II.

SEX
→ Relate to biological differences
→ Physical and biological attributes of men and
women
→ Includes chromosomal, hormonal and
anatomical components (e.g., male and female
genitalia, both internal and external are
different)
→ Similarly, the levels and types of hormones
present in male and female bodies are different
LEARNING OBJECTIVE → Genetic factors define the sex of an individual
o Identify the overall course objectives and → Women have 46 chromosomes including two X
expected outcomes and men have 46 including an X and a Y.
o Define the meaning of Gender & Sex → The Y chromosomes is dominant and carries the
o Identify & interpret the concept of Gender signal for the embryo to begin growing testes

GENDER & SEX

I. GENDER
→ Characteristics and roles of women and men
that are socially constructed
→ Social roles and relations between men and
women in the society
→ Affects all parts of our lives (social, economical,
political)
→ It changes overtime
→ It is what we expect men and women to do ad
behave
→ It is about how power is used and shared
→ Ideology of gender determines:
- What is expected of us
- What is allowed of us “In contemporary parlance, sex is biological and
- What is valued in us gender is socially constructed.” – Gender: in world
- The nature and extent of: perspective, Raewyn W. Connell
o Disadvantage
o Disparity
o Discrimination GENDER VS SEX
- Contains norms and rules regarding GENDER SEX
APPROPRIATE behavior o Socially constructed o Biological
- Determines attributes o Cultural o Universal
- Reproduces range of beliefs and customs o Learned behavior o Born with
to support these norms and social rules o Changes over time o Generally
- Determines the material reality of relative o Varies within & unchanging
access of men and women to and claims between cultures o Does not vary
over different resources (e.g., food,
health, education, property, job
opportunities/entitlements, etc.)
 GENDER CONCEPTS GENDER DIVERSITY
→ Extent to which a person’s gender identity, role,
GENDER EQUALITY
or expression differs from the cultural norms
→ All human beings are free to develop their prescribed for people of a particular sex
personal abilities and make choices.
→ Way to describe people without reference to a
→ Different behaviors, aspirations and needs of particular cultural norm
women and men are considered, valued and
favored equally.
GENDER DYSPHORIA
→ Rights, responsibilities and opportunities will
not depend on whether they are born male or → Conflict between a person’s physical or
female. assigned gender and the gender with which
he/she/they identify
→ Very uncomfortable with the gender they were
GENDER EQUITY
assigned, sometimes described as being
→ Fairness of treatment for women and men, uncomfortable with their body (particularly
according to their respective needs developments during puberty) or being
→ Treatments that is different but considered uncomfortable with the expected roles of their
equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, assigned gender. (APA)
obligations and opportunities → Discomfort or distress that is associated with a
→ Goal: built-in measures to compensate for the discrepancy between a person’s gender
historical and social disadvantages of women identity and that person’s sex assigned at birth
EQUALITY EQUITY → DSM-5 mental illness
o Sameness o Fairness
o Giving everyone the o Access to the same
same thing opportunities BIOLOGY AND GENDER
o End goal o Means to get there
I. HORMONES
→ Chemical substances secreted by glands
GENDER IDENTITY
throughout the body and carries in the
→ Person’s deeply-felt, inherent sense of being a bloodstream. The same sex hormones occur in
boy, a man, or male; a girl, a woman, or female both men and women, but differ in amounts
→ An alternative gender (e.g., genderqueer, and in the effect that they have upon different
gender non-conforming, boygirl, ladyboy) parts of the body
which may or may not correspond to a person’s
sex assigned at birth or to a person’s primary or
II. TESTOSTERONE AND ESTROGEN
secondary sex characteristics
III. CHROMOSOMES
→ Since gender identity is internal, a person’s
gender identity is not necessarily visible to → The normal human body contains 23 pairs of
others chromosomes
→ Long thin structure containing thousands of
genes, which are biochemical units of heredity
GENDER ROLES
and govern the development of every human
→ Gender roles are a continuation of the gender being
status, consisting of the other achieved o Males = XY
statuses that are associated with a particular o Females = XX
gender status
→ In less theoretical terms, gender roles are
functional position in a social dynamic for which
fulfillment is a part of “doing gender”
→ “Social constructs that vary significantly across
time, context, and culture”
 AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
1. FAMILY
→ First agents of socialization
OBJECTIVES: → Mothers and fathers, siblings and
o Identify and define socialization grandparents, plus members of an extended
o Hypothesize and justify the impact of family, all teach a child what he or she needs to
socialization on gender know.
o Discuss and evaluate personal experiences on
socialization that affects gender 2. PEER GROUPS
o Explain how gender is characterized as a social → Made up of people who are similar in age and
fact social status and who share interests
→ Peer group socialization begins in the earliest
SOCIALIZATION years. As children frow into teenagers, this
Is the process through which people are taught process continues
to be proficient members of a society. It describes → Peer groups are important to adolescents in a
the ways that people come to understand societal new way, as they begin to develop an identity
norms and expectations, to accept society’s belief separate from their parents and exert
and to be aware of societal values. independence.
Socialization is not the same as socializing
(interacting with other, like family, friends, and 3. SCHOOL
coworkers). It is a sociological process that occurs Schools also serve a latent function in society by
through socializing socializing children into behaviors like teamwork,
following a schedule, and using textbooks.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
4. WORKPLACE
ALBERT BANDURA
Although socialized into their culture since birth,
Bandura (1977) stated that “most human
workers require new socialization into a
behaviors is learned observationally through
workplace, both in terms of material culture (such
modelling: from observing others, one forms an
as hot to operate the copy machine) and
idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on
nonmaterial culture (such as whether it is okay to
later occasions this coded information serves as a
speak directly to the boss or how the refrigerator id
guide for action.”
shared).

JOHN LOCKE
5. RELIGION
TABULA RASA Is an important avenue of socialization for many
Is the notion that the human mind people. Many of these institutions uphold gender
receives knowledge and forms itself based on norms and contribute to their enforcement
experience alone, without any pre-existing innate through socialization.
ideas that would serve as a starting point. Implies
that individual human beings are born “blank” and 6. GOVERNMENT
that their identity is defined entirely by their
Although we do not think about it, many of the
experiences and sensory perception of the outside
rites of passage people go through today are based
world.
on age norms established by the government, each
time we embark on one of these new categories –
senior, adult, taxpayer – we must be socialized into
this new role.
 help, experience relationship linked emotions,
7. MASS MEDIA and be attuned to others’ relationship
- In conversation, men more often focus on tasks
→ Refers to the distribution of impersonal
and on connections with large groups, whereas
information to a wide audience, via television,
woman focus on personal relationships (Tannen,
newspaper, radio, and the internet. 1990)
→ With the average person spending over four
hours a day in front pf the Tv (and children
3. FAMILY REALATIONS
averaging even more screen time), media
greatly influences social norms. (Roberts, Foehr, and - Women’s connections as mothers, daughters,
Rideout 2005). sisters, and grandmothers bind families (Rossi &
Rossi, 1990)
- Compared with men, women but three times as
GENDER SOCIALIZATION
many gifts and greeting cards, write two to four
GENDER SOCIALIZATION times as many personal letters, and make 10 to
20 percent more long-distance calls to friends
→ Is the process through which children learn
and family (Putnam, 2000)
about the social expectation, attitudes, and
behaviors associated with one’s gender
4. EMPATHY
→ As children, attain a sense of their own gender
identity (e.g., knowing whether they are a girl When surveyed, women are far more likely to
or a boy), they pay heightened attention to describe themselves as having empathy, or being
information related to gender, and especially to able to feel what another feels – to rejoice with
same-gender models those who rejoice and weep with those who weep
(O’Brien et al., 2013)

GENDER AWARENESS
5. DOMINANCE
→ Children learn at a young age that there are
From Asia to Africa and Europe to Australia, people
distinct expectations for boys and girls. Cross-
rate men as more dominant, driven, and
cultural studies reveal that children are aware
aggressive. Moreover, studies of nearly 80,000
of gender roles by age two or three. At four or
people across 70 countries show that men more
five, most children are firmly entrenched in
than women rate power and achievement as
culturally appropriate gender roles (Kane 1996)
important (Schwartz & Rubel, 2005)
→ E.g., society often views riding a motorcycle as
a masculine activity and, therefore, considers it
6. AGGRESSIVENESS
to be part of the male gender role
- By aggression, psychologists mean behavior
intended to hurt. In surveys, men admit to
GENDER DIFFERENCES
more aggression than do women
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS - In laboratory experiments, men indeed exhibit
more physical aggression, for e.g., by
1. PLAY
administering what they believe are hurtful
- Compared to boys, girls talk more intimately
electric shocks (Knight et al., 2002)
and play less aggressively. They also play in - In Canada and the U.S., 8 times as many men as
smaller groups, often talking with one friend. women are arrested for murder (Statistics Canada,
(Eleanor Maccoby, 2002) 2010; FBI, 2014)
- Boys more often do larger group activities (Rose
& Rudolph, 2006). And as boys play with noys and
7. SEXUALITY
girls play with girls, sex difference grow larger.
- In their physiological and subjective responses
2. FRIENDSHIP
to sexual stimuli, women and men are “more
- As adults, women – at least in individualistic similar than different” (Griffitt, 1987). The
cultures – are more likely than men to describe differences lie in what happens beforehand
themselves in relationship terms, welcome - “With few expectations anywhere in the
world,” reported cross-cultural psychologist
 Marshall Segall and his colleagues (1990, p. 244). → Such changes, across cultures and over a
“Males are more likely than females to initiate remarkably short time, signal that evolution
sexual activity.” and biology do not fic gender roles: Time also
bends the gender
CULTURE & GENDER
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND
CULTURE
INEQUALITY
→ Is shared by a large group and transmitted
• STARTIFICATION
across generations – ideas, attitudes, behavior,
→ Refers to a system in which groups of people
and traditions
experience unequal access to basic, yet
→ We can see the shaping power of culture in
highly valuable, social resources
ideas about how men and women should
→ When looking to the past, it would appear
behave. And we can see culture in the
that society has made great strides in terms
disapproval they endure when they violate
of abolishing some of the most blantant
those expectations (Kite, 2001)
forms of gender inequality but underlying
→ In countries everywhere, girls spend more time
effects of male dominance still permeate
helping with housework and child care, and
many aspects of society
boys spend more time in unsupervised play.
• Before 1859 – Married women were not
(Edwards, 1991; Kalenkoski et al., 2009; United Nations, 2010)
→ GENDER SOCIALIZATION, gives girls “roots” and allowed to own or control property
boys “wings” • Before 1909 – Abducting a woman who was not
→ Behavior expectations for males and females – an heiress was not a crime
of who should cook, wash dishes, hunt game, • Before 1918 – Women were nor permitted to
and lead companies and countries – define vote
gender roles. • Before 1953 – employers could legally pay a
woman less than a man for the same work
• Before 1969 – Women did not have the right to
GENDER ROLES VARY WITH CULTURE
a safe and legal abortion (Nellie McClung Foundation
→ Despite gender role inequalities, the majority of N.d.)
the world’s people would ideally like to see
more parallel male and female roles
→ In the past half-century – a thin slice of our long
history – gender roles have changed
dramatically
→ In 1038, just 1 in 5 Americans approved “of a
married woman earning money in business or
industry if she has a husband capable of
supporting her.”
→ Behavioral changes have accompanied this
attitude shift. In 1965 the Harvard Business
School had never granted a degree to a woman,
in its 2016 class, 41 percent of students were
women
→ Things have changed at home, too. In the mid-
1960s American married women devoted
seven times as many hours to housework as did
their husbands. (Bianchi et al., 2000)
→ The trends toward more gender equality
appear across many cultures – for e.g., women
are increasingly represented in the parliaments
of most nations. (Inglehart & Welzel, 2005; IPU, 2015)
 o NEOROTICISM – tendency to experience
negative emotion and related processes in
response to perceived threat and punishment.
(anxiety, depression, anger, self-consciousness,
OBJECTIVES and emotional liability).
o Examine and assess various differences
between men and women –
o Investigate, analyze and revise personal Openness MEN WOMEN
stereotyping process 1. Fantasy Ideas Aesthetics
o Formulate effective reconciliation to reduce 2. Aesthetics Feelings
prejudices 3. Feelings
4. Actions
What are the SIMILARITIES of men and women? 5. Ideas
6. Values
Wat are the DIFFERENCES of men and women?
Conscientiousness MEN WOMEN
The substantial variation within each sex is a result
1. Competence Competence Order
of diversity in:
2. Order Achievement Dutifulness
o Experience 3. Dutifulness striving Self-
o Heredity 4. Achievement striving Deliberation discipline
o Sexual Orientation 5. Self-discipline
o Race 6. Deliberation
o Culture
o Class Extraversion MEN WOMEN
1. Warmth Assertive Warmth
DIFFERENCES IN MEN AND WOMEN 2. Gregariousness Excitement- Positive
3. Assertiveness seeking emotions
BEHAVIORAL DIFFERENCES
4. Activity Activity Gregariousness
FIVE FACTOR MODEL (MCCRAE & COSTA) 5. Excitement-
o OPENNESS – reflects imagination, creativity, seeking
intellectual curiosity, and appreciation of 6. Positive emotions
aesthetic experiences. The ability and interest
in attending to and processing complex stimuli. Agreeableness MEN WOMEN
1. Trust Straight Trust
o CONSCIENTIOUSNESS – traits related to self- 2. Straightforwardness forwardness Altruism
discipline, organization, and the control of 3. Altruism Compliance
impulses, and appears to reflect the ability to 4. Compliance Modesty
exert self-control in order to follow rules or 5. Modesty Tender
maintain goal pursuit. 6. Tender-mindedness mindedness

o EXTRAVERSION – reflect sociability, Neuroticism MEN WOMEN

assertiveness, and positive emotionality, all of 1. Anxiety Angry Anxiety
which have been linked to sensitivity to 2. Angry hostility hostility Depression
rewards. 3. Depression Self-
4. Self-consciousness consciousness
o AGGREEABLENESS – comprises traits relating 5. Impulsiveness Impulsiveness
to altruism, such as empathy and kindness. The 6. Vulnerability Vulnerability
tendency toward cooperation, maintenance of
social harmony, and consideration of the
concerns of others.
PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES
1. Women revisit emotional memories much
more than men
2. Males are aroused under stress while females
are turned off
3. Women can read between the lines along with
facial expressions way better than men
4. Men prefer to solve their problems without
talking about them
5. Men value looks much more than women
6. Women are psychologically wired to avoid
conflict unless some other factors comes into
play while men are much more aggressive in
general
7. Men can take decisions without being
emotionally affected while women take other
factors into consideration related to emotions
8. Men laugh when they find something funny.
Women laugh when they think it’s appropriate

BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCE
MEN WOMEN
BRAIN Have larger parietal lobes – involved in Have larger frontal cortex – involving
spatial perception and amygdalae – reasoning and decision-making and
important in anger, fear and sex drive hippocampus – important in memory
BLOOD Able to carry more O2 in their blood due Less able than males
to their higher blood volume and
hemoglobin count
PULMONARY Have greater lung capacity and take fewer Have lower capacity than men
breaths per min than women
BONES and Have higher density of bones which make More likely to suffer knee injuries due to
them less likely to have osteoporosis wider pelvis, weaker musculature, and joints
JOINTS
SENSES Have sharper vision than females, better at Have a slightly sense of hearing than males
detecting slight motions within the visual (Cassidy & Ditty, 2001)
field Have greater sensitivity to odors (Coty,
Shaman, Applebaum, Giberson, & Sikorski, et
al., 1984)
SKIN Have thinner skin and are less prone to acne than
males
Have more adipose (fat)
Sweat less copiously but more effectively than
males
Sweat is more alkaline than males

→ Are beliefs and attitudes about masculinity

GENDER STEREOTYPES
and femininity. When people associate a
→ Schematized set of beliefs about the pattern of behavior with either women or men,
psychological traits and characteristics and the they may overlook the individual variations and
behaviors expected of (and seen as appropriate expectations and come to believe that the
for) men and women
 behavior is inevitably associated with one and DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER
not the gender.” – Linda Brannon (1996) STEREOTYPES
→ Harmful when it limits women’s and men’s
INFLUENCE Children who Children who
capacity to develop their personal abilities,
pursue their professional careers and make
tend to express tend to express
choices about their lives strongly more flexible
→ Gender stereotypes can have a profound
gender- beliefs and
INFLUENCE ON CHILDREN, as they establish stereotypical attitudes about
social categories foe gender – throughout the attitudes and gender
life span beliefs
Parental Have parents Have parents
Attitudes who hold who challenge
traditional, gender
gender- stereotypes and
stereotypical have less
attitudes and traditional
beliefs attitudes
Parents’ Have parent Have parents
Beliefs who see gender who accept that
mainly in there are
About
terms of how biological sex
Gender people behave differences, but
do not assume
that there are
gender-related
differences in
behavior
Interaction Interact more Interact less
With with parents with parents
Parents
Family Tend to have Tend to have
Size more siblings fewer siblings
Mother’s Tend to have Tend to have
Role mothers who mothers who
stay at home work outside
the home

→ According to SOCIAL ROLE THEORY, gender

stereotypes derive from the discrepant
distribution of men and women into social
roles both in the home and at work. There has
long been a gendered division of labor, and it
has existed both in foraging societies and in
more socioeconomically complex societies
(Wood and Eagly, 2012)
→ Stereotypes can serve an adaptive function
allowing people to categorize and simplify
what they observe and to make predictions
about others
 - However, stereotypes also can include
faulty assessments of people. E.g.,
assessments based on generalization from
beliefs about a group that do not correspond
to a person’s unique qualities OBJECTIVES
→ These faulty assessments can negatively or
• Describe and distinguish each theory on how it
positively affect expectations about
views gender formation.
performance, and bias consequent decisions
• Compare and organize the level of influence
that impact opportunities and work outcomes
initiated by biological, psychological, and
for both men and women (e.g., Heilman, 2012; Heilman
et al., 2015; Hentschel et al., 2018) sociological perspectives.
→ Stereotypes about gender are especially
influential because gender is an aspect of a
BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
person that is readily notice and remembered.
(Fiske et al., 1991) In other words, gender is a SEX CHROMOSOMES
commonly occurring cue for stereotypic → The sex of an individual is determined by the
thinking (Blair and Banaji, 1996). combination of the sex chromosomes.
Females possess two X- chromosomes and are
said to be homogametic whereas males are
heterogametic with on each of an X-and Y-
chromosome
→ Females can only donate an X-chromosome. If
the male also donates an X-chromosome the
offspring will be female. If the male donates a
Y-chromosomes the offspring will be
heterogametic and consequently male.
→ This offers one explanation for observable
differences between men and women. Y
chromosome's primary function is to
determine that a fertilized egg will evolve into
a male. X chromosome's function controls a lot
more than sex determination
→ Genetic evidence (Tanouye, 1996) shows that
several genes controlling intelligence are
located only on X chromosomes.
→ This implies that some aspects of males’
intelligence are inherited only from their
mothers, whereas females, who usually inherit
an X chromosome from each parent, may
inherit their intelligence from both parents.
→ Genetic researchers have also reported that the
primary gene responsible for social skills is
active only on the X chromosome (Langreth, 1997).
This may explain why women, who have two X
chromosomes, are generally more adept and
comfortable than men in many social
situations.
 HORMONES/HORMONAL ACTIVITY → Like women, men have hormonal cycles that
Hormones influence skills and tendencies we affect their behavior (Federman & Walford, 2007;
Tavris,1992).
associate with gender.
→ Males who use drugs, engage in violent and
abusive behavior, and have behavior problems
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
tend to be at their cycle’s peak level of
control development and function of the human
testosterone, the primary male hormone.
reproductive system.
Higher levels of testosterone are also linked to
• Female: ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, and
jockeying for power, attempts to influence or
vagina
dominate others, and physical expressions of
• Male: testes, penis, seminal vesicles, anger (Cowley, 2003; Schwartz & Cellini, 1995).
prostate gland, and bulbourethral glands

BRAIN STRUCTURE
FEMALE: ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE
• MEN
→ two most important hormones in the female → Left lobe - linear thinking, sequential
body. These are steroid hormones that are information, spatial skills, and abstract,
responsible for various female characteristics in analytical reasoning.
the body. The ovaries are a pair of ova- → Amygdala (center of emotions) is larger.
producing organs (that is, they produce egg Since men have larger amygdala and more
cells) that maintain the health of the female testosterone, this explains their aggressive
reproductive system. and impulsive nature.
→ Estrogen is the hormone that regulates the • WOMEN
menstrual cycle while → Right lobe - imaginative and artistic activity.
→ Progesterone is the hormone that supports Holistic and intuitive thinking and visual and
pregnancy. During pregnancy, these two works spatial tasks
together and are responsible for the changes → Prefrontal cortex is larger and develops
that take place during pregnancy. earlier; insula is also larger (Prefrontal
Cortex - restrains aggression; Insula - affects
MALE: TESTOSTERONE intuition and empathy)
primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in → Women are more indirect when it comes to
males. In male humans, testosterone plays a key aggression. They are not as impulsive as
role in the development of male reproductive men, which is explained by the early and
tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as larger development of their prefrontal
promoting secondary sexual characteristics such cortex
as increased muscle and bone mass, and the → Has great ability to use corpus callosum
growth of body hair (connects both sides of the brain) and to
access distinct capabilities of both lobes

→ Sex hormones affect development of the brain PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

as well as the body. For instance, estrogen, the PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY
primary female hormone, causes women’s
→ According to Freud (1915), the unconscious
bodies to produce “good” cholesterol and to
mind is the primary source of human behavior.
make their blood vessels more flexible than
Like an iceberg, the most important part of the
those of men (Ferraro, 2001). Estrogen
mind is the part you cannot see.
strengthens the immune system, making
→ Emphasizes the influence of an individual’s
women generally less susceptible to immune
relationship with other people in the
disorders and more resistant to infections and
development of gender.
viruses.
→ Claims that the first relationship we built
fundamentally influences how an infant comes
to define his/her identity, including gender

THREE LEVELS OF MIND:

• CONSCIOUS – thoughts that are currently the
focus of attention
• SUBCONCIOUS/PRECONSCIOUS – ideas that
can be retrieved easily from the memory
• UNCONSCIOUS – information that is very hard/
impossible to retrieve
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
THREE PARTS OF PERSONALITY: → Social learning theory regards gender identity
• ID – pleasure principle and role as a set of behaviors that are learned
• EGO – reality principle from the environment.
• SUPEREGO – morality principle → Emphasizes the influence of an individual’s
relationship with other people in the
development of gender
→ Claims that the individuals learn to be
→ Infant develop a sense of self and a gender
masculine and feminine primarily by imitating
identity as they internalize the views of other
others and getting responses from other to
people around them during these early years.
their behaviors
→ Male and female infants follow distinct
→ People around them will reward only some
developmental paths that reflect son’s and
children’s behaviors, and the behaviors that are
daughter’s relationship with mothers.
reinforced tend to be repeated
→ Psychodynamic theorists maintain that the
→ Although each of us is born with certain
identity formed in infancy is fundamental. Thus,
inclinations, it is our social world that amplifies
as infants mature, they carry with them, the
or tones down those inclinations
basic identity formed in the pivotal first
relationship with their mothers. → Studies about females who have congenital
adrenal hyperplasia. These girls are more
→ Identity is not static or fixed in the early years of
interested in trucks and toy weapons than most
life. The initial self that we construct continues
little girls are, and they engage in rougher play.
to grow and change throughout life as we
Yet, as they interact with other girls, their peers
interact with others and revise our sense of who
socialize them toward behaviors, games, and
we are
preferences more traditional for girls.
→ The psychodynamic theory of gender
→ Social learning theory suggests that the
development suggests that gender identity and
reinforcement process continues throughout
role are acquired during the third stage of
life with messages that reinforce femininity in
psychosexual development, the PHALLIC
women and masculinity in men.
STAGE.
→ For example, imagine three siblings, James (4
→ Before this, in the oral and anal stages, the child
years), John (5 years) and Sarah (6 years). Sarah
does not have a gender identity and its sexual
and John play ‘dressing up’ and both put on
drives are directed indiscriminately. As the child
dresses. Their dad reinforces Sarah for this, by
enters the phallic stage, the focus of its libido
saying she looks pretty but punishes John by
moves to the genitals and the development of
saying he looks silly and boys should not dress
girls and boys diverges.
that way. In future, Sarah is more likely to wear
dresses and John is less likely. James, who has
been watching all this, is unlikely to imitate the
 behavior of wearing a dress because he has → Males are more likely to be socialized to value
seen his brother (who he perceives as similar to autonomy and to communicate in ways that
himself) getting punished for doing it. preserve their independence from others
→ Each sex learns what society expects of her/his
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY gender, and most decide to act in ways that are
→ When explaining how gender identity and roles consistent with social views of gender
develop, cognitive psychologists emphasize the
role of thinking processes. They are interested
in how children gather and make sense of
information about gender and how their
understanding of gender changes over time
→ Cognitive psychologists assume that changes in
gender role behavior reflect changes in how
children understand and think about gender.
→ Emphasizes the influence of an individual's
relationship with other people in the
development of gender
→ Also focuses on how individuals learn from
interactions with others to define themselves,
but unlike social learning theory, cognitive
development theory assumes that children
play active roles in developing their gender
identities
→ Kohlberg (1966) puts forward a stage theory of
gender development. His theory proposes that
a child’s understanding of gender moves
forward in stages. SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
• First stage - GENDER IDENTITY, which is
usually reached by the age of 2 years. At FUNCTIONALISM
this stage the child is able to correctly label → Functionalism also known as “structural
its own sex. functionalism,” is a macrosociological
• Second stage - GENDER STABILITY, which perspective that is based on the premise that
is usually reached by the age of 4 years. At society is made up of interdependent parts,
this stage the child realizes that gender each of which contributes to the functioning of
remains the same across time. However, the whole society.
its understanding of gender is heavily → Functionalists seek to identify the basic
influenced by external features like hair elements or parts of society and determine the
and clothing. A boy at this stage might say functions these parts play in meeting basic
that if he put on a dress he would be a girl. social needs in predictable ways.
• Third stage - GENDER CONSTANCY, the → Functionalists ask how any given element of
child starts to understand that gender is social structure contributes to overall social
independent of external features. This stability, balance, and equilibrium.
stage is usually reached by the age of 7 → They assert that in the face of disruptive social
years. change, society can be restored to equilibrium
→ Most females are socialized to value as long as built-in mechanisms of social control
connections with others, to communicate care operate effectively and efficiently.
and responsiveness, and to preserve → Preindustrial Society. Functionalists suggest
relationships that in preindustrial societies social
 equilibrium was maintained by assigning → Unlike functionalists, who believe that social
different tasks to men and women. Given the order is maintained through value consensus,
hunting and gathering and subsistence farming conflict theorists assert that it is preserved
activities of most preindustrial societies, role involuntarily through the exercise of power
specialization according to gender was one social class holds over another.
considered a functional necessity. → Marx, Engels, and Social Class. Originating
• Functions of Men - frequently away from from the writings of Karl Marx (1818–1883),
home for long periods and centered their conflict theory is based on the assumption that
lives around the responsibility of bringing society is a stage on which struggles for power
food to the family. and dominance are acted out.
• Functions of Women - more limited by → Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), Marx’s
pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing—to be collaborator, applied these assumptions to the
assigned domestic roles near the home as family and, by extension, to gender roles. He
gatherers and subsistence farmers and as suggested that the master–slave or exploiter–
caretakers of children and households exploitee relationships occurring in broader
• Functions of Children - needed to help society between the bourgeoisie and the
with agricultural and domestic activities. proletariat are translated into the household.
Girls would continue these activities when → With the emergence of private property and
boys reached the age when they were the dawn of capitalistic institutions, Engels
allowed to hunt with the older males. argued that a woman’s domestic labor is “no
→ If too much deviation from these roles occurs, longer counted beside the acquisition of the
or when there is too much overlap, the family necessities of life by the man; the latter was
system is propelled into a state of imbalance everything, the former an unimportant extra.”
that can threaten the survival of the family → Today, conflict theory largely asserts that social
unit. Advocates of functionalist assumptions structure is based on the dominance of some
argue, for instance, that gender role ambiguity groups over others and that groups in society
regarding instrumental and expressive roles is a share common interests, whether its members
major factor in divorce (Hacker, 2003). are aware of it or not.
→ Conflict is not simply based on class struggle
CRITIQUE: and the tensions between owner and worker or
• It should be apparent that functionalism’s employer and employee; it occurs on a much
emphasis on social equilibrium contributes to wider level and among almost all other groups.
its image as an inherently conservative → Gender and the Family. Conflict theory focuses
theoretical perspective. This image is on the social placement function of the family
reinforced by its difficulty in accounting for a that deposits people at birth into families who
variety of existing family systems and in not possess varying degrees of economic
keeping pace with rapid social change moving resources.
families toward more egalitarian attitudes → When social placement operates through
regarding gender roles. patriarchal and patrilineal systems, wealth is
• Functionalism has been used as a justification further concentrated in the hands of males and
for male dominance and gender stratification. further promotes female subservience, neglect,
and poverty.
CONFLICT THEORY
→ Contemporary conflict theorists agree with
→ With its assumptions about social order and
Engels by suggesting that when women gain
social change, the macrosociological
economic strength by also being wage earners,
perspective of conflict theory, also referred to
their power inside the home is strengthened
as social conflict theory, is in many ways a
and can lead to more egalitarian arrangements.
mirror image of functionalism.
 CRITIQUE: → People called “females” or “males” are
→ Conflict theory has been criticized for its
endowed with certain traits defined as
overemphasis on the economic basis of feminine or masculine. Concepts such as
inequality and its assumption that there is gender, therefore, must be found in the
inevitable competition between family meanings people bring to them (Denzin, 1993;
members. Deutscher and Lindsey, 2005:5).
→ It tends to dismiss the consensus among wives → In “doing” gender, symbolic interaction takes
and husbands regarding task allocation. its lead from Erving Goffman (1922–1982), who
→ A conspiratorial element emerges when
developed a dramaturgy approach to social
conflict theory becomes associated with the interaction. Gender roles are structured by one
idea that men as a group are consciously set of scripts designed for males and another
organized to keep women in subordinate designed for females.
positions → Doing Difference. From early childhood these
groups are usually gender segregated.
Gendered subcultures emerge that strengthen
SYMBOLIC INTERACTION
the perceptions of gender differences and
→ Symbolic interaction, also called “the
erode the common ground on which intimate,
interactionist perspective,” is at the heart of
status-equal friendships between the genders
the sociological view of social interaction at the
are formed (Rouse, 2002).
microlevel.
→ When cross-gender social interaction occurs,
→ With attention to people’s behavior in face-to-
such as in the workplace, it is unlikely that men
face social settings, symbolic interactionists
and women hold statuses with similar levels of
explain social interaction as a dynamic process
power and prestige.
in which people continually modify their
behavior as a result of the interaction itself.
CRITIQUE:
→ People interact according to how they perceive
→ Symbolic interaction’s approach to
a situation, how they understand the social
encounter, and the meanings they bring to it. understanding gender role behavior is criticized
→ Social Construction of Reality. Symbolic for its overall lack of attention to macrolevel
interaction is a micro level perspective, but it processes that often limits choice of action and
does take into account that social interaction is prompts people to engage in gendered
a process governed by norms that are largely behavior that counters what they would prefer
determined by culture. to do.
→ Men and women interact not only as individual
→ Cultural norms offer general guidelines for role
family members but also according to other
behavior, but symbolic interactionists assert
roles they play in society and the prestige
that we have latitude in the way we act out our
associated with those roles.
roles. These definitions shape the way people
→ For example, a wealthy white man who holds a
see and experience the world.
powerful position in a corporation does not
→ Symbolic interactionists refer to this shaping
dissolve those roles when he walks into his
process as the social construction of reality—
home. They shape his life at home, in the
the shaping of perception of reality by the
workplace, and in the other social institutions in
subjective meanings brought to any experience
which he takes part
or social interaction.
→ Doing Gender. Symbolic interactionists
contend that concepts used to collectively FEMINIST SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
categorize people—such as race, ethnicity, and → The feminist perspective provides productive
gender—do not exist objectively but emerge avenues of collaboration with sociologists who
through a socially constructed process. adopt other theoretical views, especially
conflict theory and symbolic interaction.
→ Feminist theory aims to understand gender traditional marriages are as satisfied with their
inequality and focuses on gender politics, choices as women in egalitarian marriages.
power relations, and sexuality. While
providing a critique of these social and political
relations, much of feminist theory also focuses
on the promotion of women's rights and
interests.
→ The feminist perspective is compatible with
conflict theory in its assertions that structured
social inequality is maintained by ideologies
that are frequently accepted by both the
privileged and the oppressed.
→ Unlike conflict theory’s focus on social class and
the economic elements necessary to challenge
the prevailing system, feminists focus on
women and their ability to amass resources
from a variety of sources—in their individual
lives (microlevel) and through social and
political means (macrolevel).
→ Feminists work through a number of avenues to
increase women’s empowerment—the ability
for women to exert control over their own
destinies.
→ Symbolic interaction and feminist theory come
together in research focusing on the unequal
power relations between men and women
from the point of view (definition of the
situation) of women who are “ruled” by men in
many settings.
→ The feminist perspective accounts for ways to
empower these women by clarifying the
relationship between the label of “feminine”
(symbolic interaction) and how these women
are judged by peers and by themselves

CRITIQUE:
→ With a view of gender, marriage, and the family
focusing on oppression of women, the feminist
perspective tends to minimize the practical
benefits of marriages
→ This contention is that a marriage may be
patriarchal, but it also includes important
economic resources and social support that
women in these marriages may view as more
important in their daily lives than their feelings
about subordination.
→ Feminist scholars also find it difficult to
reconcile research suggesting that women in
 I. WESTERN: ANGLO AMERICAN
Most often refers to a region in the Americas in
which English is a main language and British
OBJECTIVES culture and the British Empire have had significant
historical, ethnic, linguistic and cultural impact.
o Interpret and evaluate significant cultural
influences affecting personality formation
o Value acceptance and revise culturally formed APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY
personalities → depictions of gender roles in Beowulf are
important to the definition of individual and
community identity. If individuals did not act
INTRODUCTION
according to their roles, then the community
→ Evolutionary psychology incorporates could not be unified and would fail. (Traditional
environmental influences. It recognizes that Anglo-American)
nature and nurture interact in forming us → Male gender role was dominant (image of the
→ Genes are not fixed blueprints; their expression hero, kings and rulers)
depends on the environment (analogy of tea → Relating to Beuwolf: “The Geats’ Great Prince
and hot water) stood firm, unmoving, prepared Behind his high
→ The cultural perspective highlights human shield, waiting in his shining armor” – The Final
adaptability Battle line 718-720
→ Women gender roles (cupbearers, peace-
UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL weavers)
DIVERSITY → Divorce was permitted
→ Law of Cnut: women had the right to leave if
→ As we work, play, and live with people from
marriage was “displeasing”
diverse cultural backgrounds, it helps to
→ Once married, wife prepared to take the
understand how our cultures influence us and
husband’s place at any moment (look after the
how our cultures differ
home/farm, see if there needs to be a repair,
→ In a conflict-laden world, achieving peace
collect ransom in case husband was a prisoner)
requires a genuine appreciation for both our
→ Men focused on protection and labor work
genuine differences and our deep similarities
(cutting trees)
→ “All cultures have their accepted ideas about
→ Finances belong to both men and women
appropriate behavior.”
→ Promoting equality of opportunity for all and
→ NORMS are rules or expectations that are
achieving diversity at all levels
socially enforced
→ Increasing women involvement in the
→ It may be prescriptive (encouraging positive
workforce
behavior; for example, “be honest”) or
proscriptive (discouraging negative behavior;
for example, “do not cheat”) II. WESTERN: LATIN AMERICAN
→ Norms do restrain and control us—so These are generally of Western origin, but have
successfully and so subtly that we hardly sense various degrees of Native American, African and
their existence Asian influence.

HOW IS CULTURE IN REFERENCE TO APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY

NORMS? → Latin American gender roles speak of

traditionally accepted gender archetypes, such
Culture is largely influenced by the norms that are
as machismo (an exaggerated masculinity for
accepted by the society. Each culture differs in its
men) and marianismo (a passive, nurturing role
standards and norms.
for women)
→ MACHISMO is, very simply put, an exaggerated
masculinity, or an assumption of male
superiority, which is based on a clear cultural
and social gap between what is considered
female or male. Traditional gender roles in
Latin America dictate that public space is a
male domain. This mindset is more or less
harmless
→ MARIANISMO is an aspect of the female
gender role in the machismo of Hispanic
American folk culture. It is the veneration for
feminine virtues like purity and moral strength.
IV. WESTERN: AFRICAN AMERICAN
For example, it represents the "virgin" aspect of
the dichotomy. Rooted in the blend between the cultures of West
and Central Africa and the Anglo-Celtic culture that
→ one of the difficulties in defining gender roles is
that Latin American countries underwent rapid has influenced and modified its development in
changes in gender roles during the latter part of the American South.
the twentieth century.
→ violence against women can be understood APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY
broadly to include any form of exclusion, → Gender roles established within African-
harassment, or abuse. American families often contradict the
→ In the three Latin American countries surveyed, ideologies of the functionalist perspective.
strong majorities say they accept → In examining sex and gender roles within
homosexuality in society. African American families, there is a paradigm
shift in the Black family structure.
III. WESTERN: ENGLISH SPEAKING → the cultural practices and functions of Black
families were by all means shaped by the
WORLD
institution of slavery
The United Kingdom, United States, Canada, - crucial turning point as it marked some of
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland. the greatest changes in the structure of
Black families.
APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY → families were deconstructed in many ways
→ Survey finds these countries are abandoning which affected the roles of Black men and Black
traditional views of gender roles. women. As a result, they were forced to
→ Traditional views of gender roles have conform to the traditional norms of the Anglo-
continued to decline, according to the latest Saxon community.
survey of social attitudes by the National → Regardless of gender, persons were expected
Centre for Social Research (NatCen), with 72% to fulfill domestic and outdoor activities on an
disputing the conservative view that women equal basis. The roles of African women were
should dedicate themselves to housework, not limited to domestic chores.
compared with 58% 10 years ago. → Not all women are oppressed in the same ways
→ There is a view that feminism is redundant; despite holding the common minority status of
they have their rights now so they can take off being female
the dungarees and choose to do what they like. → Black Americans are more divided with fewer
than half (48%) expressing support for allowing
gay and lesbian couples to marry, while 41% are
opposed. However, this represents a five-point
 increase in support for same-sex marriage, sky" to illustrate the importance of women to
compared to 43% in 2015. China's economic success.
→ The party and the government implemented
V. INDOSPHERE CULTURE policies ensuring equal pay for equal work and
equal opportunity for men and women.
Highlights the cultural influence in Southeast Asia
→ Discrimination against women is on the rise.
From the womb to the workplace, from the
APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY
political arena to the home, women in China
→ Gender in Southeast Asia is the deciding factor are losing ground at every turn.
concerning independence, ability to work and → One-child policy, official program initiated in
even health. Southeast Asian countries, such as the late 1970s and early ’80s by the central
Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, government of China, the purpose of which was
are culturally diverse. to limit the great majority of family units in the
→ Despite Southeast Asian countries’ reputation country to one child each. There was a
for being run by men, the Philippines and persistent gender imbalance (because of the
Singapore have impressive indicators on traditional preference of having sons) and
gender equality. However, when considering invoking stronger measures such as forced
Southeast Asia as a whole, gender equality is abortions and sterilizations (the latter primarily
still nowhere near perfect. of women).
→ Cultural shifts over the last 40 years mean that
Southeast Asia currently has a female
VII. ISLAMIC
workforce participation rate of 42%, which is
higher than the global average of 39%. Islamic culture and Muslim culture refer to cultural
→ These days, women are able to have jobs to practices common to historically Islamic people –
support themselves and not rely on their Persian, Egyptian, Caucasian, Turkic, Mongol,
significant others so much, hence the term Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Malay, Somali,
“independent women”. Berber, Indonesian, and Moro cultures.

APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY

VI. SINOSPHERE CULTURE
→ In Islam, scriptures, cultural traditions, and
Sinophone world are the regions of Chinese
jurisprudence affect the relationship between
diaspora outside of Greater China, and some for
men and women.
the entire Chinese-speaking world
→ The Quran, the holiest book in Islam, indicates
that men and women are spiritual equals. The
APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY
Quran 4:124.5 states: "If any do deeds of
→ The concept of gender is foundational to the righteousness be they male or female and have
general approach of Chinese thinkers. Yin and faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least
yang, core elements of Chinese cosmogony, injustice will be done to them.”
involve correlative aspects of “dark and light,” → However, in Islamic practice, gender roles
“female and male,” and “soft and hard.” These manifest themselves, partially because men
notions, with their deeply-rooted gender and women are sometimes allotted different
connotations, recognize the necessity of rights and different cultural expectations.
interplay between these different forces in → In some Muslim-majority countries, women are
generating and carrying forward the world. legally restricted from practicing certain rights.
→ The Constitution of the People's Republic of → Traditional Islamic schools of thought as based
China, which was enacted in 1954, stated that on the Quran and Hadith consider
women and men should have equal rights. To homosexuality to be a punishable sin.
promote gender equality, the Communist Party
promoted the slogan "Women hold up half the
 VIII. ARAB CULTURE → Tibetans, both men and women, pray not to be
reborn as a woman but as a man in their next
Culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in
life. It’s not clear if this is a cultural trend, or
the west to the Arabia Sea in the east, and from
comes from their Buddhist beliefs.
the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of
→ Tibetan women were allowed to have their own
Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast.
businesses and even allowed to inherit land,
something the modern world did not see until
APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY much later in history.
→ Women in Arab countries find themselves torn → Sexually, both men and women participated in
between opportunity and tradition. extramarital affairs as well as homosexuality,
→ Arab Muslim women in the Middle East still though male homosexuality was accepted
face substantial social and legal inequalities. whereas women’s homosexuality was
Even as governments in the region tout female prosecuted aside from nobility.
advancement abroad, women in the Arab Gulf
claim that they still enforce traditional gender
X. PHILIPPINE CULTURE
roles.
→ Women in all of the Gulf states must receive the
approval of a male guardian to marry.
→ In Qatar, single women under 25 require
permission to travel abroad, and Qatari men
can argue in court to stop their wives from
traveling.
→ In Saudi Arabia, men can file a “disobedience”
complaint against female relatives for leaving
the house without permission.
→ In Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, a man can stop
his wife from working if he feels her
employment interferes with her domestic
responsibilities or religious conduct.

IX. TIBETAN CULTURE

Tibet developed a distinct culture due to its
geographic and climatic conditions. While
influenced by neighboring cultures from China,
India, and Nepal, the Himalayan region's
remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved
distinct local influences, and stimulated the
development of its distinct culture.

APPROACH ON GENDER & SEXUALITY

→ Though it is a religious society, there are no
proscriptions to control women’s sexuality. A
Tibetan man doesn’t expect his new wife to be
a virgin. Tibetan women are free to choose any
career, husband, or stay single.
→ Tibetan women do generally play an equal role
in society, there are fewer in leadership and
political positions.
 medicalized term that should be retired from
common use.
o LESBIAN - a woman who is attracted to women.
Sometimes also or alternately “same-gender-
loving woman” or “woman loving woman.”
o QUEER - traditionally a derogatory term, yet

SOGIE reclaimed and appropriated by some LGBTQ

individuals as a term of self-identification. It is
an umbrella term which embraces a matrix of
sexual preferences, gender expressions, and
OBJECTIVES
habits that are not of the heterosexual,
1. Explain and discuss the differences between heteronormative, or gender-binary majority. It
sexual orientation, gender identity and is not a universally accepted term by all
expression members of the LGBT community, and it is
2. Recognize the personal etiologic origin of often considered offensive when used by
heterosexuality heterosexuals.
3. Present different concepts to reconcile values o PANSEXUAL/FLUID - attracted to people
and differences regardless of gender. Sometimes also or
4. Organize the expectations on gender roles and alternately “omnisexual” or “polysexual.”
its impact on relational dynamics o QUESTIONING - one who may be unsure of,
5. Assess strategic measures to reconcile gender reconsidering, or chooses to hold off identifying
roles or differences. their sexual identity or gender expression or
identity.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION o STRAIGHT - attracted to people of the
Describes to whom a person is sexually attracted. “opposite” sex; also, sometimes generally used
Some people are attracted to people of a to refer to people whose sexualities are
particular gender; others are attracted to people societally normative. Alternately referred to as
of more than one gender. Some are not attracted “heterosexual.”
to anyone.
GENDER IDENTITY & EXPRESSION
SEXUAL ORIENTATION CONCEPTS → ways in which a person identifies and or
o ASEXUAL - not sexually attracted to anyone expresses their gender, including self-image,
and/or no desire to act on attraction to anyone. appearance, and embodiment of gender roles.
Does not necessarily mean sexless. Asexual One’s SEX (e.g., male, female, intersex, etc.) is
people sometimes do experience affectional usually assigned at birth based on one’s
(romantic) attraction. physical biology.
o BISEXUAL - attracted to people of one’s own → One’s GENDER (e.g., male, female,
gender and people of other gender(s). Two genderqueer, etc.) is one’s internal sense of self
common misconceptions are that bisexual and identity. One’s GENDER EXPRESSION (e.g.,
people are attracted to everyone and anyone, masculine, feminine, androgynous, etc.) is how
or that they just haven’t “decided.” Often one embodies gender attributes,
referred to as “bi.” presentations, roles, and more.
o GAY - generally refers to a man who is attracted
to men. Sometimes refers to all people who are GENDER IDENTITY & EXPRESSION
attracted to people of the same sex; sometimes CONCEPTS
“homosexual” is used for this also, although • ANDROGYNY - The mixing of masculine and
this term is seen by many today as a feminine gender expression or the lack of
gender identification. The terms androgyne,
 agender, and neutrois are sometimes used by people feel a conflict between their gender
people who identify as genderless, non- identity and the sex they were assigned at birth.
gendered, beyond or between genders, or Other labels used within this group are MtF
some combination thereof. (male-to-female) or trans woman, and FtM
• CISGENDER - A gender identity that society (female-to-male) or trans man.
considers to “match” the biological sex • TWO-SPIRIT – A person who identified with the
assigned at birth. The prefix cis- means “on this Native American tradition of characterizing
side of” or “not across from.” A term used to certain members of the community as having
call attention to the privilege of people who are the spirit of both the male and female genders
not transgender.
• CROSSDRESSER - Cross-dressing refers to OTHER COMMONLY USED TERMS
occasionally wearing clothing of the “opposite” • BIPHOBIA - Aversion of and/or prejudice
gender, and someone who considers this an toward the idea that people can be attracted to
integral part of their identity may identify as a more than one gender, and/or bisexuals as a
crossdresser (note: the term crossdresser is group or as individuals, often based on negative
preferrable to transvestite and neither may stereotypes of bisexuality and the invisibility of
ever be used to describe a transsexual person). bisexual people.
Cross-dressing is not necessarily tied to erotic • COMING OUT – The process of acknowledging
activity or sexual orientation. one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity
• GENDERQUEER/THIRD GENDER/GENDER or expression to oneself or other people.
FLUID - These terms are used by people who • GENDER BINARY - A system of classifying sex
identify as being between and/or other than and gender into two distinct and disconnected
male or female. They may feel they are neither, forms of masculine and feminine. It can be
a little bit of both, or they may simply feel referred to as a social construct or a social
restricted by gender labels. boundary that discourages people from
• INTERSEX - A general term used for a variety of crossing or mixing gender roles, or from
genetic, hormonal, or anatomical conditions in creating other third (or more) forms of gender
which a person is born with a reproductive or expression. It can also represent some of the
sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the prejudices which stigmatize people who
typical definitions of female or male. Some identify as intersex and transgender.
intersex individuals identify as transgender or • HETEROSEXISM - The presumption that
gender variant; others do not. (Note: everyone is straight and/or the belief that
hermaphrodite is an obsolete term that is not heterosexuality is a superior expression of
currently considered appropriate.) sexuality. Often includes the use of power of
• TRANSGENDER - First coined to distinguish the majority (heterosexuals) to reinforce this
gender benders with no desire for surgery or belief and forgetting the privileges of being
hormones from transsexuals, those who straight in our society.
desired to legally and medically change their • HOMOPHOBIA - Negative attitudes and
sex, more recently transgender and/or trans feelings toward people with non-heterosexual
has become an umbrella term popularly used to sexualities; dislike of, or discomfort with,
refer to all people who transgress dominant expressions of sexuality that do not conform to
conceptions of gender, or at least all who heterosexual norms
identify themselves as doing so. The definition
• INTERNALIZED OPPRESSION - In reference to
continues to evolve.
LGBTQ people, internalized oppression is the
• TRANSSEXUAL - The term transsexual has belief that straight and non- transgender
historically been used to refer to individuals people are “normal” or better than LGBTQ
who have medically and legally changed their people, as well as the often-unconscious belief
sex, or who wish to do so. Most transsexual
 that negative stereotypes about LGBTQ people queer youth include gender nonconformity, low
are true. family support, and victimization. The combination
• LGBTQ - An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, can render sexual minority youth more vulnerable.
transgender, and queer. This is currently one of HOMOPHOBIC BULLYING is the most
the most popular ways in U.S. society to refer frequent form of bullying after name calling.
to all people who are marginalized due to According to Stonewall’s School report, 96% of gay
sexual orientation and/or gender identity, pupils hear homophobic remarks such as ‘poof’ or
although other letters are often included as ‘lezza’ used in school. 99% hear phrases such as
well to represent identities described above. ‘that’s so gay’ or ‘you’re so gay’ in school. 54% of
• TRANSPHOBIA - Negative attitudes and lesbian, gay and bisexual young people don’t feel
feelings toward transgender individuals or there is an adult at school who they can talk to
discomfort with people whose gender identity about being gay. Worryingly, 6% of lesbian, gay
and/or gender expression do not conform to and bisexual pupils are subjected to death threats.
traditional or stereotypic gender roles.
• GENDER DYSPHORIA - Clinically significant REAL LIFE STORY:
distress caused when a person's assigned birth A 13-year-old boy named Jon Carmichael killed
gender is not the same as the one with which himself during spring break in2010. According to a
they identify. According to the American civil rights lawsuit brought by his parents, a few
Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and days before Jon killed himself, football players at
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), his middle school in northern Texas had attacked
the term – which replaces Gender Identity him in the locker room, stripped him nude, tied
Disorder – "is intended to better characterize him up, placed him in a trash can, and called him a
the experiences of affected children, "fag," "queer," and "homo," while the whole event
adolescents, and adults was videotaped and later posted on YouTube.
A teacher stood by as the attack
SEXUAL PREJUDICE occurred and did nothing to stop it. In fact, several
Refers to all negative attitudes based on sexual teachers at the school had, for months, witnessed
orientation, whether the target is homosexual, Jon being attacked and bullied. On almost a daily
bisexual, or heterosexual. Given the current social basis, classmates assaulted him in the locker room
organization of sexuality, however, such prejudice and forcibly removed his underwear, shoved him
is almost always directed at people who engage in in the hallways, pushed him to the ground on the
homosexual behavior or label themselves gay, athletic field, flushed his head in the toilet, or
lesbian, or bisexual (Herek, 2000). stuffed him into a trash can. But no one stopped it
SUICIDE is the third leading cause of because, in the words of one teacher, "Boys will be
death among adolescents, sexual minority youth boys."
attempt suicide around five times more often than
their heterosexual peers, and their attempts more SOGIE BILL IN THE PHILIPPINES
often require medical treatment. Instances of The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
abuse and harassment can contribute to suicide Expression Equality Bill, also known as the Anti-
attempts. Supportive friends and family members, Discrimination Bill (ADB), is a bill that was
however, can help protect the mental health of proposed by the Congress of the Philippines.
sexual minorities. It is intended to prevent various
Sexual minorities may be exposed to economic and public accommodation-related acts
more risk factors for suicide than their of discrimination against people based on their
heterosexual peers. Risk factors include childhood sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
maltreatment, mental illness, chronic feelings of The version in the House of Representatives
hopelessness, and the perceived sense of being a passed its third reading most recently on
burden or not belonging. Risk factors specific to
September 20, 2017, but died in the Senate. It has
been refiled for the 18th Congress.
In March 2018, a small group of
Christians protested at the Senate against the
SOGIE bill by calling the proposed legislation an
"abomination", adding that homosexuality is a
"sin" citing that their hate is justified because it is
written in the Bible and that identifying as part of
the LGBT community is a lifestyle. The group also
claimed that the bill relates to same-sex marriage,
which is not found anywhere within the bill.
In May 2019, the SOGIE Equality Bill
officially became the longest-running bill under the
Senate interpellation period in Philippine history.
Supporters of the bill have remarked that the
prolonged interpellation was intended by the
dissenters to block the passage of the historic anti-
discrimination bill.

OTHER ORDINANCES IN THE

PHILIPPINES
• Prohibited Acts Under the Manila LGBTQI
Protection Ordinance
• Ordinance No. 8695

HETEROSEXUALITY
Is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual
behavior between persons of the opposite sex or
gender. Someone who is heterosexual is
commonly referred to as straight.
HETEROSEXUALITY (ETYMOLOGY) Modern symbols of heterosexuality in
HETERO - comes from the Greek word heteros, societies derived from European traditions still
meaning "different" (for other uses, see reference symbols used in these ancient beliefs.
heterozygote, heterogeneous), and the Latin for One such image is a combination of the symbol for
sex (that is, characteristic sex or sexual Mars, the Roman god of war, as the definitive male
differentiation). The term "heterosexual" was symbol of masculinity, and Venus, the Roman
coined shortly after and opposite to the word goddess of love and beauty, as the definitive
"homosexual" by Karl Maria Kertbeny in 1868 and female symbol of femininity. The unicode
was first published in 1869 character for this combined symbol is ♂/♀

HETEROSEXUALITY (BIOLOGICAL HETEROSEXUALITY (HISTORICAL

BASIS) VIEWS)
The neurobiology of the masculinization of the There was no need to coin a term such as
brain is fairly well understood. Estradiol and heterosexual until there was something else to
testosterone, which is catalyzed by the enzyme contrast and compare it with. Jonathan Ned Katz
5α- Reductase into dihydrotestosterone, act upon dates the definition of heterosexuality, as it is used
androgen receptors in the brain to masculinize it. today, to the late 19th century
If there are few androgen receptors According to Katz, in the Victorian era,
(people with androgen insensitivity syndrome) or sex was seen as a means to achieve reproduction,
too much androgen (females with congenital and relations between the sexes were not believed
adrenal hyperplasia), there can be physical and to be overtly sexual. The body was thought of as a
psychological effects. It has been suggested that tool for procreation – "Human energy, thought of
both male and female heterosexuality are the as a closed and severely limited system, was to be
results of this process. used in producing children and in work, not wasted
According to American Psychiatric in libidinous pleasures.
Association (APA), there are numerous theories
about the origins of a person's sexual orientation, HETEROSEXUALITY (RELIGIOUS
but some believe that "sexual orientation is most VIEWS)
likely the result of a complex interaction of The Judeo-Christian tradition has several
environmental, cognitive and biological factors", scriptures related to heterosexuality. The Book of
and that genetic factors play a "significant role" in Genesis states that God created man because "It is
determining a person's sexuality. not good that the man should be alone; I will make
The APA currently officially states that him a help meet for him," Genesis 2:18 (KJV), and
sexual orientation is not chosen and cannot be that "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his
changed, a radical reversal from the recent past, mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they
when non-normative sexuality was considered a shall be one flesh," Genesis 2:24 (KJV).
deviancy or mental ailment treatable through In 1 Corinthians, Christians are
institutionalization or other radical means advised: Now for the matters you wrote about: It
is good for a man not to marry. But since there is
HETEROSEXUALITY (SYMBOLISM) so much immorality, each man should have his
Heterosexual symbolism dates back to the earliest own wife, and each woman her own husband. The
artifacts of humanity, with gender symbols, ritual husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife,
fertility carvings, and primitive art. This was later and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's
expressed in the symbolism of fertility rites and body does not belong to her alone but also to her
polytheistic worship, which often included images husband. In the same way, the husband's body
of human reproductive organs, such as lingam in does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.
Hinduism. Do not deprive each other except by mutual
consent and for a time, so that you may devote
yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so complex interplay of biological and environmental
that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack factors, and is shaped at an early age
of self- control. I say this as a concession, not as a The American Psychological
command. (NIV) Association, American Psychiatric Association, and
For the most part, religious traditions National Association of Social Workers stated in
in the world reserve marriage to heterosexual 2006: Currently, there is no scientific consensus
unions. about the specific factors that cause an individual
Almost all religions believe that lawful to become heterosexual, homosexual, or
sex between a man and a woman is allowed, but bisexual—including possible biological,
there are a few that believe that it is a sin, such as psychological, or social effects of the parents'
The Shakers, The Harmony Society, and The sexual orientation. However, the available
Ephrata Cloister. These religions tend to view all evidence indicates that the vast majority of lesbian
sexual relations as sinful, and promote celibacy. and gay adults were raised by heterosexual
Some religions require celibacy for certain roles, parents and the vast majority of children raised by
such as Catholic priests; however, the Catholic lesbian and gay parents eventually grow up to be
Church also views heterosexual marriage as sacred heterosexual.
and necessary.
HOMOSEXUALITY (PSYCHOLOGICAL
HOMOSEXUALITY VIEW)
A romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual In 1952, the American Psychiatric Association
behavior between members of the same sex or published its first edition of the Diagnostic and
gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is Statistical Manual (DSM-I), in which homosexuality
"an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, was considered a “sociopathic personality
and/or sexual attractions" to people of the same disturbance.” In DSM-II, published in 1968,
sex. homosexuality was reclassified as a “sexual
deviation.” However, in December 1973, the
American Psychiatric Association’s Board of
HOMOSEXUALITY (ETYMOLOGY)
Trustees voted to remove homosexuality from the
The word homosexual is a Greek and Latin hybrid,
DSM.
with the first element derived from Greek ὁμός
homos, "same" (not related to the Latin homo,
HOMOSEXUALITY (HISTORICAL VIEW)
"man", as in Homo sapiens), thus connoting sexual
acts and affections between members of the same In a detailed compilation of historical and
sex. ethnographic materials of preindustrial cultures,
"strong disapproval of homosexuality was
reported for 41% of 42 cultures; it was accepted or
HOMOSEXUALITY (BIOLOGICAL BASIS)
ignored by 21%, and 12% reported no such
Ascribing the etiology of homosexuality to genetics
concept. Of 70 ethnographies, 59% reported
implies that homosexuality is immutable and
homosexuality absent or rare in frequency and
uncontrollable, and therefore is not a choice or
41% reported it present or not uncommon."
“lifestyle.” Research has found that positive
attitudes toward homosexuality are associated
HOMOSEXUALITY (RELIGIOUS VIEW)
with the belief that its origins are biological,
whereas negative attitudes are associated with the In cultures influenced by Abrahamic religions, the
view that its origin is personal choice law and the church established sodomy as a
Although scientists favor biological transgression against divine law or a crime against
models for the cause of sexual orientation, they do nature. The condemnation of anal sex between
not believe that the development of sexual males, however, predates Christian belief. It was
orientation is the result of any one factor. They frequent in ancient Greece; "unnatural" can be
generally believe that it is determined by a traced back to Plato.
 The Roman Catholic Church requires taught to behave in gender- normative ways.
homosexuals to practice chastity in the Further, people who violate gender norms are
understanding that homosexual acts are often sanctioned by society.
"intrinsically disordered", and "contrary to the
natural law". It insists that all are expected to only THE PROBLEM WITH GENDER ROLES
have heterosexual relations and only in the → Gender roles, despite existing wherever
context of a marriage, describing homosexual humans live together, can be oppressive and
tendencies as "a trial", and stressing that people even harmful. A man can have a gentle and
with such tendencies "must be accepted with motherly character and be unable to express it
respect, compassion, and sensitivity." because it is too "feminine." A woman can be
athletic and stoic and people will call her a
HOMOSEXUALITY (SOCIETAL VIEW) "tomboy." Women who dress in a masculine
Societal attitudes towards same-sex relationships, way are often thrown out of women's
reflected in the attitude of the general population, bathrooms. Men who dress in feminine ways
the state and the church, have varied over the are laughed at, bullied, or worse.
centuries, and from place to place, from expecting → We can consider gender-conforming behavior
and requiring all males to engage in relationships, from an autonomous or pressured perspective.
to casual integration, through acceptance, to We may “do” gender because we enjoy it or
seeing the practice as a minor sin, repressing it because we feel pressure from others or fear
through law enforcement and judicial sanction for gender- violating behavior
mechanisms, to proscribing it under penalty of (Rudman, 1998).
death.
Most nations do not impede GENDER NON-CONFORMITY
consensual sex between unrelated individuals
→ Gender nonconformity is simply not
above the local age of consent. Some jurisdictions
conforming to gender roles. In practice, it can
further recognize identical rights, protections, and
mean things as simple as a woman wearing a
privileges for the family structures of same-sex
tie, or something as complex and life-changing
couples, including marriage. Some nations
as transitioning from one gender to another.
mandate that all individuals restrict themselves to
→ There are obvious problems with using
heterosexual relationships. Offenders face up to
"nonconformity" as a way to describe people
the death penalty in some fundamentalist Muslim
who don't follow gender norms. It implies that
areas such as Iran and parts of Nigeria.
conformity is a good and desirable thing, rather
than something that harms everyone.
GENDER ROLE CONFORMITY
The idea of "gender conformity" is based on AWARENESS IS THE KEY
norms. This idea contends that people with Whether we conform to, or resist, gender norms,
penises are men and they should be stoic, strong, they play a role in how we see and judge ourselves.
hard workers, and protectors. By the same logic, They also influence how we perceive others. They
people with vaginas are women and they should impact our behavior whether we are aware of
be gentle, passive, emotional, and motherly. them or not. If we are going to be subjected to
such powerful influences, we need to reflect on
BEING FEMININE AND MASCULINE the ways in which they impact us. Without doing
→ We learn how to behave in a masculine or so, we may be prevented from realizing our true
feminine manner through socialization. potential.
→ Gender roles are taught to children in our
society at a very young age. Through media,
parents, and peers, young boys and girls are
 TRANSFORMING GENDER:

“As all human beings are, in my

view, creatures of God’s design, we
must respect all other human beings.
That does not mean I have to agree
with their choices or agree with their
OBJECTIVES
opinions, but indeed I respect them as
• Recall major issues on Violence against women
human beings.” and recognize its effects in modern day
-Stockwell Day- • Debate the challenges of modern women in
current society
• Compare and contrast definition of equality
• Interpret how gender magnify disparity
• Discuss the origin of gendered driven events
“When differing opinions arise, the emphasizing the “Pride March” and “Me Too”
key is to acknowledge and try to movement
• Plan on how to add values on current
understand the opposing viewpoints. movements towards change to address
Just remember: You don’t have to gendered social problems
• Formulate practical ways to impact change
agree! Just try to understand.
Understanding does NOT mean VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (VAW)
agreement.” The United Nations defines violence against
-Dan Bobinski- women as “any act of gender-based violence that
results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual,
or mental harm or suffering to women, including
threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary
deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public
or in private life”

I. VAW IN THE FAMILY

Violence that occurs within the
private sphere, generally between individuals
who are related through intimacy, blood, or
law

1. PHYSICAL VIOLENCE
Hitting with the fist, slapping, kicking
different parts of the body, stabbing with a knife,
etc.

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL

VIOLENCE
 Intimidation, harassment, stalking,
damage to property, public ridicule or humiliation, - Almost one third (30%) of all women who have
repeated verbal abuse, marital infidelity, etc. been in a relationship have experienced
physical and/or sexual violence by their
intimate partner.
3. SEXUAL VIOLENCE
- The prevalence estimates of intimate partner
Rape, sexual harassment, acts of
violence range from 23.2% in high-income
lasciviousness, treating a woman or child as a sex
countries and 24.6% in the WHO Western
object, making demeaning and sexually suggestive
Pacific region to 37% in the WHO Eastern
remarks, physically attacking the sexual parts of
Mediterranean region, and 37.7% in the WHO
the victim’s body, forcing him/her to watch
South-East Asia region
obscene publications and indecent shows or
- Globally as many as 38% of all murders of
forcing the woman or her child to do indecent acts
women are committed by intimate partners
and/or make films thereof, forcing the wife and
- In addition to intimate partner violence,
mistress/lover to live in the conjugal home or sleep
globally 7% of women report having been
together in the same room with the abuser, etc.
sexually assaulted by someone other than a
partner, although data for non-partner sexual
4. ECONOMIC ABUSE violence are more limited
Withdrawal of financial support or - Intimate partner and sexual violence are mostly
preventing the victim from engaging in any perpetrated by men against women.
legitimate profession, occupation, business
or activity, deprivation or threat of
III. VAW IN THE PHILIPPINES
deprivation of financial resources and the
- Violence against women (VAW) appears as one
right to use and enjoyment of the conjugal,
of the country’s pervasive social problems.
community or property owned in common,
- According to the 2017 National Demographic
destroying household property; and
and Health Survey conducted by PSA, 1 in 4
controlling the victim’s own money or
Filipino women, age 15-49 has experienced
properties or solely controlling the conjugal
physical, emotional or sexual violence by their
money or properties
husband or partner
- Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence
II. VAW IN THE COMMUNITY Against Women and their Children Act of
1. PHYSICAL VIOLENCE 2004, VAW is “any act or a series of acts
Such as physical chastisement, committed by any person against a woman
trafficking for both the sex industry and the who is his wife, former wife, or against a
service industry, forced prostitution, woman with whom the person has or had
battering by employers and murder a sexual or dating relationship, or with
whom he has a common child, or against
her child whether legitimate or
2. SEXUAL VIOLENCE
illegitimate, with or without the family
Such as rape, sexual harassment and
abode, which result in or is likely to result
sexual intimidation
in physical, sexual, psychological harm or
suffering, or economic abuse including
3. PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE threats of such acts, battery, assault,
Such as intimidation, sanction or isolation coercion, harassment or arbitrary
by community/cultural norms based on attitudes deprivation of liberty.”
of gender discrimination - In the Philippines, some realities that
contribute to the vulnerability of Filipino
women to VAW are being accused as
 “naggers” or neglectful of their duties as BOTH INTIMATE PARTNER AND
wife that is why they are being beaten by SEXUAL VIOLATOR
their spouses, or being raped due to her • Lower levels of education (perpetration of
“flirtatious” ways; in some instances, sexual violence and experience of sexual
filing for a sexual harassment is violence)
interpreted by her employer as being
• A history of exposure to child maltreatment
malicious on the appreciation of her good
(perpetration and experience)
looks.
• Witnessing family violence (perpetration and
- Even greater problem is the lack of
experience)
concrete information to show the extent of
• Antisocial personality disorder (perpetration)
VAW in the country as many cases of
• Harmful use of alcohol (perpetration and
violence against women often go
experience)
unreported due to women victims’
• Having multiple partners or suspected by
“culture of silence.”
their partners of infidelity (perpetration)
- Many of the victims are ashamed to relate
• Attitudes that condone violence
their experiences while others tend to
(perpetration)
dismiss their ordeal as a result of their lack
• Community norms that privilege or ascribe
of faith in the country’s justice system
higher status to men and lower status to
caused by frustrations over the lack of
women
results in filing complaints.
• Low levels of women’s access to paid
employment
FACTS AND FIGURES OF VAW
• 77 cents - Women earn only 77 cents for
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH:
every dollar that men get for the same
work 1. INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
• 1 in 3 - 35 percent of women have o Past history of violence
experienced physical and/or sexual o Marital discord and dissatisfaction
violence o Difficulties in communicating between
• 13% - Women represent just 13 percent partners
agricultural landholders o Male controlling behaviors towards
• 750 million - Almost 750 million women and their partners
girls alive today were married before their 18th
birthday 2. SEXUAL VIOLENCE PERPETRATION
• 2 of 3 - Two thirds of developing countries have o Beliefs in family honor and sexual purity
achieved gender partly in primary education o Ideologies of male sexual entitlement
• 24% - Only 24 percent of national o Weak legal sanctions for sexual violence
parliamentarians were women as of November
2018, a small increase from 11.3 percent in HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
1995
• Intimate partner (physical, sexual and
emotional) and sexual violence cause serious
RISK FACTORSV OF VAW short- and long-term physical, mental, sexual
• Factors associated with intimate partner and and reproductive health problems for women
sexual violence occur at individual, family, • They also affect their children, and lead to high
community and wider society levels social and economic costs for women, their
• Some are associated with being a perpetrator families and societies such violence can:
of violence, some are associated with o Have fatal outcomes (homicide or suicide)
experiencing violence and some are associated o Lead to injuries, with 42% of women who
experience intimate partner violence
with both
 o Lead to unintended pregnancies, induced o Working women’s productivity decreases
abortions, gynecological problems, and due to frequent absences resulting from
sexually transmitted infections, including VAW.
HIV. The 2013 analysis: women who had o VAW is responsible for one out of every
been physically or sexually abused were 1.5 five healthy days of life lost to women of
times more likely to have STI; also, twice as reproductive age
likely to have an abortion.
o Intimate partner violence in pregnancy also
increases the likelihood of miscarriage, VAW DRAINS THE COUNTRY’S FINANCIAL
stillbirth, pre-term delivery and low birth RESOURCES
weight babies o The Philippines spent an estimated 6 billion
o These forms of violence can lead to pesos in 2002 to treat VAW survivors
depression, post-traumatic stress and other o This amount covered the medical treatment of
anxiety disorders, sleep difficulties, eating VAW injuries, psychological therapies and
disorders, and suicide attempts
programs for survivors, maintenance of
o Health effects can also include headaches,
shelters, cost of legal and court proceedings to
backpain, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal
prosecute perpetrators, training costs of
disorders, limited mobility and poor overall
health service providers, and other indirect social
o Sexual violence, particularly during costs to family members of VAW survivors and
childhood, can lead to increased smoking, perpetrators
drug and alcohol misuse, and risky sexual
behaviors in later life. It is also associated VAW IS AN ISSUE OF GOVERNANCE
with perpetration of violence (for males) o A state promotes good governance when it
and being a victim of violence (for females).
makes available effective remedies to
eliminate VAW in the homes, in the
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COSTS communities and in the state.
• The social and economic costs of intimate
partner and sexual violence are enormous
GENDER INEQUALITY TO VAW
and have ripple effects throughout society
• Women may suffer isolation, inability to • Gender inequality and norms on the
work, loss of wages, lack of participation in acceptability of violence against women
regular activities and limited ability to care are a root cause of violence against women
for themselves and their children. • VAW is deemed to be closely linked with
the unequal power relation between
IMPACTS OF VAW women and men otherwise known as
“gender-based violence.”
VAW STRIKES THE PERSONHOOD OF
• Societal norms and traditions dictate
WOMEN people to think that men are the leaders,
o It does not only affect women’s physical pursuers, and providers, and take on the
and reproductive health, but specially dominant roles in society while women are
their mental and emotional state the nurturers, men’s companions and
o It has caused women to feel ashamed and supporters, and take on the subordinate
to lose their self-esteem roles in society.
o It threatens women’s personal security • This perception leads men to gain more
power over women
VAW LIMITS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT • Hence, VAW becomes a form of men’s
o It jeopardizes women’s health and curbs expression of control over women to
their capacity to participate in social retain power.
development
 GENDER EQUALITY • There are more girls in school now compared to
15 years ago, and most regions have reached
→ A basic human right and described as – “all gender parity in primary education
human beings are born equal” • But stark gender disparities remain in
→ It means that everyone, whether born as male, economic and political realms
female or intersex, should be able to develop • While there has been some progress over the
their full potential and live-in freedom and decades, on average women in the labor
dignity. market still earn 20 per cent less than men
globally
EXAMPLES OF GENDER EQUALITY ARE: • As of 2018, only 24 per cent of all national
parliamentarians were female, a slow rise from
o Equal access to education
11.3 percent in 1995
o Equal access to mobility
o Equal job opportunities and salaries
MORE ON GENDER EQUALITY
o Freedom of marrying who you want
o Equal divorce rights • Everyone is affected by gender inequality -
women, men, trans and gender diverse
people, children and families. It impacts
Gender equality is not only a fundamental people of all ages and backgrounds.
human right, but a necessary foundation for a - Equality does not mean that women and
peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. men will become the same but that
women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities
and opportunities will not depend on
THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESS OVER THE
whether they are born female or male
LAST DECADES
- Gender equality implies that the interests,
• More girls are going to school, fewer girls needs and priorities of both women and
are forced into early marriage, more men are taken into consideration, thereby
women are serving in parliament and recognizing the diversity of different groups
positions of leadership, and laws are being of women and men
reformed to advance gender equality. - Gender equality is not a women’s issue but
• Moreover, it has been shown that should concern and fully engage men as well
empowering women spurs productivity as women. Equality between women and
men is seen both as a human rights issue
and economic growth
and as a precondition for, and indicator of,
sustainable people-centered development.
DESPITE THESE GAINS, MANY
CHALLENGES REMAIN:
WHY IS GENDER EQUALITY
• Discriminatory laws and social norms IMPORTANT?
remain pervasive
• Gender equality is critical because it will
• Women continue to be underrepresented
enable women and men to make decisions
at all levels of political leadership
that impact more positively on their own
• 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages
sexual and reproductive health as well as
of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical
that of their spouses and families
or sexual violence by an intimate partner
• Decision-making with regard to such issues
within a 12-month period.
as age at marriage, timing of births, use of
contraception, and recourse to harmful
UN GOAL #5- GENDER EQUALITY practices (such as female genital cutting)
• UNDP has made gender equality central to its stands to be improved with the
work and there has been a remarkable progress achievement of gender equality
in the past 20 years • However, it is important to acknowledge
that where gender inequality exists, it is
 generally women who are excluded or these norms nonetheless create distinct
disadvantaged in relation to decision- vulnerabilities and negative outcomes for
making and access to economic and social boys and men. In addition, not all boys and
resources. men enjoy a privileged position based on
• Critical aspect of promoting gender their gender, particularly those who do not
equality is the empowerment of women, conform to gender norms about
masculinity
with a focus on identifying and redressing
o Because gender norms are created and
power imbalances and giving women
perpetuated from birth onward by
more autonomy to manage their own lives
families, communities, schools and other
• Gender equality and women’s social institutions, it is key to work with
empowerment do not mean that men and men (e.g., fathers and teachers) in order to
women become the same; only that access change the way in which girls and boys
to opportunities and life changes is neither experience childhood and grow to
dependent on, nor constrained by, their adulthood.
sex o The more men see gender issues as “their”
• For the most part, equality between girls issues, the less such issues will be
and boys cannot be achieved by providing marginalized
them the same set of services,
opportunities and protections, delivered in GENDER MAINSTREAMING
the same ways. ECOSOC defined gender mainstreaming in 1997 as:
• Equality of opportunity often will not o “Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the
create equality of outcomes given the process of assessing the implications for
significant disadvantages and status women and men of any planned action,
differentials that girls’ face including legislation, policies or programmer, in
• Gender equality is not a ‘women’s issue’. any area and at all levels.
o It is a strategy for making the concerns and
The issue of men in development is critical
experiences of women as well as of men an
because ending women’s subordination
integral part of the design,
involves more than simply reallocating
implementation, monitoring and
economic resources – it also involves
evaluation of policies and programs in all
redistributing power political, economic and societal spheres,
so that women and men benefit equally,
WAYS TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY and inequality is not perpetuated

ENGAGING BOYS AND MEN TO PROMOTE

The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to
GENDER EQUALITY achieve gender equality. In practice, gender
Engaging boys and men in gender equality efforts mainstreaming means identifying gaps in
is critical to lasting social change from several gender equality through the use of sex-
reasons: disaggregated data; analyzing the underlying
o Men wield disproportionate political, religious, causes; developing strategies to close those
economic and social power, and convincing
gaps; putting resources and expertise into
them to use this power to advance rather than
implementing strategies for gender equality;
obstruct gender equality objectives is vital
monitoring implementation; and holding
o Gender is about the relationships between and
among women and men, and girls and boys; individuals and institutions accountable for
transforming these relationships requires the result. Gender mainstreaming is not an end
involvement of all of these groups of people, in itself; it is, as stated in the ECOSOC
not just half of them definition, a process whose ultimate goal is to
o Despite the privileged position that gender achieve gender equality.
norms accord males in most respects,
HOW TO ADDRESS GENDERED -SOCIAL - Even once girls are attending school,
discrimination follows. One in four girl’s
PROBLEMS
states that they never feel comfortable
The fight for gender equality is an ongoing using school latrines.
struggle for men and women throughout the - Girls are at greater risk of sexual
world. Many aspects of gender inequality are
violence, harassment and exploitation
events that men will never face, but that
in school.
constantly shape women’s mental health and
- School-related gender-based violence is
opportunities.
another major obstacle to universal
schooling and the right to education for
GENDER INEQUALITY OF WOMEN
girls.
ACROSS THE GLOBE
1. INFANT LIFE EXPECTANCY
4. ILLITERACY
- In India and China, the two most
- There are approximately 774 million
populous nations in the world, there is
illiterate adults in the world and two-
significant data that shows a survival
thirds of them are women.
disadvantage for girls under five years
- There are approximately 123 million
of age.
illiterate youths and 61 % of them are
- In China, girls have a seven percent
girls.
higher infant mortality rate than boys,
- Women’s share in the illiterate
and in India, a study conducted in the
population has not budged in 20 years.
first decade of the 2000s found that the
- These facts not only affect women but
risk of death between the ages of one
their children as well.
and five was 75 percent higher for girls
- A child born to a mother with the ability
than for boys
to read is 50 % more likely to survive
past age five.
2. ACCESS TO PRENATAL CARE AND
MATERNAL MORTALITY
5. ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCY
- As of 2017, there are 1.6 billion women of
- In 2013, the male employment-to-
reproductive age in the developing world.
population ratio was 72.2 percent
Of the 127 million women who gave birth in
compared to 47.1 percent for women,
2017, just 63 % received a minimum of four
and women continue to earn only 60-75
antenatal care visits and only 72 % gave
percent of men’s wages globally.
birth in a health facility.
- It is estimated that women’s income
- Among women who experienced medical
could increase globally up to 76 percent
complications during pregnancy or delivery,
if the employment participation gap
only one in three received the care they or
between men and women was closed,
their newborns needed.
which could have a global value of $17
- In 2017, an estimated 308,000 women in
trillion.
developing nations died from pregnancy-
- Women also carry a disproportionate
related causes and 2.7 million babies died in
amount of responsibility for unpaid care
their first month of life.
work.
- Many of these deaths could have been
- Women devote one to three hours more
prevented with full access to healthcare
a day to housework than men, two to 10
times the amount of time a day to care
3. EDUCATION
(for children, elderly and the sick) and
- Less than 40 percent of countries offer
one to four hours less a day to income-
girls and boys equal access to education
based activities.
 - The time given to these unpaid tasks 8. CHILD MARRIAGE
directly and negatively impacts - Globally, almost 750 million women and
women’s participation in the workforce girls alive today married before their
and their ability to foster economic eighteenth birthday.
independence. - Those who suffer from child marriage
often experience early pregnancy which
6. VAW, SEX ASSAULT AND RAPE is a key factor in the premature end of
- Women who have experienced sexual or education.
physical abuse at the hands of their - As mothers and wives, girls become
partners are twice as likely to have an socially isolated and are at an increased
abortion, almost twice as likely to have risk for domestic violence.
depression and, in some regions, 1.5 - Child marriage is one the most
times more likely to acquire HIV devastating examples of gender
compared with women who have not inequality, as it limits women’s
experienced partner violence. opportunities and their ability to reach
- The prevalence of sexual assault and their full individual potential.
violence against women is deep and
systemic, making it one of the most 9. HUMAN TRAFFICKING
important examples of gender - Adult women and girls account for 71
inequality. percent of all human trafficking victims
- Worldwide, around 120 million girls, a detected globally.
number which represents slightly more - Girls alone represent nearly three out of
than one in 10, have experienced forced every four children trafficked.
intercourse or another forced sexual act - Women and girls are clearly the
in their lifetime. disproportionate victims of human
trafficking with 75 percent trafficked
7. FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION for the purpose of sexual exploitation
- In most of these cases, the majority of
girls were cut before age five. 10. REPRESENTATION IN GOVERNMENT
- Proper anesthesia is rarely used or is - As of June 2016, only 22.8 percent of all
ineffective, causing severe pain. national parliamentarians were women.
Excessive bleeding is also possible, - There is growing evidence that women
resulting from the accidental cutting of in positions of leadership and political
the clitoral artery or other blood vessels decision-making improve the systems in
during the procedure. which they work.
- Chronic genital infections, reproductive
tract infections and urinary tract
infections are common. These are 10 of the countless ways in which
women are oppressed, abused and neglected.
- FGM is also associated with an
These top ten examples of gender inequality
increased risk of Caesarean section, cannot begin to do justice to the discrimination
postpartum hemorrhage and extended and obstacles that women around the world face
maternal hospital stay. each day. Women’s rights are human rights and
- All of these subsequent complications affect every person in every community.
along with the shock and use of physical – Carolina Sherwood Bigelow
force during the procedure are some of
the many reasons why survivors
describe the experience as an extremely
traumatic event
 ME TOO MOVEMENT - Commonly, the influence of the #MeToo
Movement leads people to attach importance
The #MeToo Movement can be defined as a social to sexual misconduct.
movement that is against sexual violence and
sexual assault. It advocates for females who
survived sexual violence to speak out about their THE PRIDE MARCH
experience Pride parades (also known as pride marches, pride
events, and pride festivals) are outdoor events
DEFINITION celebrating LGBTQ social and self-acceptance,
achievements, legal rights, and pride.
It was founded in 2006. Initially, Tarana Burke, a
social activist, created a "MeToo MySpace page to
encourage and support black females and girls of DEFINITION
color in poor communities who had survived - Pride gatherings are rooted in the arduous
sexual violence (Biography.com Editors, 2018). history of minority groups who have struggled
Ten years later, in 2017, the word “MeToo” for decades to overcome prejudice and be
became the slogan against sexual harassment in accepted for who they are.
Hollywood. - Most pride events occur annually, and many
The movement swept over America and the takes place around June to commemorate the
world. With the development of the #MeToo 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, a pivotal
Movement, the advocacy expanded to broader moment in modern LGBTQ social movements.
groups, including individuals from the LGBTQ - The parades seek to create community and
community and the disabled. honor the history of the movement.
Meanwhile, the movement tried to
restructure global conversations related to sexual HISTORY
violence to help more people and expand its
- In the early hours of June 28, 1969, police
influence (me too., 2018).
raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New
York's Greenwich Village, and began hauling
IMPORTANCE customers outside.
- It is obvious that the issue of sexual - Tensions quickly escalated as patrons resisted
harassment, violence, or assault is very arrest and a growing crowd of bystanders
important and common. threw bottles and coins at the officers.
- In society, the issue is often downplayed due to - New York’s gay community fed up with years of
the bias in the culture or a gap of power. harassment by authorities, broke out in
- Therefore, the #MeToo Movement plays a neighborhood riots that went on for three days.
significant role in raising awareness of the issue - The uprising became a catalyst for an emerging
and healing survivors and defending their gay rights movement as organizations such as
rights. the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists
- The #Me Too Movement is undoubtedly Alliance were formed, modeled after the civil
profound. The opinions about sexual rights movement and the women's rights
harassment are changing. movement.
- Whether people share their own experience - Members held protests, met with political
about sexual harassment or assault or not, the leaders and interrupted public meetings to hold
#MeToo Movement attracts attention. those leaders accountable.
- The #MeToo Movement also provides a - A year after the Stonewall riots, the nation's
platform where victims feel safer to talk about first Gay Pride marches were held.
their own experience. - In 2016 the area around the Stonewall Inn, still
- The movement gives victims a sense of a popular nightspot today, was designated a
company and also provides legal support and national monument
encourages them to have a voice. - The “Pride” is credited to Brenda Howard, a
bisexual New York activist nicknamed the
"Mother of Pride," who organized the first Pride
 parade to commemorate the one-year No. 2 again in 2018. More women than men
anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. work in professional and technical jobs -- 52.9%
of such jobs are held by women, one of the
most even ratios among all 149 countries in the
THE PRIDE RAINBOW FLAG
report. Some of the gender specific actions the
- In 1978, artist and designer Gilbert Baker was country has taken to bring equality are more
commissioned by San Francisco city supervisor radical than others, and some focus on men,
Harvey Milk -- one of the first openly gay rather than women. For example, employers
elected officials in the US -- to make a flag for are allowed to choose a woman over a man for
the city's upcoming Pride celebrations. a job if she is almost as well qualified. Similarly,
- Baker, a prominent gay rights activist, gave a men can be chosen over women in occupations
nod to the stripes of the American flag but drew related to childcare, where men are
inspiration from the rainbow to reflect the underrepresented.
many groups within the gay community.
- A subset of flags represents other sexualities on
Finland has a long history of promoting equal
the spectrum, such as bisexual, pansexual and rights. It was the first European country to
asexual. grant women the right to vote and stand for
election in 1906. Organizations working for
women's rights were established as early as the
1880s. A century later, Finland still leads the
In its annual report, the World Economic way. In 2017, the country established the
Forum reviewed the percentages of men and world's first International Gender Equality
women working, economic opportunities, Prize, which is given to a person or an
organization that has had a significant impact
educational attainment, health status, and
in advancing gender equality across the world.
political empowerment to measure overall
gender equality in 149 countries. This is the top
10 of the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Global Sweden has dropped in the ranking over the
last decade when it comes to gender equality,
Gender Gap Report 2020.
but only slightly. The Scandinavian country
went from being at the top in 006 to being No.
3 in 2018. One of the measures used to create
the Global Gender Gap Index in which women
fare particularly well is ministerial positions --
Iceland has been at the top of the World more than half are women in Sweden.
Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index for However, women are still underrepresented in
the 10th year in a row. The small island ranks business. For example, in 2016, over 80% of
No. 1 in several of the measures used to create managers at Swedish companies listed on the
the Index, including wage equality for similar stock market were men and no new company
work, share of women who work in the had a female boss.
professional and technical sectors, and political
empowerment. Some argue that the path to
equality for Icelandic women all started in 1975 Nicaragua has come a long way since 2006
when 90% of them went on strike to when it ranked 62nd out of 114 countries when
demonstrate how dysfunctional society would it came to gender equality. The Central
be without them. Five years later, Iceland American country is now one of three nations -
became the first country in the world to elect a - right next to France and Iceland -- on its way
woman as president and became known as to completely closing the gender gap. It is
"the world's most feminist country” forecast to do so within 16 years, fewer than
the expected 24 years for Iceland. The
country's fast improvements towards gender
Like Iceland, Norway has historically been equality contribute to its ranking second
considered among the 149 countries in the Index for
among the best countries for gender equality. political empowerment and first in the health
It ranked No. 2 back in 2006, No. 3 in 2016, and and survival measures.
 At first glance, Rwanda is an unlikely champion
of equal rights. Unlike other countries at the
New Zealand has closed 80 of its overall gender top, it is not rich, has a turbulent history, and
pay gap, putting it at seventh place in the its life expectancy at birth of 67 years is low
world, but at the top in the East Asia and the compared to developed countries. At 88%,
Pacific region. The country rose two spots since Rwanda has one of the highest rates of female
2017 due to improvements in political labor force participation in the world. In the
empowerment of women. The increasing share United States, by contrast, that figure stands at
of women in parliament has led to New 66%. However, this outcome is not entirely by
Zealand entering the top 10 countries for choice. It goes back to the country's genocide
gender equality for the first time. Another more than two decades ago when close to
significant improvement New Zealand has 800,000 Rwandans were killed in three
made over the last decade is in its attempt to months. As a result, up to 70% of the country's
close the gender gap has been in educational population were women, and they had to fill all
attainment. Nearly equal shares of the male the jobs.
and female population have primary and
secondary education, and slightly more women
have a college degree. Germany seems to be moving in the opposite
direction when it comes to closing the overall
gender gap. It ranked 5th in 2006 but is now
Ireland's gender gap ranking has been slipping 14th. Compared to 2006, Germany scored
since 2016, but it remains in the top 10. The worse in all of the four major measures used to
country has managed to close more than 79% create the Global Index -- economic
of its overall gender gap. Ireland recorded a participation, education, health, and political
small gender gap in enrollment in primary empowerment. The country moved down in
education but saw an improvement in the 2018 report specifically because of a
estimated earned income as a share of men's widening gender gap in women in parliament.
earnings. The difference between male and Also, Germany's still has a gender gap in
female life expectancy at birth in Ireland has educational attainment, causing the country to
completely closed. Likely due in part to the rank last in the Western Europe region in this
near-equal shares of men and subindex.
women who attend college, the percentages of
men and women employed in the nation's
professional and The Philippines has dropped 8 notches in the
technical occupations are also near equal as of latest Global Gender Gap report, falling out of
this year's WEF report. the top 10 most gender equal countries to 16th
place. The Philippines, which ranked 8th in
2019, remained as the most gender equal
Spain is one of the most- improved countries. country in Asia, according to the report,
The main factor in this upturn is linked to released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
women’s political The WEF said that the Philippines significantly
empowerment. In 2018 Spain became the closed its gaps in economic participation and
world’s most female-centric government with opportunity, educational attainment, and
a share of 65% female ministers in Pedro health and survival.
Sánchez’s cabinet. Despite the lack of female
heads of state, Spain is doing positive progress
in political leadership, especially if we consider
the global average of female holding
parliamentary seats (25.2%) and ministerial “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is
positions (21.2%). In contrast, women’s share a precondition for meeting the challenge of
in companies’ board of directors is still 22%. reducing poverty, promoting sustainable
Spanish women continue to face the so-called development and building good governance.”
"glass ceiling" to access the management — Kofi Annan
bodies in the private sector.
 PRIVILEGE
- A special right, advantage, or immunity granted
or available only to a particular person or
group.
- Privilege, as understood and described by
researchers, is a function of multiple variables
of varying importance, such as race, age,
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity,
neurology, citizenship, religion, physical ability,
OBJECTIVES health, level of education, and others. Race and
• Examine identified privileges and deliberately gender tend to have the highest impacts given
devise ways to maximize resources that one is born with these characteristics and
• Argue the importance and re-examine ways to they are immediately visible
improve Reproductive and Sexual health
• Categorize present choices on career pertaining EXAMPLE PRIVILEGES IN THE FAMILY
to gendered society and culture o Housing
• Appraise responsibility to affect social change o Food
• Evaluate judgment on the issues presented o Clothing
during the entire course o Companionship
o Opportunities to health and education
LIFE PLANNING EDUCATION o Medical care
o Dental care
→ A process of lifelong learning o Safety from harm
→ The ways to enrich students’ learning o Ties to family history and ancestors
experience for acquisition of transferable skills, o Opportunity for relationships outside the
together with the methods of training the, to be family
future leaders of society, of facilitating their
personal development, and of constructing
EXAMPLE PRIVILEGES IN THE SOCIETY
appropriate values of life.
→ Focuses on helping teens to avoid any of the o The right to travel with a Philippine passport
possible negative outcomes of adolescent o The right to own real property in the Philippines
sexual behavior o The right to engage in business and commerce
→ Links teens’ vocational and career aspirations as a Filipino
with their sexual and reproductive decisions. o The right to practice one’s profession, provided
that a license or permit to engage in such
practice is obtained from the Professional
A. PRIVILEGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Regulatory Commission (PRC), or the Supreme
( Court in the case of lawyers.
)
• Privileges and Responsibilities = Give and Take 1. MALE PRIVILEGE
• In family and society, members have certain - The system of advantages or rights that are
privileges– things they receive, or “TAKE”, available to men solely on the basis of their sex.
because they are members of the family and A man's access to these benefits may vary
society depending on how closely they match their
• Members also have certain responsibilities– society's ideal masculine norm.
things they must “GIVE” to the family or society - Special privileges and status are granted to
males in patriarchal societies. These are
societies defined by male supremacy, in which
males hold primary power and predominate in
roles of political leadership, moral authority,
social privilege and control of property.
 Privilege is not shared equally by all males.
Those who most closely match an ideal o You can speak openly and comfortably about
masculine norm benefit the most from privilege your romantic partner, social interests, and
personal preferences.
o Your “normalcy” or “naturalness” is never
questioned.
o My odds of being hired for a job, when o You can hold your partner’s hand, kiss them,
competing against female applicants, are and tell them “I love you” in front of others,
probably skewed in my favor. The more without fear of being discounted, harassed, or
prestigious the job, the larger the odds are even attacked.
skewed. o You can display pictures of your partner, or you
o I am far less likely to face sexual harassment at and your partner, out in public view.
work than my female co-workers. o You can bring your partner to any social, school,
o If I choose not to have children, my masculinity work, or religious event without giving it a
will not be called into question. second thought.
o If I seek political office, my relationship with my o You can have, foster, or adopt children, without
children, or who I hire to take care of them, will people or social institutions questioning or
probably not be scrutinized by the press. condemning your fitness as a parent.
o If I do the same task as a woman, and if the o Your employment security is never in jeopardy
measurement is at all subjective, chances are because of your sexual orientation.
people will think I did a better job. o You can visit, care for, or grieve for your sick
o Even if I sleep with a lot of women, there is no partner, without someone questioning or
chance that I will be seriously labeled a “slut,” challenging your right to do so.
nor is there any male counterpart to “slut- o You can buy greeting cards, turn on the media,
bashing.” read books, and engage in countless other
o The grooming regimen expected of me is endeavors that acknowledge your opposite sex
relatively cheap and consumes little time. partnerships.
o I will never be expected to change my name o You have the right to legally marry
upon marriage or questioned if I don’t change
my name. RESPONSIBILTY
o If I have children with my girlfriend or wife, I can
- The state or fact of having a duty to deal
expect her to do most of the basic childcare
with something or of having control over
such as changing diapers and feeding.
someone
o In general, I am under much less pressure to be
- the opportunity or ability to act
thin than my female counterparts are. If I am
independently and make decisions without
fat, I probably suffer fewer social and economic
authorization
consequences for being fat than fat women do.

EXAMPLE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE

2. HETEROSEXUAL PRIVILEGE
FAMILY
- Unearned, often unconscious or taken for
granted benefits afforded to heterosexuals in a • PARENTS - it is the primary duty of the parents
heterosexist society based on their sexual to work in order to support the family for their
orientation. basic needs.
- These are the rights and privileges one receives, • FATHER - is the head of the family, he provides
accepts, and tends to promote as a hetero- for the family. o Mother- manages the
sexual person. Often these are the “little household chores and looks after the welfare of
things” that heterosexuals take for granted, each family member.
while these same “little things” are frequently • MOTHER - manages the household chores and
denied to transgendered people, gay men, looks after the welfare of each family member.
lesbians, and bisexuals. • CHILDREN - helps parents in doing various
household chores or any duties you are capable
of doing and loving.
EXAMPLE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE 5 REASONS TO STUDY SEXUAL AND
SOCIETY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
o Obeying the Law 1. Prepare for a career in sexual and reproductive
o Paying Taxes health
o Voting 2. Break taboos
o Being Informed 3. Educate
o Taking part in Government 4. Help address unwanted pregnancy
o Helping your community 5. Make a difference in developing countries
o Respecting and Protecting Others’ Rights
o Protecting the Common Good STUDYING SEXUAL AND
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH COULD HELP
SOME RESPONSIBILITIES OF EACH PERSON REDUCE THE CASES OF:

TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY o UNWANTED PREGNANCY

o SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
o Share the workload at home
o HIV AND AIDS
o If you have children, be an equal parent
o Encourage your kid to play with toys of his/her
choice THIRTEEN (13) REPRODUCTIVE AND
o Walk the talk about income inequality SEXUAL RIGHTS
o Find female mentors/leaders Sexual and reproductive health and rights or SRHR
o Encourage women to come forward and speak is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality
their mind and reproduction. It is a combination of four fields
o Have an open-minded work atmosphere that in some contexts are more or less distinct
o Be aware of gender stereotypes from each other, but less so or not at all in other
o Promote and share the cause on social media contexts. These four fields are sexual health,
o Stand up against harassment and eve teasing sexual rights, reproductive health and
reproductive rights.

1. The Right to Life

B. REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL
2. The Right to Liberty and Security of the Person
HEALTH ( 3. The Right to Equality, and to be free from all
) Forms of Discrimination
Sexual health is influenced by a complex web of 4. The Right to Privacy
factors ranging from sexual behavior and attitudes 5. The Right to Freedom of Thought
and societal factors, to biological risk and genetic 6. The Right to Information and Education
predisposition. 7. The Right to Choose Whether or Not to Marry
It encompasses the problems of HIV and and to Found and Plan a Family
STIs/RTIs, unintended pregnancy and abortion, 8. The Right to Decide Whether or When to have
infertility and cancer resulting from STIs, and Children
sexual dysfunction. 9. The Right to Health Care and Health Protection
Reproductive health knowledge is vital in 10.The Right to Benefits of Scientific Progress
the growth and development of young people and 11.The Right to Freedom of Assembly and Political
this impact greatly on their educational and Participation
personal outcome as they proceed to adulthood. 12.The Right to Freedom from Torture and Ill-
There has been an increasing occurrence of Treatment
sexually transmitted infections in institutions of 13.The Right to Development
higher learning.
 C. CAREER ( o Influence or change legislation that affects
youth.
)
• Successful advocacy depends on a full
BEFORE CHOOSING A CAREER: understanding of all the issues being debated,
✓ Outline your career goals. including the rights of youth, and the strategies
✓ Create a five-year plan and a ten-year plan. that can be used to support these issues. It also
✓ Discover your personality type. depends on the commitment of those
✓ Review your previous experience. advocating for change.
✓ Compare job requirements to your • Standing up for issues we feel strongly about is
education. a real challenge. It is not always easy as we have
✓ Assess your current skill set. to convince people to listen to what we have to
✓ Take note of your interests. say, and to believe in what we are saying
✓ Identify your core values. ourselves. We may also face the situation
✓ Consider job growth. where elders and adults think that we are
behaving badly or are troublemakers.
• There are many jobs that a person can do. Remember, it is important that we know our
• If we choose a job or career that is “close to our facts and are able to put them across
heart” it is more likely that we will succeed in it, convincingly
than if we choose to do something for reasons • As young people, we also need to be involved
that are not really of value to us. in standing up for issues that are important to
• Knowing our value areas is key to choosing a youth, our community, and our nation.
successful career. Remember that most of our peers are
• It is also useful to have certain basic skills and experiencing the same things we are, and we
should find time to talk about what we feel so
knowledge about the world of work.
that we can build strong relationships with each
• Knowing our areas of strength is important
other.
because it helps us make realistic choices in
• Also remember that what we do today will have
terms of work or training and set goals that we
can achieve. an impact on the future, so we should always
think ahead and try to make the best decisions
that will help us maintain a healthy mind and
D. ADVOCACIES ( body, and be a positive influence on those
around us.
)
• Means speaking up about issues that are
important and pushing for positive change.
• This can be done by drawing the community’s
attention to an important issue and influencing
social or other behavior in a specific way.
• Advocacy involves working with other people
and organizations to make a difference and
directing decision makers toward a solution.
• In the case of improving the lives of youth, we
advocate for a cause or an issue because we
want to:
o Assist youth, family, community, and policy
to understand key issues facing youth.
o Change or improve something for youth.
o Build support for that cause or issue.
o Influence others to support that issue by
developing organized programs.