Gender Analysis Essay Example
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Over a long period of time societies have tended to divide labor between the two genders. Different sets of jobs have been associated with the male gender while some have been left to the female gender. For example, jobs that require a lot of physique like the construction industry and military operations have been traditionally left to the male gender. On the other hand, jobs like taking care of homes and the rearing of children has been thought to be the responsibility of the female gender. However, if one might look closely at these jobs, it is clear that any person of whatever gender can do these jobs.
Different societies have set up norms that tend to divide these two genders. This means that gender roles are purely a social construct. It is the society that creates the notion that different jobs can only be occupied by men while others are only applicable to women. This accounts to the reason as to why the female gender has always been confined to the domestic realm of the society and not allowed in the public realm. Men on the other hand have been allowed to explore many areas in in life both in the domestic and in the public domain. This poses the question of whether men and women are equal. Many argue that these two genders are not equal. One of the sources of this concept is the culture. Many cultures argue that the female gender is a weaker species compared to the male gender. This might bear some truth in it in that using some elements like physical strength men have are more strong than women but physical strength is not the only perspective that can be used to analyze the strength of any given person or gender. There are other sources of strength. For example, the ability to think and make sound decisions in strength. In such, there are many women across the worlds that have been known to outshine men in terms of decision making, reasoning, and the level of education. This means that the female gender has the capability of competing favorable with the female male gender at any level and sphere of life. This paper intends to look at the growing concept of gender awareness across the world and how the concept of male supremacy is slowly fading and in turn being substituted for more gender equity within society. This paper intends to use developments in the education sector, public policy, and the job market to justify this hypothesis.
Looking at how gender roles play out in the workplace, trends have shown that men have been favored in some jobs while women have been favored in some. For example, it is common that some nursing facilities have purely female staff (Stockdale, 2007, p.93). This is not to mean that men cannot be able to do the job. However, social construct plays in the job market. Men are sometimes thought of not being thorough within their jobs and therefore some nursing facilities opt to have more women staff within their nursing work force than men. On the flipside, careers like Engineering have often been left for men to operate heavy machinery. Women have the capacity to handle this machinery but due to notions that are created within the society fewer women obtain jobs in this area.
If one takes the first definition provided above as a starting point, then analysing the gendered aspect of an intervention would involve focusing on the differences between men and women within that intervention. For example, are there equal numbers of men and women involved in the intervention and, if not, why not.
It is important to know which category the intervention to be evaluated falls into because this will determine, in part, what you can expect to achieve with using a gender analysis as part of your evaluation. In all instances, however, the role of the evaluator is to bring to light the positive and negative effects of the intervention in relation to gender. Sometimes these effects will be intended; often they will be unintended.
There is a large range of methods available to the evaluator as they move through the steps above. As with all forms of social enquiry, the method adopted should be coherent with your evaluation logic. What do you want to know, who can help you find that out, and finally which method(s) are most appropriate Selection of method cannot be your starting point in gender analysis; thinking your logic through has to come first.
The Institute of Development Studies manages a Participatory Methods website that has a specific section on participatory monitoring and evaluation, as well as providing details on a wide range of methods that can be used to support gender analysis.
Engendering Transformative Thinking and Practice in International Development draws on a range of real world examples which demonstrate both the limitations of the frameworks currently in use, and the very real possibilities for change when the intersecting social hierarchies that sustain and create inequity and inequality are challenged. This book brings together theoretical perspectives on social change, gender, intersectionality, and forms of knowledge, concluding with a set of proposals for revitalising a change agenda that recognises and engages with intersectionality and practical wisdom. Perfect for students and scholars of social change, gender, and development, this book will also be useful for practitioners looking for new ideas to help to generate social change.
Hillenbrand, E. et al. (2014) 'Using the Social Relations Approach to capture complexity in women's empowerment: using gender analysis in the Fish on Farms project in Cambodia'. In Gender & Development, 22:2, pp.351-368. Retrieved from:
Gender analysis refers to the variety of methods used to understand the relationships between men and women, their access to resources, their activities, and the constraints they face relative to each other. Gender analysis provides information that recognizes that gender, and its relationship with race, ethnicity, culture, class, age, disability, and/or other status, is important in understanding the different patterns of involvement, behaviour and activities that women and men have in economic, social and legal structures.
Gender analysis is an essential element of socio-economic analysis. A comprehensive socio-economic analysis would take into account gender relations, as gender is a factor in all social and economic relations. An analysis of gender relations provides information on the different conditions that women and men face, and the different effects that policies and programs may have on them because of their situations. Such information can inform and improve policies and programs, and is essential in ensuring that the different needs of both women and men are met.
At the local level, gender analysis makes visible the varied roles women, men, girls and boys play in the family, in the community, and in economic, legal and political structures. A gender perspective focuses on the reasons for the current division of responsibilities and benefits and their effect on the distribution of rewards and incentives.
An understanding of socio-economic relations, and with it gender relations, is an integral part of policy analysis, and is essential in creating and implementing effective development co-operation initiatives. Analysis of the different situations of men and women can provide an understanding of the different impacts that legislation, cultural practices, policies, and programs can have on women and men.
Gender analysis offers information to understand women's and men's access to and control over resources that can be used to address disparities, challenge systemic inequalities (most often faced by women), and build efficient and equitable solutions. The information gathered during the research stage of the analysis should make the differences between women and men explicit (using sex-disaggregated data) so that policies, programs and projects can build effective actions that promote equality. Since gender relations will change in each context and over time, a gender analysis should be done within each development initiative.
Gender analysis can also provide insights on how gender equality can be promoted within efforts for sustainable development to ensure maximum efficiency in pursuing development goals. To be most effective, it must be part of each step of a development initiative: from conception and design to implementation and evaluation. By being part of this process, gender analysis has already led to changes in strategies for development cooperation that previously did not meet the needs of women.
An analysis of gender relations can tell us who has access, who has control, who is likely to benefit from a new initiative, and who is likely to lose. Gender analysis asks questions that can lead us in a search for information to understand why a situation has developed the way it has. It can also lead us to explore assumptions about issues such as the distribution of resources and the impact of culture and traditions. It can provide information on the potential direct or indirect benefit of a development initiative on women and men, on some appropriate entry points for measures that promote equality within a particular context, and on how a particular development initiative may challenge or maintain the existing gender division of labour. With this information measures of equity can be created to address the disparities and promote equality.
In the case of primary education, gender analysis can tell us that a gender gap exists in most countries; that is, there is a gap between girls' an