gender sensitization -...

Gender Sensitization

Dr.Saraswati Raju Iyer

Coordinator & Assistant Professor

Department of Sociology & Social Work &

Coordinator, Centre for Community Social

Responsibility, Acharya Nagarjuna University

Nagarjuna Nagar, Guntur - 522510

Andhra Pradesh1

2

GENDER SENSITISATION

Objective

to improve delivery of public service

by coordinating Government

Ministries, Independent Departments

and Other Agencies

to achieve unity of purpose and

direction in the process of integrating

gender concerns

3


Session aims at explaining

concept and related jargon

gender equality a global concern

legislation and bills pressed into

service to ensure human rights in

every sphere of life, including public

service.

4

GENDER SENSITISATION-Definition

Gender

psychological term

our awareness andreaction to biological sex

determined by biological,psychological andsociological factors

Masculine and feminineare psychological termswhich refer to a person'sgender

Sex

biological term

functional differencesbetween males andfemales and theirreproductive potential

determined by genes

male and female arebiological terms

5

GENDER - Composition

consists of several elements

below two aspects elements are inter-related, which we will discuss in thesession

Gender Role - adoption of masculine orfeminine behavioral traits that are deemedappropriate or characteristic of a particular sex

Gender Identity - person's private, subjectivesense of their own sex

6


Plays a crucial role in Gender mainstreaming - as it is of utmostimportance in Public Service

Evaluation of all public service policies,programmes and activities –as gender sensitivePublic Service is effective in its planning,implementation, monitoring reforms

recruitment, retention and development ofthe best available people and as suchrealise the goal of an effective andprofessional public service

7


It will help in-

Reviewing existing policies, rules,regulations and procedures with a view toencompassing gender values, needs andaspirations

To formulate Gender PerspectiveGuidelines

To plan, implement, monitor and evaluategender specific initiatives

To coordinate and monitor gender activitiesin all ministries

8

GENDER ROLES

Definition

Behavior or tasks done with some expectationor self-consciousness about being female ormale

Engagement in similar and different roles,depending on world view, established lines ofauthority, developed skills, or motivation

Traditional and current stereotypes tend toassign women's roles to private spheres andmen's to more public ones

roles which are classified by sex, where thisclassification is social and not biological

http://www.mhsc.ca/encyclopedia/contents/A923ME.html

9

Gender Roles

Traditional and current stereotypes tend to assignwomen's roles to private spheres and men's to morepublic ones

female roles - cooking, washing clothes, ensuringbasic needs at household level, caring for childrenetc., are classified as

traditional tendency to view men's participation inhousework and child-rearing as unmanly

In Indian Defence forces

women are preferably appointed towards desk jobs

male applicants are entrusted more challenging areproductive faculties

10

GENDER

EQUALITYGender equality means that there is

no discrimination on grounds of a

person’s sex in the allocation of

resources or benefits, or in the

access to services

11

GENDER EQUALITY

Right of Equality is a Fundamental right

A "gender-equal society" is a "society

in which both men and women, as

equal members, have the opportunity

to participate in all kinds of social

activities at will, equally enjoy

political, economical and cultural

benefits, and share responsibilities"

12

GENDER EQUALITY

dictated by cultural factors

gender biases, exist in every sector

prejudiced notions of gender-based roles

devaluates the person, groups and

communities

Gender equality is a task in progress – not

something that has been achieved

anywhere on this planet

13

GENDER

DIFFERENTIATION

In relation to work Women have longer working days than men,

at work and then at home

In valuation of work It is most of the times undervalued

In public spheres Men hold high status positions and women

tend to fill the roles of support persons

In sharing of world resources Women earn 1/10 of world’s income for

doing 2/3 of world’s work

14

GENDER

DISCRIMINATION

Equality for all citizens irrespective ofgender, caste, religion or race forms –as per Constitution

BUT

India is still a society with a strongpreference for sons.

gender discrimination are not justperipheral phenomenon but asstatistics show sparingly widespread

15

Sex ratio

Number of women per 1000 men

Source: Census of India 2001

16

DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN

– INDIAN EXPERIENCE

The principle of gender equality

provides for equality before the law

and equal protection of the law,

prohibition of discrimination and

equality of opportunity in public

employment

Still many anomalies remain under

different laws

17

Political Participation

Indian women played a major role in thefreedom movement, it did not translate intocontinued participation in public life in thepost-independence era

Representation of women in the statelegislatures and in Parliament is low

81st Amendment Bill, drafted in 1996, thatproposes the reservation of one-third ofseats in the Lok Sabha, still pending forpassing

18

Political participation

The Year 2001 was announced by theIndian government as Women'sEmpowerment Year

The National Commission for Womenwas set up in 1992 ; BUT

"No amount of legislation will beeffective as long as the political willto promote gender equity isabsent."

19

Role of Government

in raising awareness; developing strategies;sharing information; monitoring,implementing and strengthening equalopportunities for women

to find common ground and goals toimprove the situation of women at work

Promoting policies on the prevention ofsexual harassment and other forms ofdiscrimination

systematically reviewing legislation

20

LEGISLATIVE SAFEGUARDS

-India a party to

Convention of the Elimination of All

Forms of Discrimination against

Women

Convention on the Elimination of All

Forms of Racial Discrimination since

1968

International Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights

21

LEGISLATIVE SAFEGUARDS

Article 15 of Constitution

Prohibition of discrimination on grounds ofreligion, race, caste, sex or place of birth

o The National Commission for Women setup as a statutory body in January 1992under the National Commission for WomenAct, 1990

o Passage of constitutional amendments toreserve for women 33 per cent of theseats in the Panchayati Raj

22

Women Employees in Central

Government –special Provisions available are

Age relaxation for widows and women separatedfrom their husbands for appointments in Group ‘C’& ‘D’ posts.

Exemption from requirement of educationalqualification in respect of widows of deceasedGovernment servants appointed on compassionategrounds to posts of peons.

Guidelines for posting husband and wife at thesame station.

Maternity leave benefits and guidelines for provisionof crèche facilities, etc.

5 days paternity leave for the husbands.

23

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT

THE WORKPLACE

reality of the situation on the ground forwomen and members of vulnerable groupscontinues to be extremely harsh despite theConstitutional, legislative and administrativeframework in place in India

failure to implement protective provisionsand continuing gender biases within societyensures that Constitutional and legalsafeguards are rendered meaningless tomany

24


THE WORKPLACE -contd.

1997 Supreme Court Judgement onSexual Harassment at Workplace,(Vishakha Vs. State of Rajasthan)

every employer required to provide foreffective complaints procedures andremedies including awarding ofcompensation to women victims. In sexualharassment complaints, the authoritiesurged to expedite cases and the disposal ismonitored.

25



Rule 3(C) concerns the prohibition of

sexual harassment of working women

Enjoins the Government servant

not to indulge in any act of sexual

harassment of any women in the workplace

in-charge of a workplace to take appropriate

steps to prevent sexual harassment to any

woman at such work

26



Sexual harassment includes-

physical contact and advances;

demand or request for sexual favours;

sexually coloured remarks;

showing any pornography;

any unwelcome physical, verbal or

non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.

27

GUIDELINES OF SUPREME

COURT - on sexual harassment

Duty of the employer to prevent or deter the

commission of acts of sexual harassment

and to provide for the resolution, settlement

or prosecution of acts of sexual harassment

Criminal proceedings to be initiated in

appropriate cases

Where such conduct amounts to

misconduct, appropriate disciplinary action

to be initiated by the employer

28

GUIDELINES OF SUPREME

COURT - on sexual harassment

Complaint mechanism should becreated in every organisation

Employees should be allowed to raiseissues of sexual harassment

Third party harassment – employer totake necessary steps and preventiveaction

Victims can opt for transfer of theperpetrator or their own

29

Responsibility of

Government

mistakenly perceived as applying only whenstate agents or officials are the actualperpetrators of acts which violate humanrights; BUT

Government should "exercise duediligence to prevent, investigate and, inaccordance with national legislation,punish acts of violence against women,whether those acts are perpetrated bythe State or by private persons".

30

Misuse of the

scheme

Bad workers often resort to frivolous complaints

against fellow workers to cover up their bad

quality of work or inadequacies in their day to

day functioning. The committee can take

deterrent action against such malicious

complaints.

gender sensitization -...

Documents