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Session 1

Gender as a Social Construct

Whereas being a male or a female are biological facts,

masculinity and femininity are culturally constructed attributes.

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Workshop

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

SESSION OBJECTIVES

• Review concept of sex, gender, gender characteristics, gender roles, and other key concepts related to GAD mainstreaming.
• Appreciate impact of gender relations to the appropriateness of program intervention and services.
• Test the learning of the participants via a review quiz

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Key Principle

• Principle of non-discrimination is the cornerstone of human rights principles.

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• Discrimination based on sex is among forms of discrimination prohibited (Universal Declaration of Human rights).

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• Commitment to non-discrimination was reiterated by the international community in a the following covenants:

- Civil and Political Rights; Economic, Social and Cultural

Rights; CEDAW

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• Article II Section 14 of the Philippine Constitution also provides for the equal treatment of women and men

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

5

Relationship of sex and gender

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Differentiating sex and gender

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Differentiating sex and gender

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Sex Roles

• Sex- role function - role which male or female assumes because of basic physiological or anatomical differences
• Male- lifting heavy things (hard work)
• Female- child bearing; child rearing

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• Biological Determinism – belief in biological sex as the necessary and sole cause of behavioral differences in gender roles

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Sex Role Stereotypes

• Stereotypes – persons/things seeming to conform to heavily accepted types just like sex role stereotypes as rigidly held and overly simplified beliefs that females/males possess distinct and similar psychological traits and characteristics, as in:

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*Female – emotional, dependent, gentle, tactful, etc.

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*Male – strong, aggressive, independent, etc.

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Community Role

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Gender Roles

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• Gender role
• roles assigned to men and women based on their gender

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• refers to activities which are considered appropriate and acceptable for boys or girls; men or women.

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• part of gender norms; it is society’s evaluation of behavior as masculine or feminine

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Gender Differences

• Gender differences – how society treats boys and girls differently, and expect them to behave differently from each other.

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*Gender norms and roles are learned and are not natural: boys and girls are systematically taught to be different from one another.

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Gender Norms & Gender Identity

• Gender norms – way by which a society expects men and women to behave; deals not only with differences on how men and women, girls or boys behave, but about the different values associated with being a boy or a girl, man or woman.

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• Gender Identity – defined notion of femininity or masculinity

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Gender Stereotypes

It is the tendency or attitude, to ascribe particular traits, characteristics and roles distinctly to men and particular traits, characteristics, roles distinctly to women.

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The assumption behind stereotyping is that the ascribed attributes of men apply to all men and that of women apply to all women in a given society.

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Gender Characteristics

• Gender relationships are personal and political.

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*Personal – because gender roles that we have internalized defines who we are, what we do, and how we think of ourselves.

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*Political – because gender roles and norms are maintained and promoted by social institutions and challenging them, implies challenging the way society is organized.

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Some Contributing Factors:

• Male and/or society attitudes of disrespect or disregard towards women
• Lack of belief in equality of human rights for all
• Cultural/social norms of gender inequality
• Lack of value for women and/or of women’s work
• Religious, cultural and/or family beliefs and practices
• Design of services and facilities

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

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GENDER as concept

Reminds us that to be born male or female VARIES with TIME, PLACE, CLASS AND CULTURE, ETHNICITY AND CIVILIZATION

Due to continuous exposure and reinforcement of gender differentiation

Gender roles and relations are resistant to change

BUT THEY CHANGE.

CULTURE SHAPES PEOPLE

PEOPLE SHAPES CULTURE

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Differentiating SEX from GENDER QUIZ

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Differentiating SEX from GENDER QUIZ

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Differentiating sex and gender

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

Differentiating sex and gender

Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President

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Philippine Commission on Women

Office of the President