Introduction to Gender
Awareness including
Gender Roles
GENDER SENSITISATION
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GENDER: An Introduction
• Often it has been observed that “Gender” and “Sex” are
misinterpreted as having the same meaning.
• In fact, the definition enhances our clarity on the same. The concepts
“sex” and “gender” may be defined as follows:
• “Sex” refers to the biological differences between women and men.
They are generally permanent and universal.
• “Gender” refers to the socially constructed roles and responsibilities
of women and men, in a given culture or location. These roles are
influenced by perceptions and expectations arising from cultural,
political, environmental, economic, social, and religious factors, as
well as custom, law, class, ethnicity, and individual or institutional
bias. Gender attitudes and behaviors are learned and can be changed.
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What are some of the situations in which we
see gender differences?
• Social: Different perceptions of women’s and men’s social roles:
the man seen as head of the household and chief bread-winner; the
woman seen as nurturer and care-giver.
• Political: Differences in the ways in which women and men assume
and share power and authority: men more involved in national- and
higher-level politics; women more involved at the local level in
activities linked to their domestic roles.
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What are some of the situations in which we
see gender differences?
• Educational: Differences in educational opportunities and
expectations of girls and boys:
• family resources directed to boy's rather than girl's education; girls
streamed into less challenging academic tracks.
• Economic: Differences in women's and men's access to lucrative
careers and control of financial and other productive resources: credit
and loans; land ownership.
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Common Gender Stereotypes
WOMEN ARE: MEN ARE:
Dependent Independent
Weak Powerful
Incompetent Competent
Less important More important
Emotional Logical
Implementers Decision-makers
Housekeepers Breadwinners
Supporters Leaders
Fearful Brave
Peace- makers Aggressive
Cautious Adventurous
Flexible Focused 5
Common Gender Stereotypes
WOMEN ARE: MEN ARE:
Warm Self-reliant
Passive Active
Followers Leaders
Spectators Doers
Modest Ambitious
Subjective Objective
Soft-spoken Out-spoken
Secretaries Bosses
Nurturing Assertive
Gentle Strong
Cheerful Forceful
Caretakers Achievers
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Cultural Differences in Gender
Stereotypes
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14.1: How Do We View Men and Women?
Gender Roles
• The biological differences between men and women do not normally
change; people are either male or female. However, the
characteristics they are perceived to have, and the roles and
responsibilities assigned to them, differ among societies, cultures,
and historical periods.
• Gender roles are the activities ascribed to men and women on the
basis of perceived differences. “Division of labor” is a term used in
gender literature to mean the roles and tasks assigned to women and
men on the basis of perceived gender characteristics and attributes,
instead of ability and skills.
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Identifying Gender Roles /
Triple Role:
• Work can be divided into three main categories. Women’s roles
encompass work in all these categories, and this is referred to as
women’s triple role.
• Productive Work:
• Involves the production of goods and services for consumption and
trade (farming, fishing, employment and self-employment). When
people are asked what they do, the response is most often related
to productive work, especially work which is paid or generates
income. Both women and men can be involved in productive
activities, but for the most part their functions and responsibilities
will differ according to the gender division of labour. Women’s
productive work is often less visible and less valued than men’s.
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Gender role socialization (1)
• Parents who assume “traditional” (stereotypic) gender roles
behave differently toward their children of different sexes;
fathers especially.
• Consider the differences in toys promoted for each sex child.
• Children pick up on some social gender role expectations as early
as 14 months.
• Gender schema – objects are either masculine or feminine (e.g.,
dogs/masc. and cats/fem.)
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Gender role socialization (2)
• Children organize their world according to gender starting
at age 2 or 3.
• Classroom tasks are often assigned according to
stereotypic gender roles.
• Textbooks often emphasize the central, dominant role of
men and the supporting role of women.
• Most religions support the philosophy of male superiority;
clergy are most often male as well.
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Gender role socialization (3)
• By age 4, children know stereotypes about clothing, toys,
games, work and occupations.
• Peer pressure among teens supports traditional
stereotypical gender roles.
• Fathers who assume child-rearing responsibilities learn new
intimacy skills.
• Children raised in single-parent homes are more likely to be
psychologically androgynous.
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Gender roles in adulthood
• Gender differences are a product of physical differences which
are then influenced by social factors resulting in a great
diversity between individuals of each sex.
• Adult gender roles are in transition today; more egalitarian*
relationships and androgyny**.
• Fatherhood > more nurturing abilities
• Women working outside the home > more assertiveness and
independence
*believing in or based on the principle that all people are equal
and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
**Androgyny is the combination of masculine and feminine
characteristics. Gender ambiguity may be found in fashion,
gender identity, sexual identity, or sexual lifestyle. 13
Are Women and Men treated equally in
the society?
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Naturally both MEN and WOMEN need adequate
nutrition
In the society, it is
observed that, women
get the left - out food
after the male members
finishes their meal
But, the society never
considers women to
take sufficient food and
the remaining to be
given to the male
members
Women don‟t get sufficient nutrition, compared to men, against the
hard labour they do. This starts from the very beginning of the life of
female due to which they become malnourished resulting to severe
health problems
ASSOCIATION FOR SOCIAL AND HUMA
in her future life
N AWARENESS (ASHA), RANCHI
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Hard labour of Women a re not considered
compared to Men in the family
Society / family
ex pects that women
should take care of
the children along -
with other household
works
But, this scenario is
unacceptable in our
society / family due to
gender discrimination
Both Women and Men do hard work for their family, but
men‟s labour is appreciated and women‟s work is not given
much importance works alone in
. She has to do thousand
the family 16
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The Socializing Influences of
People and the Media
• Parents treat sons and daughters alike except for
gender-related behavior
• Fathers more likely to treat sons and daughters
differently
• Teachers make gender salient and spend more
time interacting with boys
• TV depicts stereotyped views of gender
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• In a nutshell we can say that we give less importance to
women than men because of which male becomes Head
and women are treated lower than that of men in the
family and society. Though women and men possess
equal rights, but society defines the biasness against
women.
Whole Society can be transformed,
but will take time…
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Is it possible to change the roles of
Women and Men?
Both Women and Men can do household works …
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Both Women and Men can carry heavy weight…
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Both Women and Men can do responsible jobs…
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Both Women and Men can earn money…
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Beyond Traditional Gender Roles
• Often women and men can do all the work equally. There are few
things that divide men and women physically or naturally.
• This is the Social Structure that describes different roles of a woman
and a man. Society keeps the separate expectations from both, and
social cultures, values etc. is responsible to maintain this biasness.
Gender discrimination is done and practiced by the society and not
by nature.
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Beyond Traditional Gender Roles
• Children can be taught to have fewer stereotyped views of
occupations and household activities in the short-term
• Family Lifestyles Project shows that some aspects of
gender learning are more easily influenced than others.
• Treat children as individuals, not based on gender when
buying toys, choosing activities, and assigning chores
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Gender roles today
• Gender role strain perspective – the problem with gender roles is that
early socialization is contradictory to adult life experiences.
• Multiple roles for women and men are beneficial for mental, physical
and relationship health.
• Both men and women will respond to the demands of their
responsibilities, in the home and in the workplace by learning new
skills.
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