1. Duration: 3 WeeksINTRODUCTION TO GENDER

2. Course ObjectivesTo help students identify why and in what ways Africansocieties are genderedTo examine the impacts of gender relations and inequalities on developmentTo critically examine state and civil society responses to gender inequalities. 3. Learning Objectives By the end of the session you should: Distinguish the difference between gender andsex Be familiar with key gender concepts Be able to identify gender issues in everyday life Provide a gender analysis of major social problemsin Africa Become familiar with state and civil society effortsto address gender inequalities. 4. BOYS WILL BE BOYS AND GIRLSBOYS WILL BE BOYS AND GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS.SUZANNEWILL ROMAINE BE GIRLS 5. ??? GENDER GenderGender Women GenderSexMenFemininity GENDER SexGender WomenGENDER Gender Gender Gender MasculinityGENDER MenGENDER Gender Women 6. What is gender? Sex versus gender Female versus woman Male versus man Gender relations or social relations of gender Women and men Women and women Men and men Women/men and institutions, social phenomenon, systems, etc. 7. Definition: Gender Vs. SexUnlike sex, which is a biologicalconcept, gender is a social constructspecifying the socially and culturallyprescribed ideas about the behaviour,actions, and roles a particular sexperforms and follows. 8. Why is gender important? 9. Because.life is gendered. 10. Brain Teaser The boy is the biological son of thedoctor, but the doctor is not the father of the boy. What is the Doctor to the boy? 11. Brain Storming Exercise What are some of the important events orinfluences in your childhood that you feelinfluenced your sense of being male orfemale? Consider messages you received fromparents, teachers, peers, role models, pastors Consider messages about, region identity,ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, age 12. Gender is a social construct 13. but there are commonalities. 14. Common features of gender relations Gendered divisions of labour Differential power patriarchy Gender ideologies and myths 15. Common features of gender relations Gendered division of labourProductive and reproductive rolesMale roles and responsibilities valued more than womensWomen roles and responsibilities undervaluedprivate and public dichotomy 16. PowerPower as control of resources (land, power, labour, education, training, etc.)Power as patriarchy -a social system in which the role of the male as the primary authority figure is central to social organisation and where fathers hold authority over women, children and property. 17. Common features of gender relations Gender ideologies (natural, unchanging, etc.) Gender myths and stereotypes (womenare, men are..). 18. What is gender (in)equality? Gender equality involves ensuring that theperceptions, interests, needs and priorities ofwomen and men (which can be very differentbecause of their differing roles andresponsibilities) will be given equal weight inall aspects of life, including planning anddecision-making. 19. Why is gender equality important? Equal rights, opportunities andresponsibilities is a matter of human rightsand social justice. Societies and cultures are richer and morediverse with gender equality. Greater equality between women and menisaprecondition for sustainable people-centred development. 20. Equal rights and citizenship Definition of Citizenship Sense of belonging Rights and responsibilities It is a status It is a process It is formal It is informal 21. Constitutional Guaranteesof Citizenship All persons shall be equal before the law (17.1) A person shall not be discriminated against ongrounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin,religion, creed or social or economic status(17.2). For the purposes of this article, discriminatemeans to give different treatment to differentpersons attributable only or mainly totheir respective descriptions by race, place oforigin, political opinions, colour, gender,occupation, religion or creed(17.3) 22. International Agreements The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Addresses women human rights issues The Vienna Declaration Programme of Action (1993) Womens rights are human rights The human rights of women and the girl-child are an inalienable integral and indivisible part of universal human rights International Covenant on Economic, Social and CulturalRights (ICESCR) Seeks to provide economic, social and cultural rights of individuals, including labour rights and rights to health, education, and an adequate standard of living 23. International Agreements, Ctd. The African Union Solemn Declaration onGender Equality and Womens Empowerment The African Charter on Human and PeoplesRights Effective measures should be undertaken toensure that women have an active role in thedevelopment process 24. International Agreements Ctd. Beijing Platform for Action To advance the goals of equality, development andpeace for all women everywhere in the interest ofall humanity 25. Richer, more diverse cultures What is Culture?The complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [a person] as a member of society" (Tylor 1958 [1871] 26. Development Imperatives What is development? Movement from one level to another To enlarge opportunities and freedoms for people To expand, strengthen, evolve societies andeconomies To exploit potentialities of resources to the benefitof society/people 27. Development Imperatives Development is not neutral thereare winners and losers ----- Development paths and outcomes are gendered. 28. Week 2: State and Civil Society Responses to Gender Inequalities Recap of Week 1 At the end of todays class, you should be ableto: Be familiar with the history of the feministmovement Be familiar with arguments for affirmative actionand the forms affirmative action takes Identify the efforts that have been made globally,regionally and locally to deal with genderinequalities 29. History of efforts to addressgender inequalities Many efforts to deal with gender inequalitiesover many centuries First Wave Feminism Women get the vote after long struggle bysuffragettes in U.S .and U.K. Second Wave Feminism Struggle for reproductive rights Right to work Equal pay for equal work 30. UN Processes Influence of second wave feminism on UN -Four world conferences Mexico, Copenhagen,Nairobi, Beijing Outcomes of world conferences CEDAW Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Halving Poverty (MDG 1) Promote gender equality and empower women(MDG 3) Improve Maternal Health (MDG 5) 31. International DevelopmentApproaches Different approaches to addressing the impactof development initiatives on women Women in Development (WID) Women and Development, (WAD) Gender and Development (GAD ) Gender mainstreaming 32. National Level Processes Historical context to interventions in Ghana State policies and actions Civil society actions Group agency Individual agency 33. Historical Context to NationalInterventions In colonial period no attempt made to address position and statusof women in traditional society. Colonialism gendered society further e.g. through discriminatoryeducation, jobs and preferential treatment introduced to traditionaloccupations, e.g. cocoa farming. Post colonial history Nkrumah regime had social justice policieswhich advantaged women, e.g. in job diversification for women,women in public sector and politics, etc. Policies under other regimes, especially military, discriminatoryagainst women, e.g. early years of Armed Forces Revolution Council(AFRC) and Provisional National Defence Council era (PNDC) whenyoung women and traders seen as cause of economic problems. PNDC period however also championed rights of women, especiallythrough 31st December Womens Movement. 34. Economic Recovery/Structural Adjustment of1980s and 90s had negative effects on women,e.g. taxes to informal sector, which is dominatedby women, promotion of cash crop farming andneglect of food crop farming (where you findmost women) Economic recovery also introduced genderdifferentials in access to services such as healthand education because of subsidy removals Mechanisms to redress through laws, policy andother actions. 35. State Actions:Legal Reform Intestate Succession Law, 1985 (PNDC111): Protects the inheritance rights ofspouses and children Criminal code amendment act of 1994section 69 (FGM) Criminal code amendment act of 1998section 314.a (Trokosi) 36. State Actions: Legal Reform The Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act694)Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act732): Seeks to protect the populaceagainst violence and abuse in homesand institutions Property Rights of Spouses Bill (BeforeParliament) 37. State Action: Policy Reform Reproductive Health Policy and Strategy Gender Policy in Agriculture Girl-Child Education Policy Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy Maternity Leave policies Establishing of Women and Juvenile Unit(WAJU) of Police service, now called DomesticViolence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) 38. State Action:Affirmative Action 39. What is Affirmative Action?A set of temporary measures adopted bygovernments, public and private institutionssuch as political parties, educationalestablishments, corporations and companiesto address a history of systemic discriminationand exclusion of particular social groups. 40. Background to Affirmative Action Origins in the USA used to address racialdiscrimination South Africa used to address racial and genderdisparities after Apartheid Different kinds of affirmative action. Direct (qualitative or quantitative, i.e. quotas). Indirect (e.g. science clinics for girls and schoollunches for poor children ) 41. Examples of affirmative action.? 42. Examples of Affirmative Action Scholarship schemes (Northern Ghanascholarships; cocoa marketing boardscholarships) Fee free education; Free textbooks and uniforms Targeted investments in infrastructure, educationand health in some Regions Reservations of seats for women (10 women inparliament) Measures to promote participation of women incertain professions 43. Examples, Ctd. School meals in certain districts Reserved places in state universities for studentsfrom deprived districts Girl Child Education Policies Lower cut-off point for girls in tertiary education Science clinics for girls 50% of appointed district assembly members arewomen 44. Affirmative Action QuotasQuotas are only effective when backed by lawand when policies such as electoral reform,political education, the mobilisation of citizensand the removal of obstacles to womensability to utilise the quotas are removed 45. Value of affirmative Action? 46. Value of affirmative Action Discrimination of any form does not self correct.Instead, it perpetuates itself Improves representation of women Ensures a critical mass which can make a difference(e.g. 30% of women in decision making bodies) Provides more female role models and improvesawareness of the issues. Guarantees gender balanced policy making at all levelsof government. Allows considerable skills to be brought into decisionmaking structures. 47. Civil Society ActionCivil Society is composed of civic and socialorganizations and institutions that aredistinct from the state. 48. Civil Society Action, Ctd. Since colonial period womens organisationsimportant part of civil society organising: Market women active in anti-colonial struggles Womens associations Womens NGOs Womens coalitions, e.g. NETRIGHT Womens coalitions to demand specific actions, e.g. Domestic Violence Coalition, Womens Manifesto Coalition 49. Examples: Civil Society Actions Getting the vote Getting access to reproductive freedom (birthcontrol) Womens action in anti-apartheid struggle Womens action to end war in Liberia Getting Domestic Violence Law passed Improving womens participation in politics Queenmothers associations supporting differentcauses (HIV, girls skills training, etc.) 50. Group Agency Agency refers to: The means or mode of acting; instrumentality. Conveys the idea that people are not passive and canchange their situations through self conscious action The role of womens self-help groups Micro-finance groups , e.g. susu Womens cooperative, e.g. shea butter, beading,pottery, bread making, etc. Widows support group HIV social network groups 51. Individual Agency Instances where people have triggered change bytheir actions: Taking legal action (e.g. Women who petitionedCHRAJ on workplace sexual harassment: FanAir,NADMO) Taking a stand against gender discriminatory practices(e.g. Swaziland where mother of Reed Dance Brideprotested) Leaving abusive relationships, Learning new skills to improve lives Helping others 52. Progress toward gender equality ? 53. Progress More consciousness of the importance ofgender equality Some issues being addressed, e.g. narrowinggap between boys and girls in education In some countries strong representation ofwomen in politics, e.g. Rwanda, South Africa 54. Important legislation, e.g. Domestic violencelaw has been passed. Increased number of women in professionalcareers and in decision-making Improved maternal health coverage More access to credit for women 55. Remaining Problems ? 56. Remaining Problems Women still disproportionately poor Political representation of women low. In Ghanaonly about 8 percent women in Parliament Incidents of violence against women high despitethe law Gender stereotyping and attitudes towardswomen reflect male privilege 57. Why is progress slow? 58. Why Progress is slow Enormity of the challenge Cultures evolve slowly Attitudinal and behavioural change difficult toachieve Weak political will Poor implementation of policies Not enough resources devoted to resolvingissues 59. Consciousness-Raising Activity Identify a positive action toward women and/ormen that you may not have done before thiscourse Describe a liberating act that is positive andconsciousness raising that could help change thequality of peoples lives Your action must be non-violent and legal 60. Week 3: Film The CEGENSA Resource Centre has a numberof films that can be shown to illustrate someof the issues discussed in the introductoryclass. We recommend for example: The Witches of Gambaga Pray the Devil Back to Hell Fat Kine Molade 61. Questions Following Film What gender issues did the film illustrate foryou?