EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

1. What is meant by gender ?

The term gender refers to the economic, social and cultural
attributes and opportunities associated with being male or female.
In most societies, being a man or a woman is not simply a matter
of different biological and physical characteristics. Men and
women face different expectations about how they should dress,
behave or work. Relations between men and women, whether in
the family, the workplace or the public sphere, also reflect
understandings of the talents, characteristics and behaviour
appropriate to women and to men. Gender thus differs from sex in
that it is social and cultural in nature rather than biological.
Gender attributes and characteristics, encompassing, inter alia,
the roles that men and women play and the expectations placed
upon them, vary widely among societies and change over time.
But the fact that gender attributes are socially constructed means
that they are also amenable to change in ways that can make a
society more just and equitable.
 2. What is the difference between
gender equity, gender equality and
women’s empowerment?
Gender equity is the process of being fair to women and
men. To ensure fairness, strategies and measures must often be
available to compensate for women’s historical and social
disadvantages that prevent women and men from otherwise
operating on a level playing field. Equity leads to equality. Gender
equality requires equal enjoyment by women and men of socially-
valued goods, opportunities, resources and rewards. Where
gender inequality exists, it is generally women who are excluded
or disadvantaged in relation to decision-making and access to
economic and social resources. Therefore a critical aspect of
promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a
focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving
women more autonomy to manage their own lives. Gender
equality does not mean that men and women become the same;
only that access to opportunities and life changes is neither
dependent on, nor constrained by, their sex. Achieving gender
equality requires women’s empowerment to ensure that decision-
making at private and public levels, and access to resources are
no longer weighted in men’s favour, so that both women and men
can fully participate as equal partners in productive and
reproductive life.
 3. Why is it important to take gender
concerns into account in programme
design and implementation?
Taking gender concerns into account when designing and
implementing population and development programmes therefore
is important for two reasons. First, there are differences between
the roles of men and women, differences that demand different
approaches. Second, there is systemic inequality between men
and women. Universally, there are clear patterns of women’s
inferior access to resources and opportunities. Moreover, women
are systematically under-represented in decision-making
processes that shape their societies and their own lives. This
pattern of inequality is a constraint to the progress of any society
because it limits the opportunities of one-half of its population.
When women are constrained from reaching their full potential,
that potential is lost to society as a whole. Programme design and
implementation should endeavour to address either or both of
these factors.
 4. What is gender mainstreaming?
Gender mainstreaming is a strategy for integrating gender
concerns in the analysis, formulation and monitoring of policies,
programmes and projects. It is therefore a means to an end, not
an end in itself; a process, not a goal. The purpose of gender
mainstreaming is to promote gender equality and the
empowerment of women in population and development
activities. This requires addressing both the condition, as well as
the position, of women and men in society. Gender mainstreaming
therefore aims to strengthen the legitimacy of gender equality
values by addressing known gender disparities and gaps in such
areas as the division of labour between men and women; access
to and control over resources; access to services, information and
opportunities; and distribution of power and decision-making.
UNFPA has adopted the mainstreaming of gender concerns into all
population and development activities as the primary means of
achieving the commitments on gender equality, equity and
empowerment of women stemming from the International
Conference on Population and Development.
Gender mainstreaming, as a strategy, does not preclude
interventions that focus only on women or only on men. In some
instances, the gender analysis that precedes programme design
and development reveals severe inequalities that call for an initial
strategy of sex-specific interventions. However, such sex-specific
interventions should still aim to reduce identified gender
disparities by focusing on equality or inequity as the objective
rather than on men or women as a target group. In such a
context, sex-specific interventions are still important aspects of a
gender mainstreaming strategy. When implemented correctly,
they should not contribute to a marginalization of men in such a
critical area as access to reproductive and sexual health services.
Nor should they contribute to the evaporation of gains or
advances already secured by women. Rather, they should
consolidate such gains that are central building blocks towards
gender equality.

5. Why is gender equality important?

Gender equality is intrinsically linked to sustainable
development and is vital to the realization of human rights for all.
The overall objective of gender equality is a society in which
women and men enjoy the same opportunities, rights and
obligations in all spheres of life. Equality between men and
women exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the
distribution of power and influence; have equal opportunities for
financial independence through work or through setting up
businesses; enjoy equal access to education and the opportunity
to develop personal ambitions, interests and talents; share
responsibility for the home and children and are completely free
from coercion, intimidation and gender-based violence both at
work and at home.
 Within the context of population and development
programmes, gender equality is critical because it will enable
women and men to make decisions that impact more positively on
their own sexual and reproductive health as well as that of their
spouses and families. Decision-making with regard to such issues
as age at marriage, timing of births, use of contraception, and
recourse to harmful practices (such as female genital cutting)
stands to be improved with the achievement of gender equality.
However it is important to acknowledge that where gender
inequality exists, it is generally women who are excluded or
disadvantaged in relation to decision-making and access to
economic and social resources. Therefore a critical aspect of
promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a
focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving
women more autonomy to manage their own lives. This would
enable them to make decisions and take actions to achieve and
maintain their own reproductive and sexual health. Gender
equality and women’s empowerment do not mean that men and
women become the same; only that access to opportunities and
life changes is neither dependent on, nor constrained by, their
sex.

6. Is gender equality a concern for men?

The achievement of gender equality implies changes for both
men and women. More equitable relationships will need to be
based on a redefinition of the rights and responsibilities of women
and men in all spheres of life, including the family, the workplace
and the society at large. It is therefore crucial not to overlook
gender as an aspect of men’s social identity. This fact is, indeed,
often overlooked, because the tendency is to consider male
characteristics and attributes as the norm, and those of women as
a variation of the norm.
 But the lives of men are just as strongly influenced by
gender as those of women. Societal norms and conceptions of
masculinity and expectations of men as leaders, husbands or sons
create demands on men and shape their behaviour. Men are too
often expected to concentrate on the material needs of their
families, rather than on the nurturing and caring roles assigned to
women. Socialization in the family and later in schools promotes
risk-taking behaviour among young men, and this is often
reinforced through peer pressure and media stereotypes. So the
lifestyles that men’s roles demand often result in their being more
exposed to greater risks of morbidity and mortality than women.
These risks include ones relating to accidents, violence and
alcohol consumption.
Men also have the right to assume a more nurturing role, and
opportunities for them to do so should be promoted. Equally,
however, men have responsibilities in regard to child health and
to their own and their partners’ sexual and reproductive health.
Addressing these rights and responsibilities entails recognizing
men’s specific health problems, as well as their needs and the
conditions that shape them. The adoption of a gender perspective
is an important first step; it reveals that there are disadvantages
and costs to men accruing from patterns of gender difference. It
also underscores that gender equality is concerned not only with
the roles, responsibilities and needs of women and men, but also
with the interrelationships between them.