Gender analysis:

examines the differences in women's and men's lives, including those which
lead to social and economic inequity for women, and applies this
understanding to policy development and service delivery
is concerned with the underlying causes of these inequities
aims to achieve positive change for women
The term 'gender' refers to the social construction of female and male
identity. It can be defined as 'more than biological differences between men
and women. It includes the ways in which those differences, whether real or
perceived, have been valued, used and relied upon to classify women and
men and to assign roles and expectations to them. The significance of this is
that the lives and experiences of women and men, including their experience
of the legal system, occur within complex sets of differing social and cultural
expectations'.
Gender analysis recognises that:
women's and men's lives and therefore experiences, needs, issues and
priorities are different
women's lives are not all the same; the interests that women have in
common may be determined as much by their social position or their ethnic
identity as by the fact they are women
women's life experiences, needs, issues and priorities are different for
different ethnic groups
the life experiences, needs, issues, and priorities vary for different groups of
women (dependent on age, ethnicity, disability, income levels, employment
status, marital status, sexual orientation and whether they have dependants)
different strategies may be necessary to achieve equitable outcomes for
women and men and different groups of women
Gender analysis aims to achieve equity, rather than equality.
Gender equalityis based on the premise that women and men should be treated in
the same way. This fails to recognise that equal treatment will not produce equitable
results, because women and men have different life experiences.
Gender equity takes into consideration the differences in women's and men's lives
and recognises that different approaches may be needed to produce outcomes that
are equitable.

Gender analysis provides a basis for robust analysis of the differences between
women's and men's lives, and this removes the possibility of analysis being based
on incorrect assumptions and stereotypes.

WHAT IS GENDER VIOLENCE?

Gender violence includes rape, sexual assault, relationship violence in
heterosexual and same sex partnerships, sexual harassment, stalking,
prostitution and sex trafficking. The term "gender violence" reflects the idea
that violence often serves to maintain structural gender inequalities, and
includes all types of violence against men, women, children, adolescents,
gay, transgender people and gender non conforming. This type of violence in
some way influences or is influenced by gender relations. To adequately
address this violence, we have to address cultural issues that encourage
violence as part of masculinity.
Gender is also the most powerful predictor of rape, sexual assault and
relationship violence. These crimes are predominantly against women and
perpetrated by men. According to the National Violence Against Women
Survey (1998), 15% of women will be the victim of a completed rape in their
lifetimes and 2.1% of men. According to the Department of Justice, 99% of all
people arrested for rape are men. While some men are rape victims, men are
almost always the perpetrator. That is not to say that all or even most men
are violent, or that women cannot perpetrate such violence. Gender violence
highlights a male-patterned violence: a prevalent violence committed most
often but not always by men, often motivated by aggression, revenge,
competition, and entitlement, and includes sexual and other violence against
women, partners and children.
The Gender Division of Labour
The way work is divided between men and women according to their gender roles is
usually referred to as the gender division of labour. This does not necessarily
concern only paid employment, but more generally the work, tasks and
responsibilities that are assigned to women and men in their daily lives, and which
may, on their turn, also determine certain patterns in the labour market. It is often
argued that the gender division of labour is a result of biological traits; however, if
we notice that in some societies women perform tasks and jobs that in some other
societies are traditionally considered as mens jobs, and vice versa, we see the
division of labour has much to do with what each society perceives as appropriate
for both sexes.

The gender division of labour is not fixed for all time; it changes in response to
wider economic, political and social changes. For example, men and women follow
different migration patterns, and engage in different occupations when they
migrate. Migration may also result in men taking on tasks that they would not
normally consider within their socially ascribed role, like having to cook for
themselves. Some migrants often have to accept occupations for which they are
overqualified. The employment of immigrant women in industrialized countries, as
maids or care-providers, may not make it possible for them to advance their
professional area of work.
Examples of the Gender Division of Labour
In parts of Asia it is common to see women working as labourers constructing
roads, while in Europe this road construction is generally a mens job.
In some cultures, purchasing items for household use, is a men's task, and in
others women control household purchases.
In some Buddhist cultures, it is considered 'lowly' to handle money. Because of
their lower social status, handling money is often women's responsibility. In some
Islamic cultures, on the other hand, men may control household finances and
purchase all items for household use
Definition of Gender Mainstreaming
The concept of bringing gender issues into the mainstream of society was clearly established
as a global strategy for promoting gender equality in the Platform for Action adopted at the
United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing (China) in 1995. It
highlighted the necessity to ensure that gender equality is a primary goal in all area(s) of
social and economic development.
In July 1997, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) defined the concept
of gender mainstreaming as follows:
"Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women
and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in any area
and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well
as of men an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of
policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and
men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal of mainstreaming
is to achieve gender equality."

Mainstreaming includes gender-specific activities and affirmative action, whenever women

or men are in a particularly disadvantageous position. Gender-specific interventions can
target women exclusively, men and women together, or only men, to enable them to
participate in and benefit equally from development efforts. These are necessary temporary
measures designed to combat the direct and indirect consequences of past discrimination.

Transformation by Mainstreaming
Mainstreaming is not about adding a "woman's component" or even a "gender equality
component" into an existing activity. It goes beyond increasing women's participation; it
means bringing the experience, knowledge, and interests of women and men to bear on the
development agenda.
It may entail identifying the need for changes in that agenda. It may require changes in
goals, strategies, and actions so that both women and men can influence, participate in, and
benefit from development processes. The goal of mainstreaming gender equality is thus the
transformation of unequal social and institutional structures into equal and just structures
for both men and women.

SEX
- Cathegorized as male or female
- Biological
-

Fixed at birth
Does not change across time and
space
Equally valued

GENDER
- Masculinity and Feminity
- Socially, culturally and historically
determined
- Learned through socialization
- Varies over time and space
-

Unequally valued ( masculinity as

the norm)

SOCIALIZATION Is the process by which social norms, roles, and

expectations are learned and internalized.
Gender Socialization Is the process by which norms and expectations in
relation to gender are learned by women and men.
Women's empowerment, referring to the empowerment of women in our present society, has
become a significant topic of discussion in regards to development and economics. It can also point
to approaches regarding other trivialized genders in a particular political or social contexts.
While often interchangeably used, the more comprehensive concept of gender empowerment refers
to people of any gender, stressing the distinction between biological sex andgender as a role. It
thereby also refers to other marginalized genders in a particular political or social context.