technological gap between women and men farmers
Gender sensitization is needed from highest level of planning to the grass root level, involving various stakeholders. This can be done through:
Looking at gender differences by identifying tasks, activities and rewards associated with gender division of labour
Bridging agricultural technological gap between women and men farmers
Bridging agricultural information gap
Focusing on agricultural interventions from gender perceptive
Examining budget from a gender perceptive

13. Looking into programmes/project activities from a gender lens
Developing action plans from a gender perceptive
Mainstreaming gender into developmental activities including training, transfer of technology mechanism and other extension services.

14. Thank you