Transcript Gender Concept

Gender Symbol
Female (left),
Male (right).
From
symbols for
Venus and
Mars.
Gender Concept
 Gender, in common usage, refers to the differences between
men and women.
 Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that gender identity is "an
individual's self-conception as being male or female, as
distinguished from actual biological sex."
 Historically, feminism has posited gender roles to be socially
constructed, independent of any biological basis.
 Many languages have a system of grammatical gender.
 The word gender in English means kind.
 In Modern French word genre (type, kind) and the Greek root
gen- (to produce), appearing in gene, genesis and oxygen.
 As a verb, it means breed in the King James Bible.
 The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED1, Volume
4,1900) notes that original meaning of gender as 'kind' is already
obsolete.
 Gender = masculinity or femininity. The use of gender to refer to
masculimity and feminity as types is consided in Modern
English from about 14th century.
Gender Concept
 Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, used the terms masculine,
feminine, and neuter to classify nouns, introducing
grammatical gender. Gender became attested more widely in
context of grammar than in making sexual distinction.
 Gender = sexual stereotype. Over 1970s, feminist movement
took the word gender into their own usage to describe their
theory of human nature.
 Earlier gender was used consistent with English and its
derivation of the root.
 By the end of the decade, consensus was achieved in both
theory and terminology. The theory was that human nature is
essentially epicene (stage of loss of gender distinction) and
social distinctions based on sex are arbitrarily constructed.
Matters pertaining to this theoretical process of social
construction were labelled as matters of gender.
Gender Concept
 Biology of Gender became subject of studies over the late 20th century.
One of the earliest areas of interest was Gender Identity Disorder (GID).
 The term "gender role" appeared in print first in 1955.
 The term "gender identity" was used in a press release, November 21,
1966, to announce the new clinic for transsexuals at The Johns Hopkins
Hospital. It was disseminated in the media worldwide and soon entered
the vernacular (language or dialect).
 The definitions of gender and gender identity vary on a doctrinal basis.
Popularized and Scientifically debased usages are:
 Sex is what you are biologically;
 Gender is what you become socially;
 Gender Identity is your own sense or conviction of maleness or
femaleness; and
 Gender role is the cultural stereotype of what is masculine and feminine.
 Causality to gender identity disorder might be subdivided into genetic,
prenatal hormonal, postnatal social, and post-pubertal hormonal
determinants, etc. There is no comprehensive and detailed theory of
causality.
 Gender coding in the brain is bipolar.
 In gender identity disorder, there is discordancy between the natal (birth)
sex of one's external genitalia and the brain coding of one's gender as
masculine or feminine.
Gender and Social Categories
Freedom
from
traditional
U.S.
female
Gender
Roles
during
World
War II
Gender and Social Categories
 John Money termed gender role in 1955:
 "The term gender role is used to signify all those things that a person
says or does to disclose himself or herself as having the status of boy or
man, girl or woman, respectively. It includes, but is not restricted to,
sexuality in the sense of eroticism."
 Elements of gender role include clothing, speech patterns, movement,
occupations and other factors not limited to biological sex.
 Social aspects of gender can normally be presumed to be the ones of
interest in sociology. So, as closely related disciplines, gender role is
often abbreviated to gender in literature, without leading to any ambiguity
in that context.
 Most societies have only two distinct gender roles — male and female —
and these correspond with biological sex.
 However, some societies explicitly incorporate people who adopt the
gender role opposite to their biological sex, for example the Two Spirit
people of some indigenous American peoples.
 In sociological terms they comprise a third gender, more or less distinct
from biological sex (sometimes the basis for the role does include
intersexuality or incorporates eunachs. One such gender role is that
adopted by Hizras of India and Pakistan. The Bugis people of Sulawesi,
Indonesia have a tradition incorporating all of the features above. Joan
Roughgarden argues that in some non-human animal species, there can
also be said to be more than two genders, in that there might be multiple
templates for behavior available to individual organisms with a given
biological sex.
Gender and Social Categories
 Dynamics of societies mentioned above prompted debate over the
extent to which differences in male and female gender roles are
learned socially, or reflect biology.
 Social constructionists argued that gender roles are entirely
arbitrary, and biological preferences and aptitudes are irrelevant.
 Social constructionism essentialists (the view that, for any specific
kind of entity, there is a set of characteristics all of which any
entity of that kind must have) argued that gender roles are entirely
determined by biology, unmodified by social adaptations.
 Both are now rare in the peer reviewed literature published by
SSSS — Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality).
 Contemporary sociological reference to male and female gender
roles typically uses masculinities and femininities in the plural
rather than singular, suggesting diversity both within cultures as
well as across them.
Feminism and Gender Studies
 The philosopher and feminist Simone de Beauvoir applied
existentialism to women's experience of life: "One is not born a
woman, one becomes one.“ In context, this is a philosophical
statement, however, it is true biologically — a girl must pass puberty
to become a woman — and true sociologically — mature relating in
social contexts is learned, not instinctive.
 Within feminist theory, terminology for gender issues developed over
the 1970s. In the 1974 edition of Masculine/Feminine or Human, the
author uses "innate gender" and "learned sex roles",but in the 1978
edition, the use of sex and gender is reversed. By 1980, most
feminist writings had agreed on using gender only for socioculturally
adapted traits. Trait theory is an approach to personality theory in
psychology.
 In gender studies the term gender is used to refer to proposed social
and cultural constructions of masculinities and femininities. In this
context, gender explicitly excludes reference to biological
differences, to focus on cultural differences. This emerged from a
number of different areas: in sociology during the 1950s; from the
theories of the psychoanalyst; and in the work of feminists.
Feminism and Gender Studies
 A person's sex as male or female has legal significance — sex is
indicated on government documents, and laws provide differently
for men and women. Many pension systems have different
retirement ages for men or women. Marriage is usually only
available to opposite-sex couples.
 The question then arises as to what legally determines whether
someone is male or female. In most cases this can appear obvious,
but the matter is complicated for transgender people.
 Different jurisdictions have adopted different answers to this
question. Almost all countries permit changes of legal gender
status in cases of intersexualism, when the gender assignment
made at birth is determined upon further investigation to be
biologically inaccurate.
 Gneder Assignment, when there are indications that genital sex
might not be decisive in a particular case, is normally not defined
by a single definition, but by a combination of conditions, including
chromosomes and gonads. Thus, for example, in many
jurisdictions a person with XY chromosomes but female gonads
could be recognised as female at birth.
Gender and Development
 Gender, and particularly the role of women is widely recognized
as vitally important to internationalm development issues. This
often means a focus on gender-equality, ensuring participation,
but includes an understanding of the different roles and
expectation of the genders within the community.
 Directly addressing inequality, attention to gender issues is
regarded as important to the success of development
programs, for all participants. For example, in microfinance it is
common to target women, as besides the fact that women tend
to be over-represented in the poorest segments of the
population, they are also regarded as more reliable at repaying
the loans. Also, it is claimed that women are more likely to use
the money for the benefit of their families.
 Some organizations working in developing countries and in the
development field have incorporated advocacy and
empowerment for women into their work.
Gender and God
 In Taoism, Yin and Yang are considered feminine and masculine, respectively.
 In Christianity and Islamism, God is described in masculine terms.
 In theKabbalh (Jewish mysticism) the Shekhinah represents the feminine
aspect of God's essence.
Gender and God
 In Hinduism:
 One of the several forms of the Hindu God Shiva, is
Ardhanarishwar (literally half-female God). Here Shiva manifests
himself so that the left half is Female and the right half is Male.
The left represents Shakti (energy, power) in the form of Goddess
Parvati (otherwise his consort) and the right half Shiva. Whereas
Parvati is the cause of arousal of Kama (desires), Shiva is the
killer. Shiva is pervaded by the power of Parvati and Parvati is
pervaded by the power of Shiva.
 This mythology projects the inherent view in ancient Hinduism,
that each human carries within himself both male and female
components, which are forces rather than sexes, and it is the
harmony between the creative and the annihilative, the strong
and the soft, the proactive and the passive, that makes a true
person. Such thought, leave alone entail gender equality, in fact,
obliterates any material distinction between the male and female
altogether.
Gender Approach to Water
Our water is better managed when women and
men make decisions together
We can be different AND be equal
United We Stand and Divided We Fall
For Sustainable Water Development, both Men
and Women must be Involved in Decision
Making
At All Decision Making Levels and Processes, a Gender
Perspective is essential and not Additional
Together We are Stronger
Conceptual Framework
Equity as goal,
Gender Ideology as force,
Human Resources as part of Agricultural
System and
Gender Relations (more or less equal) as
Outcome.
Gender and Water
“Water resources management should be
based on a participatory approach. Both men
and women should be involved and have an
equal voice in managing the sustainable use
of water resources and sharing of benefits.
The role of women in water related areas
needs to be strengthened and their
participation broadened.”
Gender and Water
Why Gender and Water relationship is so
important in water resources management?
Water and Civilization
 Ancient Civilization in Africa and Asia was
developed
around rivers.
 River played the most vital role in the development of all
civilizations.
 Water and Society was inherently correlated.
 Water, culture and religion were also interrelated.
 Destruction of old civilization was also due to inability of
proper water management.
 In the context of complex inter-sectoral water demand, the
role of society in water management has been felt more
intensively than ever before.
 Only Engineers are not capable to handle the problems
related with water management in the society.
 Society is to come forward, where social value, perception,
culture, attitude, social knowledge, etc. are the basic
indicators, which are to be taken into consideration
through social studies or surveys.
WORLD WATER SCARCITY MAP
Water Condition in India
 India’s Water Economy: Bracing for a Turbulent Future, by John
Briscoe, senior water adviser at the World Bank.
 India may run out of water by 2020: World Bank.
 “Unless water management practices are changed — and changed
soon — India will face a severe water crisis within the next two
decades,” the report says.
 “The implicit philosophy has been aptly described as Build-NeglectRebuild. Much of what currently masquerades as ‘investment’ in
irrigation or municipal water supply is, in fact, a belated attempt to
rehabilitate crumbling infrastructure,” the report says.
 Some 90 per cent of India’s territory is drained by inter-state rivers. The
lack of clear allocation rules imposes high economic and
environmental costs.
 Sewage and waste water from rapidly growing cities have turned many
rivers into smelly sewers. Climate change projections show that India’s
water problems are only likely to worsen.
 Urgent Actions Needed
 India’s dams can store only 200 cubic metres of water per person.
Other middle-income countries like China, South Africa, and Mexico
can store up to 1000
 New infrastructure needs to be built, especially in underserved areas
such as the water-rich Northeast
 India has used only about 20 per cent of its hydropower potential, as
compared to 80 per cent in developed countries
Water Activities in India and Effects in
Bangladesh
 Farakka Barrage, Ecological Hazards and International
Dispute
 Indian River Linking Project and Ecological Disasters in
Bangladesh
 Tipaimukh Barrage and Disaster in North-Eastern Region
of Bangladesh
 Water Interventions in international rivers from India to
Bangladesh
 Any kind of water related activities in the upper riparian
country is to impact on the lower riparian country.
 Environmental hazards, ecological hazards are to lead to
social hazards and instabilize the society as a whole.
BANGLADESH
AND RIVER
SYSTEM
Aral Sea in the Central Asia
The Aral Sea after
Cross-Cutting Water Thematic Issues

Key messages for Gender Inclusions are:
1.
Women’s substantial contribution to agriculture needs to be
recognized and consequently rights to land, water and
services to be granted.
Women’s knowledge needs to be tapped for more efficient,
effective and sustainable NRM management.
For high water productivity, sustainability and poverty
reduction policies should be supportive to small mix farming
systems with integrated management of water resources.
The future investment in terms of money, energy and time
should be in institutional development, capacity building,
policy strengthening and stakeholders accountability rather
than water infrastructure.
Water management in agriculture needs to take women’s and
men’s interest in domestic water use into account, therefore
an Integrated Water Resource Management approach is
preferred.
All data regarding agriculture and water use need to be
collected in a gender segregated way.
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Water Sectors and Gender
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Rainwater management in Agriculture
Irrigation
Groundwater
Fish
Rice & Vegetables
River Basin
Water Productivity
Ecosystems
Livestock
Water Supply & Sanitation
Poverty
Policy and institution
Climate Change, Health and Gender meet
 Most of the literature on gender and water highlight the hardship and
concerns of women in water management in access, control, and use
of water resources, as well as the ways that water affects lives,
health, and well-being of men and women.
 Approaches in 1990s were largely to promote a package of tubewell
installation, latrine provision, and hygiene education in order to
address the water and sanitation (watsan) goals of development.
Such programs targeted women, due to their roles in household
hygiene and water provision tasks.
 There is less involvement of women in the stages water management
involving design/conceptualization, technology choices, location, and
formation of institutions. Women are generally seen as rational users
of water, who will benefit from whatever water options are made
available.
 In studying gender-water relations, it is important to look at who does
what with which type/source of water and why, where, and what such
relations mean for broader social relations. Women’s interests in
water management are generally linked to livelihoods concerns (both
material and symbolic) and not some natural affinity to water.
 There is the danger of tokenism in the ‘gender component’ of many
water projects without real attention to gender relations in context.
Mark Distribution on Gender and Water
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Class Attendance
Class Test
Class Performance/Presentation
Mid Term Exam
Final Exam
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15
10
25
40