GENDER AWARENESS AND DEVELOPMENT: A REVIEW

Welcome to Gender Advocacy II

Today, we will...
1. Learn about how society views women and men, and how these views affect, either positively or negatively, both sexes.2. Learn how GAD is
mainstreamed in
2. various government programs.
3. 3. Know what the government has done to “balance: the inequality of the sexes

More specifically, we will learn about:

Gender Inequality and how this inequality is “balanced”
GAD as a paradigm for development
Gender mainstreaming in government

I. Definition of Gender
GENDER is a SOCIAL CONSTRUCT that refers to the social and cultural views that each society assigns to behaviours, characteristics attributed to men
and women, reinforced by laws, institutions, and perceptions. Gender Stereotyping starts at the time of conception

The process of LEARNING and INTERNALIZING culturally approved ways of:

a. thinking
b. feeling
c. behaving
according to one’s gender is what we call GENDER ROLE SOCIALIZATION

It is shaped by institutions like:

FAMILY
SCHOOL
CHURCH
MASS MEDIA
THE STATE

1. The Family

Gendering in the family is shaped through the following gendering processes:

Manipulation - It is the way babies or children are handled.

Examples:
Baby boys are allowed to climb trees while baby girls are not…
Wanting to look like a prince/princess
Playing with bugs
Playing with make up
Canalization - The process of directing children’s attention to gender-appropriate objects/themes

Examples:

Boys are given toys like guns, cars, balls; Girls are given dolls, kitchen utensils, play houses
Girl and boy children are given their specific toys/games to play
Verbal Appellation - Children are familiarized with gender-appropriate tasks.

Example: Boys are expected to play or work outside the house while girls are encouraged to help their mothers in household and child care tasks.

Activity Exposure - These are words that tell children what they should be, phrases such as: “Brave boys don’t cry, or you are a sissy”
“Pretty girls don’t climb trees”.
“Good girl…naughty boy”

2. The School

The SCHOOL as gender socializing factor:

-Textbooks and language used
-Sex segregation system
-Curriculum based
-Courses encouraged and career options
3. The Church/Religion

The CHURCH/RELIGION as a gendering factor:

-Bible
-Church History (papal headship)
-Structure/Hierarchy of the Church
-patriarchal culture
-Other traditions (weddings, relationships)

4. The Mass Media

Commercialization of women
Comodification of women
Women as sex objects (objectification)
Degrading portrayal of women through Advertisements, Radio, TV, Soap Operas, News Items

5. The State

Some laws and policies that favor men over women

Limited political participation and representation
Moreover, a cabeza de barangay had to be a man and was elected only by male members of the principalia in elections that were, more often than not,
influenced by the parish priest of the pueblo.
In the olden times, women were prohibited from becoming sailors or pirates because they were believed to bring bad luck
SSS membership for the wife needed the consent of the husband

II. What is GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT?

-An approach or paradigm of DEVELOPMENT focusing on social, economic, political and cultural forces that determine how differently women and men participate
in, benefit from, and control resources and activities

It focuses on women and men and their relations. It sees unequal power as the root that prevents development

Therefore, since women and men have different gender roles, they have different gender needs both practical and strategic.

These differences must be linked with development policies to better address the needs of both men and women.

Concrete examples:

3 months maternity leave for women

7 days paternity leave for married men
Establishment of Day Care Centers in all barangays
Establishment of breastfeeding rooms
Glass walls and windows in offices to prevent sexual harassment

III. How is Gender mainstreamed in the PNP?

In the PNP, 96% are males while 4% are females

Thus, the culture of the agency and the way things are done are predictably masculine.

Nevertheless, the PNP endeavours to become a gender-friendly and responsive organization.

In 1990, the PNP created a GAD Program identifying various gender issues affecting the organization.

It was determined that women in the police were only given support roles in police work and were of lesser priority in terms of training, promotion and other
resources.

So, what did the PNP do? It MAINSTREAMED Gender and Development into its programs

IV. What are the GAD-responsive programs in the police?

• Conduct of GSTs for police officers to enable them to handle cases of VAW with sensitivity
• Establishment of the separate women’s desk in police stations
• From Women’s & Children’s Concern Desk to Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk
• Specialized courses and training on investigation, forensic examination, interview techniques and psychosocial interventions for PNP personnel
• Conduct of Women Police Biennial Summit
• Formulation of the PNP GAD Plan
• Allocation of 5% budget for GAD activities/programs
 • Establishment of the Family, Juvenile Gender & Development Awareness Division (FJGADD) in PCR Offices nationwide
• From 10 % to 25% recruitment for women in the PNP
• Women trainees are subjected to same training conditions as men
• Establishment of day care centers inside camps to help police parents in their child caring responsibility

And so, if women cry out for gender equality, Women must be responsible to
stand up for it. (No more “ladies first” policy)

V. What are the current gender milestones that we have reaped so far?
Passage of the Reproductive Health Law
Passage of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Law
Passage of the Kasambahay Law
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012
An Act providing for a National Policy on Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health
Memorandum Circular 2016-07 -Allowing Married Women to Retain and Use their Maiden Name in lieu of their Husband’s Surname in accordance to
Existing Laws and Pertinent Jurisprudence
Republic Act 8972 -Solo Parents' Welfare Act of 2000
This Act aims to develop a comprehensive program of social development and welfare service for solo parents and their children to be carried out by the
(DSWD), the (DOH), the DEPED, the DILG, CHED, TESDA, DOLE, NHA, and other related government and non-government agencies.
Republic Act 8344 -This law declares unlawful the act of hospitals and medical clinics in requesting, soliciting, demanding or accepting any deposit or any
form of advance payment as a prerequisite for the treatment of a patient in such hospital or to refuse to administer medical treatment and support as
dictated by good practice of medicine to prevent death or permanent disability.
105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law -Expanded Maternity Leave Law extends the previous 60-day (78 days for caesarian section delivery for women
workers in the private sector) paid maternity leave to 105 days.
The law also entails an option to extend for an additional 30 days of unpaid leave. Additional 15 days paid maternity leave shall also be granted to female
solo parents.

Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act of 2019 -more commonly known as Bawal-Bastos Law

The following are the specific acts listed as gender-based streets and public spaces sexual harassment:

• Cursing
• catcalling, defined as “unwanted remarks directed towards a person commonly done in the form of wolf-whistling and misogynistic, homophobic, and
sexist slurs”
• wolf-whistling
• leering and intrusive gazing
• Taunting
• persistent uninvited comments or gestures on a person’s appearance
• relentless requests for personal details such as name, contact and social media details
• the use of words, gestures, actions that ridicule on the basis of sex, gender or sexual orientation, identity and/or expression including sexist, homophobic
slurs
• persistent telling of sexual jokes
• use of sexual names, comments and demands
• any statement that has made an invasion on a person’s personal space or threatens the person’s sense of personal safety

Expanded VAWC Bill - House Bill 8655 includes psychological violence committed through the use of electronic devices or information communication
technology-related means:
 spread of explicit videos to harass women and their children
 Use of photos, videos or clips without victim’s consent
 Hacking the woman’s or her child’s social media accounts
 harassment via text messages and stalking
 Creation of fake social media accounts with ill intent and malice that will cause distress on the part of women

Underway....
Legalization of prostitution in the PHILIPPINES
Legalization of divorce in the PHILIPPINES
“equalize” Concubinage & Adultery

VI. Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)

Gender Identity
An internal sense or awareness. For most people, it can be described as a kind of man-ness or woman-ness, so to speak. But gender is not limited to two. It’s not
binary. There are many more genders than man and woman.
Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation refers to a person’s emotional and/or sexual attraction to others. Sexuality is complex and attraction can manifest very differently for different
people.

Lesbian - A woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women.

Gay - A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same sex.

Bisexual - A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the
same way or to the same degree.

Transgender - An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at
birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.

Queer - Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual
orientation.
People who identify as "genderqueer" may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories.

Asexual The lack of a sexual attraction or desire for other people.

Closeted Describes an LGBTQ person who has not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Coming out  -The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts and appreciates their sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with
others.

Homophobia  -The fear and hatred of or discomfort with people who are attracted to members of the same sex. 

Living openly -A state in which LGBTQ people are comfortably out about their sexual orientation or gender identity – where and when it feels appropriate to them. 
Sex assigned at birth -The sex (male or female) given to a child at birth, most often based on the child's external anatomy. This is also referred to as "assigned sex at
birth." 

Questioning -A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.

We are very much different from one another that we have so much to share.
It all boils down to RESPECT.
Because at the end of the day…
It’s not being male, female, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, trans sexual etc
that will matter…
But your PERSONAL SIGNIFICANCE AS A PERSON and how you contributed in making this world a better place to live in.

Prepared by:

MA. CECINIA V. RAGAY JRA.

Instructor