SEX AND GENDER:

Whats the Difference?

THE CONCERN FOR GENDER:Whats the Big Fuss?

WHAT IS SEX?
What makes one male and
female
Biologically determined
What we are born with
Refers to physical
characteristics
Constant across time
Constant across different
societies and cultures
Sex is often confused with
gender

Multiple roles,MULTIPLE
BURDENS
at home reproductive
roles
at work productive
roles
in the community
community management
and political roles

Traditional gender role

restrictions
limit the psychological and
social potentials of human
beings

Due to continuous
exposure and
reinforcement of gender
differentiation

Gender roles and relations are

resistant to change

UT THEY DO CHANG

Gender equality - the principle of

asserting the equality of men and
women and their right to enjoy equal
conditions realizing their full human
potentials to contribute to and
benefit from the results of
development, and with the State
recognizing that all human beings
are free and equal in dignity and
rights.
Section 7. Magna Carta of Women
Implementing Rules and Regulations

Womens empowermentthe
provision, availability, and
accessibility of opportunities,
services and observance of human
rights through life-cycle and rightsbased approach which enable
women to actively participate and
contribute to the political, economic,
social and cultural development of
the nation as well as those which
shall provide them equal access to
ownership, management and control
of production, and of material and

WHAT is
DEVELOPMENT?
Traditionally defined in economic
terms:
-market growth,
-modernization,
-infrastructure improvement,
-trade and employment.

Alternative View of DEVELOPMEN

People-Centered Development
-Promotes people participation and
empowerment
-Strives to meet basic needs and
interests
People-Centered Development
means:
-Economic
-Social
-Political

DEVELOPMENT must
Provide opportunities to broaden an
individuals capacity to do and capacity to
be. -Expanding the range of choices for
people
CAPACITY TO DO
The power and ability to enable individuals
to perform the things they want to do to
pursue a better life.
CAPACITY TO BE
Opportunities and resources to attain an
individuals aspirations for a better life.

Gender and Development

A development perspective and process
that is participatory, empowering,
equitable, sustainable, free from violence
and respectful of human rights and
supportive of self-determination and
actualization of human potentials.
Seeks to achieve gender equality as a
fundamental value that should be
reflected in development choices;

 GAD recognizes gender inequality

and the disadvantaged status of
women.
GAD removes explicit, implicit,
actual and potential gender biases
within organizations and PPAs of
those who are concerned with
development.

Gender and Development

Seeks to transform societys social,
economic and political structures
and questions the validity of the
gender roles they ascribed to women
and men;
Contends that women are active
agents of development and not just
passive recipients of development
assistance; and
Stresses the need of women to
organize themselves and participate

But why focus on women?

Women are half of the countrys
population
They produce half of economic goods
and
services but
They are in the invisible and
marginalized sector or the so-called nonmoney economy
bearing and raising children
domestic labor
subsistence agriculture

But why focus on women?

They are already in the money
economy
-informal sector
-wage employment
-trading

But why focus on

women?
Women have unique
stakes, roles and insights
to share in order to attain
development objectives,
such as in:
-sustaining the
environment
-managing population
growth
-imparting values that
have profound impacts on

But why focus on women?

And most importantly,
because resources and
opportunities for attaining a
full and satisfying life are NOT
ALWAYS THE SAME for women
and men because of the :
SEX -child bearing role
GENDER -beliefs about
what women cant do

Gender and Development

Is about changing the culture that
brought about inequality and suppression
to men and women.
We should not be afraid to change the
culture; our predecessors were brave
enough to bring us where we are now;
changes brought about or being initiated
by gender and development are intended
to make better persons out of us.

GAD is NOT
war of the sexes

GAD IS NOT ANTI-MAL

Both women and men are

victims of stereotyping

In Sum, GAD is
Approach to or paradigm of
development
Focus on social, economic, political,
cultural forces that determine how
differently women and men participate
in, benefit from and control resources
and activities.