GENDER ISSUES FOR

DEVELOPMENT
AIM OF THE COURSE
•To understand the importance in
development theories.
•To examine the information about different
aspects of gender in Tanzania.
•To examine the relationship of both male
and female in developmental project.
•To arise gender awareness.
Gender and other related concepts
• Gender is the social relationship between
male and female. Or social structured roles
and responsibilities performed by male and
female in the society.
• The set of characteristics structured socially or
culturally not biological differences. These
characteristics change time to time or from
one place to place.
 Cont...
• Sex is a biological difference btn male and female:
• Sex roles are the biological responsibilities performed by a particular sex.eg
female giving birth.
• Gender roles are the socially determined activities and responsibilities
performed by a certain sex in a particular society.
• Gender gap is the qualitative and quantitative difference in terms of how
women and men are treated socially.
• Gender violence refers to the 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.
• Gender equality is equal treatment of both male and female regardless of the
circumstances.
• Gender budget is the process of focusing on a gender-based analysis and an
equality-oriented evaluation of the distribution of resources.
 Cont...
• Gender discrimination is about different
treatment of individual because of their sex.
• Gender blind refers to a failure to identify or
acknowledge difference on the basis of gender
where it is significant.
• Gender mainstreaming refers to the deliberate
efforts taken to incorporate gender issues in all
activities, process laws and regulations. It looks
the gender balance and promotion of equality.
 Cont...
• Gender empowerment to give somebody power
to act himself or herself without reducing others
power or ability of another group.
• Gender needs refers to the requirements of a
certain sex relating to their biological factors.
• gender stereotype is a term used to define all
people with a certain belief into a mostly
negative category that may only reflect a
selected few of the racial demographics.
 Importance of understanding gender in
addressing development issues
• Development change people’s lives as an individual and
community as well.
• Incorporating gender issues in development have great
impact on social and institution success. Eg family, economic
structure and traditional and government authorities.
i. To increase income of an individual and nation.
ii. Decrease the level of dependence
iii. Abolishing gender discrimination
iv. Improving gender division of labour
v. Equal distribution of resources
 Areas of gender discrimination
a) Property relations: in some societies women are not
allowed to own properties.
b) Division of labour; division of work with gender bias.
c) Family; favouring of certain sex than another
d) Decision making; women are few in managerial
team/ decision table.
e) Education; favouring one sex
f) Religion; some religions do not allow women to hold
highest post or to stand on pulpit.
 Feminism
• The theory examine gender inequality by analyzing
women’s roles, experiences, interests, chores.
• It focus to solve all kinds of gender inequalities like
discrimination, oppression and stereotyping. The
following are the basic principles of feminism:
a) Working to increase equality
b) Expanding human choice
c) Eliminating gender stratification
d) Ending sexual violence and promoting sexual freedom
 The classical liberal perspective
• Mary Wollstonecraft is the founder of the
concept of feminist in her work especially in
the “the vindication of the Rights of woman
(1792)”. She was concerned with the rights and
status of women against the claims of society
and law. She argues that conscience and reason
should determine an individual’s moral choices.
Avoiding favoritism of boys within the society
which will make both sex equal in the field.
 Morden perspective
• They argue that there is no unique, absolute
definition for gender-neither biologically or
socially, but it is constructed through language.
• The dualistic vision of gender make it restrictive
of women, where every category defines
women independently.
• Therefore, there is no single basis for women’s
subordination and no single method of dealing
with the issues.
 Conservative perspective
• Blv that every set of responsibilities for a
particular sex is right and social gender
arrangements are correct.
• They use biological difference as fixed,
absolute and biological determined.
• Also, the religion arguments which show
gender differences were created by the
Almighty God.
 Radical perspective
• They blv the dominating patriarchy is the
primary form of female oppression in society,
regardless of class, colour and economics.
• The violence that women suffer and their
social subjugation through inflicted by men,
this makes women oppressed whether are rich
or poor, black or white, educated or illiterate.
They focus to stop any kind of violence to
women.
 Cultural feminism
• There is a distinctive male culture and female
culture as the result of their biological
differences.
• They blv that the contribution of female culture
have been disregarded and great devalued.
• They want women’s work to be recognized as
economical and social productive and to
incorporate more “female culture” accessible to
women.
 PERSPECTIVES
Classical Morden Conservative Radical Cultural
Argues that Argue that Believe that Believe that Believe that
conscience and there is no every set of the dominating the
reason should unique, responsibilities patriarchy is contribution of
determine an absolute for a particular the primary female culture
individual’s definition for sex is right and form of female have been
moral choices. gender-neither social gender oppression in disregarded
Avoiding biologically or arrangements society, and great
favoritism of socially, but it is are correct. regardless of devalued.
boys within the constructed . They use class, colour They want
society which through biological and and economics. women’s work
will make both language. religion to be
sex equal in the Therefore, arguments to recognized as
field. there is no one support them. economical and
way of social
addressing productive.
women
problem
Gender and development approaches
• Women In Development (WID) approach.
aim to integrate women into economic
development by focusing on women’s
productive work
• Women And Development (WAD) approach
advocated increasing women’s share in
resources, land, employment and income.
• Gender And Development (GAD) approach
Focused on unequal power relations between
men and women
 Gender and HIV/STDs
• Health is a state of complete physical, mental
and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.”(WHO, 1948)
• Men and women are exposed to different
mental and physical health stressors.
• Sub Saharan African 57% of infected by HIV are
female, ¾ of all infected Africans btn 15-24 are
women and in Tanzania HIV prevalence is higher
among women(6.2%) than among man(3.8%).
 Why women are highly infected by hiv than
men
 Cultural factors. Eg widow inheritance or widow cleansing, silence
of women in sexual issues which limit accessing treatment and
reproductive information.
 Social factors. Eg gender-based violence, lack of access to
healthcare service, lack of education and rape
 Economic factors; women are financially dependent on men and
they have to pay back with sexual favour. Other sell their body for
money.
 Biological factors; Due to a larger skin surface of the female sex
organ and the risk of micro tears in the tissue of female sex organs
during penetration, women have a higher risk of contracting HIV
through sexual intercourse. Men also discharge a larger amount of
body fluids and their fluids contain a higher quantity of viruses.
 Efforts of the United Republic of Tanzania to
promote rights of women
1. Policies formulation
• Adaptation of gender and development policy in 2000 which ensure
sustainable and coordination for proper planning and implementation
of gender based programmes.
• Health sector; women access health care facilities and quality
reproductive health care.eg reproductive health care for pregnant
mother and children under five years, maternity leave (National
strategy for gender development)
2. Legal capacity; introduction of new laws to fight gender inequalities:
a) Sexual offences (Special Provision) Act No 8 which protects women
and children from sexual harassment and abuse like rape
b) Land law Act No 4 of 1999 and village land Act of 1999 which allow
women to inherit, own and control the land.
c) Marriage Act no 5 of 1971 which prohibit early marriage for girls.
 Cont...
• Political empowerment and decision making; bill of 2000
which introduced special sit for women in the parliament
and increasing no of women in higher positions.
3. Women empowerment in economic matters
. Economical empowerment of women and poverty
eradication, where women are trained and accessing loans
to increase their income.eg women bank
4. Incorporating gender issues in education curriculum
• Gender issues in relation to development
• Educational empowerment; girls are encouraged to study
for being effective participants in socio-economic
development.
 Challenges of promoting gender equality in
Tanzania
According to ministry of community development, gender and children
in the article of “national strategy for gender development” the
following are the challenges:
• Lack of macro and micro policies which are gender sensitive;
• Poor Legal Framework with gender sensitive;
• Failure to Strengthen institutional mechanisms for gender development;
• Failure to ensure sustainable partnerships and collaboration;
• Failure to ensure that adequate resources are available to address
gender inequality
• Inadequate capacities for coordination,
monitoring, evaluation, advocacy and follow-up of implementation of
policies, strategies, plans and programmes.
 GROUP WORK
• 6. Examine the gender dicrimination areas in
your society and how to solve those
discriminations.
• 7. Explain why women are highly affected by
HIV than men.