Gender-Responsive Crop Breeding Course, Part 1

GREAT Gender-Responsive Crop Breeding Course, Part 1

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Gender concepts

GREAT Gender-Responsive Crop Breeding Course, Part 1

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Overall session objectives

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• Introduce the key gender concepts

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•  Introduce gender as an analytical category and concept of analysis

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Contribution to the course objectives

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• Increased understanding of the concepts, principles, data collection and analysis methods of gender-responsive research approaches.

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• Strengthened ability to design and conduct gender-responsive research methods.

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GREAT Gender-Responsive Crop Breeding Course, Part 1

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Overview

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• Defining gender and sex
• Other gender concepts
• How gender is learnt and reproduced
• Gender division of labour
• Access to, control and ownership of resources
• Explaining gender beyond a concept
• Gender as an analytical category
• Gender as a system of social institutions 
• Gender relations
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• Conclusion and take home message

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Understanding Gender and Sex

Most, if not all of you must have come across the terms gender and sex.

Let us start by reflecting on what these terms mean to each one of us by participating in the following exercise;

�Exercise 1: 

Individually, write down on a card, your understanding of the terms: 

• Gender
• Sex
• Discussing responses

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Distinction between gender & sex

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Understanding Gender and Sex...cont’d

Participant exercise 1 continued:

�Reflect on what you wrote on the cards, and the definition of gender and sex in the previous slide�Share your reflections in plenary. 

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Definition of gender

A sociocultural system (unlike biological sex) that draws on sex to organize identities, practices, power relations (production, reproduction) and entitlements that play out between men and women, girls and boys in society (Based on: GREAT Glossary, 2016).

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At birth, the difference between boys and girls is their sex. As they grow up, society gives them different roles, attributes, opportunities, privileges and rights that in the end create the social differences between men and women.

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Note:

As a sociological concept gender is ever-changing and has no fixed definition.

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It does not mean ‘women’ and it does not exclude men: they are included.

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It expresses the social relations between men and women which are based on culturally acquired values and norms associated with femininity and masculinity

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Femininity and Masculinity

Femininity is the set of social practices, norms, expectations and cultural representations associated with being a woman.

Masculinity is the set of social practices, norms, expectations and cultural representations associated with being a man.

Masculinities & femininities are:

• Shaped by social contexts
• Not one but many categories masculinities and femininities
• Constructs of masculinity and femininity vary across historical and cultural contexts
• Power relations

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Gender continued…

• Encompasses economic, social, political, & cultural attributes & opportunities as well as roles & responsibilities.
• The particular patterns of characteristics often change over time and place.
• The social category associated with being a man or a woman; in some countries, additional gender categories are identified.
• We use the words “man/men” and “woman/women” to talk about gender & the words “males/females” to talk about sex 

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Gender relations

Relations of power between men and women that are:

• Culturally defined and reinforced by interactions at different levels – family or household, community and workplace.

�What is power?

Ability to make choices, capacity to enforce one's will, to protect one's autonomy and is central to gender relations [referred to above]

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Buzz group in country groups (where applicable)

In your country groups, identify:

• two areas where women have the power to decide,
• two areas where men have the power to decide

Note: This is applicable if the participants are from different countries

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Share in plenary two responses that depict power relations between men and women 

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Gender relations continued…

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• Gender relations manifest through:

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• Gender division of labour /roles
• Decision making
• Access to, control over and ownership of resources
• Leadership positions

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Gender relations continued…

Gender division of labour

The way work is divided between men and women and how it is valued in a specific culture or society.

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This can be categorised as:

• Reproductive tasks
• Productive tasks
• Community tasks

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What do you observe?

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Insert a picture that portrays gender division of labour shows men and women engaging in various activities.

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Photo interpretation Guidelines: Look at the above photos and reflect on what they mean in regards to gender division of labour.

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Gender relations cont’d

Access to and control over resources:

• Access to: Opportunity to make use of a resource without having the authority to sell , exchange or modify it.
• Control over: the power to decide how a resource is used and who has access to it-full authority to make decisions about the use of a resource
• Resources: refers to what is used to produce things (i.e productive, social and human resources- tangible and intangible

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Summary

Noting that Gender is:

• Relational: Socially constructed relations between men and women e.g., roles, behaviors, responsibilities…
• Context: Varies within and between cultures, ethnicity, class etc
• Changes: Changes over time
• Hierarchical: Power relations
• Institutional: institutionally structured, supported by values, legislation, religion etc.

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Summary continued…

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• A sociocultural system that draws on sex to organize identities, practices, power relations (production, reproduction) and entitlements that play out between men and women, girls and boys in society accounts for the gender inequalities in all sectors and institutions, research at all levels 

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Gender Equality/Inequality

Gender equality

• The state in which women and men, girls and boys enjoy equal rights, opportunities and entitlements in all facets of life; with absence of discrimination on the basis of a person’s gender

Gender equity

• Fair treatment for women and men, recognizing their differences resulting from historical injustice and using appropriate (sometimes varying) approaches to produce equitable and just distribution of responsibilities and benefits between men and women

NB: Equity leads to equality! Gender equality is the goal and equity is the means.

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Example 1: Equality or Equity continued...

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Note to trainer: Insert a picture to portray inequity and inequality.

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Discussion on the above scenario (equality versus equity)

Think of a scenario of three people

1. A young baby of under five years
2. A young adult woman who can stand herself
3. A young adult woman

Question: The trio want to run a race and you are sure if nothing is done, the baby will be left behind. What would you do to ensure equity is achieved?

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Gender Inequality

Gender inequality recognizes that men and women are not equal, and they don’t have equal access to rights or opportunities. 

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Unequal distribution of opportunities, roles, rights, positions among men and women

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How gender is learnt and reproduced

• Through a process of gender socialization: by which members of a particular community learn their culture’s gender-related rules, norms, & expectations.
• Rules are set by society to govern the behaviours of men, women, girls and boys.
• Always invisible but powerful to guide on the do’s and don'ts
• There are rewards and punishments for non-compliance

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How gender is learnt and reproduced, cont’d

Agents/influencers of this process

• Families (parents, relatives)
• Schools
• Religious and cultural institutions
• Peers
• The media

Outcomes: Children begin to develop their own beliefs about gender & ultimately form their own gender identity

Gender identity positions us to benefit or miss opportunities

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Take home message

• Recognise: Gender equality as key for agricultural development in SSA and women and household wellbeing.
• Recognise: Gender gaps in agricultural productivity arise from gender based constraints that limit their potential.
• Recognise: The need to reduce the gender based constraints to close gender gaps in agricultural productivity
• Target: Gender equitable outcomes in agriculture
• Recognise: that gender equality is good for communities, families, women & men, and key to achieving SDGs - business case for gender equality’

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Invest: resources-time, money and energy for gender equality

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Citation

FAO (2011). The State of Food and Agriculture, UN, Rome.

Kerr, R.B., 2008. Gender and agrarian inequality at the local scale. In Agricultural systems: Agroecology and rural innovation for development. Academic Press Burlington, USA.

Meinzen-Dick, R., Quisumbing, A., Behrman, J., Biermayr-Jenzano, P., Wilde,V., Noordeloos, M., Ragasa, C., Beintema,N. (2011). Engendering Agricultural Research, Development and Extension. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI): Washington DC.

O'Sullivan, Michael; Rao, Arathi; Banerjee, Raka; Gulati, Kajal; Vinez, Margaux. 2014. Levelling the field : improving opportunities for women farmers in Africa (English). Washington DC ; World Bank Group.http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/579161468007198488/Levelling-the-field-improving-opportunities-for-women-farmers-in-Africa

Parpat J.L, Li T.M., Connelly M., Barriteau E.V and MacDonald M., 2000 Feminism and Development: Theoretical Perspectives In Parpat J.L , Li M, Connelly M, Barriteau E.V. Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development, Chapter three pp. IDRC, Ottawa

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Razavi, S and Miller C., 1995.From WID to GAD: Conceptual Shifts in the Women and Development Discourse. Occasional Paper 1, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, United Nations Development Programme.

Rubin, D, Manfre, C, and Barrett, K.N, (2009). Promoting Gender Equitable Opportunities in Agricultural Value Chains:A Handbook. Publication prepared under the Greater Access To Trade Expansion (GATE) project under the Women in Development IQC Contract No. GEW-I-00-02-00018-00, Task Order No. 02.Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development. https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/gender_agriculture_value_chain_guide.pdf

Stuart, E., & Woodroffe, J. (2016). Leaving no-one behind: can the sustainable development goals succeed where the millennium development goals lacked?. Gender & Development, 24(1), 69-81.

The SOFA Team and Cheryl Doss (2011). The role of women in agriculture. ESA Working Paper No. 11-02.Agricultural Source: Development Economics Division The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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Thank you!

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GREAT Gender-Responsive Crop Breeding Course, Part 1

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