1.0 Introduction
The module on Gender and Development was successfully completed on Saturday, 21st April, 2018 and Sunday, 22nd April, 2018. The resource person for the module was Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin, the Director of ABANTU for Development and the number of participants present for the module were fifteen (15).
2.0 Day 1: Saturday, 21st April, 2018
2.1 Course outline
The outline of the course were introduced to the participants and were as follows;
- To secure a basic understanding of what development is
- To familiarise ourselves with basic knowledge of the history of the women’s movement
- To explain the different gender analytical approaches
- To identify the differences and similarities between ‘sex’ and ‘gender”.
- To understand what gender analysis is
- To increase participants understanding of basic gender concepts
- To discuss issues of women in politics and decision-making
- To discuss the challenges and opportunities for promoting gender equality
2.2 What is Development?
According to the International Donor Agencies, development is the achievement of poverty reduction, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and now the Sustainable development goals. Simply put, development is a set of ideas that shape reality and power relations.
Elements of Development:
- Historical and long term- a process of structural societal transformation or change
- Policy Related-short to medium term time lines or outcomes of desirable targets (e.g. Development as the MDGs)/SDGs)
- Development as Dominant Discourse of Western Modernity
2.3 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
In September 2000, leaders of 189 countries gathered at the United Nations headquarters and signed the historic Millennium Declaration, in which they committed to achieving a set of eight measurable goals that range from halving extreme poverty and hunger to promoting gender equality and reducing child mortality, by the target date of 2015. The MDGs were revolutionary in providing a common language to reach global agreement. The 8 goals were realistic and easy to communicate, with a clear measurement/monitoring mechanism.
Substantial progress has been made regarding the MDGs. The world has already realized the first MDG of halving the extreme poverty rate by 2015. However, the achievements have been uneven. The MDGs are set to expire in 2015 and the discussion of a post 2015 agenda continues.
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development) in Rio de Janeiro, June 2012, galvanized a process to develop a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which will carry on the momentum generated by the MDGs and fit into a global development framework beyond 2015. In the interest of creating a new, people-centered, development agenda, a global consultation was conducted online and offline. Civil society organizations, citizens, scientists, academics, and the private sector from around the world were all actively engaged in the process.
In July 2014, the UN General Assembly Open Working Group (OWG) proposed a document containing 17 goals to be put forward for the General Assembly’s approval in September 2015. This document set the ground for the new SDGs and the global development agenda spanning from 2015-2030. Building upon the experience and lessons learned of the previous MDGs, the SDG intends to act as a bridge in the transition from MDGs to SDGs, providing concrete experiences on how to achieve a sustainable and inclusive world post-2015 through its integrated and multidimensional joint programmes.
The SDGs adopted in 2015 encompass 17 goals and 169 targets that strive for peace, prosperity and progress for all. The SDGs provide a guide for global action in key areas where countries will have to invest in order to ensure sustainable socio-economic development.
2.4 History of women’s movement
2.4.1 Important Dates
- 1975 – First UN Conference on Women held in Mexico City, Mexico: International Women’s Year. March 8th of every year is the International Women’s Day.
- 1980- 2nd UN Conference on Women, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 1975-1985-International Women’s Decade
- 1985- 3rd UN Conference on Women
- End-of -Decade Conference on Women held in Nairobi, Kenya
- 1995 -4th UN Conference on Women, Beijing, China.
2.4.2 Relevant Documents
- Forward Looking Strategies:1985
- Beijing Platform for Action: 11 Critical Areas of Concern-1995
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
- African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (June, 1981)
- Optional Protocol on Women
These documents are used by a lot of countries and institutions to address imbalances between women and men at the highest levels of decision making and also used in all political, social and economic sectors. These documents gives individuals the ability to contribute and benefit from the process irrespective of your age, class, ethnicity and location. All these measures are helping to break down traditional ideas about what women could or could not do. Very traditional organisations such as the Church are changing their attitudes towards women. Women are allowed to be ordained as priests.
2.5 Gender Approaches
A discussion was made on the main gender analytical frameworks and their usefulness as well as the options, challenges and opportunities for using the approaches to enhance gender responsiveness.
- The Harvard Approach (Women in Development)
This is also known as the Gender Roles Framework (GRF). This approach is used to increases women’s efficiency of project implementation, to ensure that women and men participate in project and to enhance productivity through putting gender interventions in place. Although this approach is useful, it is limited. It is just bringing in women to partake and be productive that is to just bring the women in without thinking about the actual need to include women. Project involvement alone cannot address centuries old inequalities.
- The Moser Method (Women and Development)
The Moser Method also known as the Triple Roles Framework (TRF) is similar to the Harvard Approach but different because it looks at productive, reproductive and community managing activities of women. The interest here is beyond commodity production but recognizes subordination of women as an issue. So, women’s concerns are divided into practical and strategic needs. Communities have to bear a lot of responsibility in terms of costs and women become overburdened.
- The Empowerment Approach (Gender and Development)
This approach states that, everyone can contribute to the process of change. There should be equality in patriarchal society, the need for inclusive involvement, increased empowerment in order to change relations between women and men. Women’s empowerment is a necessary condition to overcome obstacles to women’s well-being. This approach gives room for men and women to contribute to change.
2.6 Options for Promoting Gender Approaches
There are a lot of international conventions and policies used to promote these gender approaches. Among these several conventions are;
- Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
- Beijing Platform for Action
- ECOWAS Gender policy
- AU Solemn Declaration on Gender equality in Africa: 2004
In ratifying the Solemn Declaration, the AU agreed to:
- Expand and promote the gender parity principle to all the AU organs, and not merely the Commission.
- Ensure the participation and representation of women in peace processes, including the prevention and resolution of conflicts and post-conflict.
- Accelerate the implementation of gender specific economic, social and legal policies in order to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic
- Launch a campaign to end the recruitment of child soldiers and sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and girls.
- ensure the active promotion and protection of the human rights of women and girls;
- protect the property and inheritance rights of women;
- expand the education of women and girls, particularly in rural areas
- Gender Policies
- Affirmative Action
- Quotas
- Reserved seats
- Changes in electoral systems
- Gender budgeting
- Capacity building and training
- Women Manifestos
- Political Party Manifestos
- Gender Mainstreaming
2.7 Sex and Gender
SEX | GENDER |
Sex is the biological characteristics of women and men.
Or; Biological reproduction that distinguishes men and women such as male sperms, female eggs, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, labour and breaking of voice. These are predetermined and constant characteristics.
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It is the socially constructed roles, relationships, and processes, ascribed to women and men on the basis of their sex. It takes into account a range of social and cultural factors in different settings and situations.
It varies in time and space, an acquired identity which is learned and therefore can and does change over time, within and across cultures.
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After the participants were educated on sex and gender, an exercise was given to test their level of understanding on sex and gender. The participants were asked to identify if the following statements were on sex or gender.
Is it Sex or Gender? | Response |
Women give birth to babies men do not | Sex |
Little girls are gentle, little boys are tough | Gender |
Women can breast feed babies men cannot | Sex |
Most political leaders are men | Gender |
Men’s voices break at puberty women’s don’t | Sex |
Money is more important for men than women | Gender |
Women are better cooks than men | Gender |
Women are more caring than men | Gender |
A man should be sexually experienced at marriage | Gender |
Men have stronger sexual needs than women | Gender |
Men are better household heads than women | Gender |
2.8 Gender Analysis as a Tool
Gender analysis is a tool for analysing data from looking at what is happening to women and what is happening to men: a gender perspective. Understanding how an issue has to be examined from the perspective of the relations between women and men. It is also identifying constraints or limitations with regard to how women and men are relating with regard to an issue or in an activity based on our notions of what they should or should not be doing.
Examines the differences in women’s and men’s lives, including those which lead to social and economic inequity for women, and applies this understanding to policy development and service delivery. Is concerned with the underlying causes of these inequalities. Thus Gender analysis is not just about focusing only on women or complaining that women suffer more than men.
Rather, it aims to achieve positive/transformative change for women and getting men on the need for such change due to existing and continuing disparities between them and women.
Gender analysis can be undertaken through looking at;
- Programmes
- Project objectives, intervention strategy and in implementation
- The obstacles or progress being made
Gender equity takes into consideration the differences in women’s and men’s lives and recognises that different approaches may be needed to produce outcomes that are equitable (opportunities, benefits, losses, use of space and voice).
Gender equality is based on the premise that women and men should be treated based on human rights principles even as there are different life experiences between them.
Tool for the Gender Analysis
- Do women have equal access to resources, power etc in the policy, programme or project?
- Do women have an equal chance to participate in the policy, programme or project?
- Does the activity ensure same opportunities and equal burdens for women and men? (Benefits and losses).
- Are women targeted specifically to address their productive and reproductive roles?
- Is there encouragement for women to take up new roles/relationships in decision-making?
- Do programmes aim at a balanced division of burdens and benefits between women and men, in implementation, management, use and development impacts?
- Is data/information disaggregated by sex as means of promoting gender balance?
Based on the above tool, the participants analysed some set of documents and presented their findings to the group amidst comments and questions bringing the training to a close.
Cross-section of participants working in their respective groups
3.0 Day 2: Sunday, 22nd April, 2018
Day two (2) started with a recap of what was learnt in day one.
Participants sharing their learnings
The focus of the second day was to discuss and understand gender concepts, women in politics and decision making, techniques for promoting women’s rights and gender, implications of gender relations for women’s movement and the challenges in promoting gender.
3.1 Gender Concepts
Below are a list of Gender Concepts that were discussed during the session;
- Gender Construction
- Sexual Division of Labour
- Gender Division of labour
- Multiple Gender Roles: Productive, Reproduction and Community Work
- Access to Resources
- Control over Resources
- Gender Relations
- Gender Sensitivity
- Gender Balance
- Sex Disaggregated Data
- Gender Mainstreaming
- Affirmative Action
- Empowerment
- Gender Equity
- Gender Equality
Gender Construction
System for inculcating gender ideologies and role expectations into individuals. Gendering involves acquisition of a social identity and learning appropriate sets of behaviours and capacities associated with one’s sex.
Sexual/Gender Division of Labour
Gender roles are socially determined ideas and practices which define the roles, activities and relationships deemed appropriate for women and men. They are usually not fixed, changes over time and responds to changes in the economy, political and social environment. It impacts men and women’s relationship to natural resources. For example, at the community level it is much more expected of a man to be a doctor and a woman as the nurse.
Gender Roles
The different responsibilities or tasks that women and men undertake in a given culture or location. Gender Roles are assigned to men and women by society, classified by sex, learned and shape our identity, changeable but also resist change, determine how we are perceived, expected to think and act as women and men. Gender roles are one of several factors determining access to status, power and resources.
Multiple gender roles
Women and men have multiple gender roles that can be divided into three (3) types:
- Productive
Work done by both women and men that generates income (in cash and/or in kind). Has an exchange value for the production of goods and services for subsistence or market purposes.
- Reproductive
- Community management
Access and Control of Resources and Benefit
Access to resources means that women are able to use and benefit from specific resources. Control over resources means that women can also make decisions about the use of those resources. Women & men also have different access & control to the benefits of using resources.
Gender Sensitivity
Gender sensitivity means that a differentiation is made between the needs and priorities of men and women; the views and ideas of both men and women are taken seriously; action is taken to address inequalities or imbalance between men and women.
Gender Relations
The ways in which society defines rights, responsibilities and identities of women and men in relation to one another which leads to the persistence of inequalities. Gender relations cannot be avoided because women and men are interacting all the time in public and private spaces in the society.
Gender Balance
Having the same (or a sufficient) number of women and men at all levels within an organization to ensure equal representation and participation in all areas of the activity and interest.
Sex Disaggregated Data
For a gender analysis, all data should be separated by sex in order to allow differences between men and women in needs, action and results to be identified.
Gender Mainstreaming
The consideration of gender equality in all policy, programmes, administrative and financial activities, and in organisational procedures. The systematic integration of the different needs, interests, and priorities of women and men in all the organization’s policies, projects and activities.
A strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated.
Why mainstream gender?
- Men and women are involved in activities differently and there is a need to ensure that these differences do not lead to inequality
- Many past programmes have failed due to lack of involvement of women who play a role specific sectors
- Interventions have a different effect on women and men.
- In a democratic society, each individual member has the right to the best quality of life possible. Since politics plays an important role in determining the quality of life, then we need to ensure that there is equality of access to participation.
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action means positive steps taken to increase the representation and participation of women and disadvantaged groups in areas of employment, education, and culture among others from which they have been historically excluded.
Empowerment
Empowerment means both women and men have control over their own decisions, securing skills and knowledge, increasing self-confidence and having control over productive resources, having leadership roles in organisations and working in non-traditional fields.
Gender Equity
Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs. This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but which is considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities.
Gender Equality
Gender equality, equality between men and women, entails the concept that all human beings, both men and women, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles, prejudices and relationships.
In an ideal world, there will be gender equity if both women and men have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities. Equality means that the different behaviour, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favoured equally. Equality does not mean that women and men will be the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female. A focus on creating an inclusive culture and using other measures such as targets or quotas, can be effective in achieving gender equality
At the end of the presentation, the participants worked in their respective groups on questions reflecting on the gender concepts, gender awareness and sensitivity in policy development and policy development processes in an organization.
Participants in group discussions and presentations
3.2 Women in Politics and Decision Making
There are a lot of legal documents that seeks to increase women’s representation and participation in politics and decision making spaces.
A Section in the Beijing Platform for Action on “Women in Power and Decision-making”, clearly makes a number of recommendations which have played a pivotal role in empowering African women to play an active role in political life. Setting a clear time-table to end all discrimination against women (along the provision of CEDAW) as well as establishing a framework to promote legal equality and initiating specific measures targeted to acquiring a short-term threshold of 30 per cent for women in national decision-making positions with a long-term aim of 50 percent.
Nationally, women’s participation in political and decision making processes is guaranteed in article 12 (2) of the 1992 constitution. Women’s representation in Parliament growing from 8% in 1992 to 10.8% in 2004 to 8.6% in 2008 and 10% in 2012 and 10.8% in 2016. Parliamentary representation of women growing from 8% in 1992 to 10.8% in 2004 and falling to 8.9% in 2008, 10 % in 2012 and 10.8 in 2016. Although the number is increasing, there is a critical mass of women needed. A similar situation exists at the district level. In 2006, the elected membership of women was 10.1% and in 2010 there was an administrative quota for 30% women representation but its ineffective. In the public service, there is an increasing trend of the appointment of women as a Chief Justice, Electoral Commissioner and Head of Prisons Service amongst several others, however, they are still very low.
3.3 Techniques for Promoting Women’s Rights and Gender
- Use of CEDAW
- Beijing Platform for Action
- AU Solemn Declaration on Gender equality in Africa: 2004. In ratifying the Solemn Declaration, the AU agreed to:
- Expand and promote the gender parity principle to all the AU organs, and not merely the Commission;
- Ensure the participation and representation of women in peace processes, including the prevention and resolution of conflicts and post-conflict
- Expand and promote the gender parity principle to all the AU organs, and not merely the Commission;
- Ensure the participation and representation of women in peace processes, including the prevention and resolution of conflicts and post-conflict
- Ensure the active promotion and protection of the human rights of women and girls;
- Protect the property and inheritance rights of women;
- Expand the education of women and girls, particularly in rural areas
- ECOWAS Gender policy (The ECOWAS Gender Policy development process embarked upon since 2000 took a historic turn in 2003, with the finalization of the draft Gender policy document)
- Gender Policies
- Affirmative Action
- Quotas
- Reserved seats
- Changes in electoral systems
- Gender budgeting
- Capacity building and training
- Women Manifestos
- Political Party Manifestos
3.4 Implications for Women in Politics
Are we making our contributions in the political parties as women? If yes, what are these contributions? If no, then we must demand that the parties address our concerns and promote social justice. What are some of the things we can ask for?
- A Women’s Fund to support women aspirants in parliamentary and presidential elections.
- Allocate 10 per cent of public funds to political parties directly to women aspirants
- Parties should significantly reduce filing fees for women contestants in parliamentary and presidential primaries,
- Political parties desist from sexist and abusive remarks directed at women aspirants and also against those seeking public office
- Apply the law on defamation of character to party leaders and members.
- Political parties should advocate for legal backing for affirmative action
- Political parties should back the Public Funding of Political Parties Bill.
- Political parties provide capacity building for women aspirants and women after they were successfully elected into parliament. This ensures their effective participation in parliamentary deliberations.
- Political parties retain sitting female MPs during successive parliamentary elections and replace sitting female MPs who decided not to contest with other female contestants.
- Newly created constituencies are reserved for women contestants only for a period of two consecutive terms
- Parties to field women in at least 50 per cent representation of safe parliamentary seats,
- A safe seat being that the party has won in at least three consecutive general elections by a margin of over 50 per cent.
- Demand that political parties work towards a target of 50 per cent representation of women
- To be present at the levels of the base structures and committees that choose candidates for primary elections.
All these demands seeks for a transformatory agenda to do away with patriarchal authority, promote women’s rights, have a society based on gender equality and inclusive democratic system, equality, peace and development.
3.5 Challenges for Promoting Gender
- Resistance to deviations from the societal standards and norms
Based either on fear for negative reactions from the social environment and the dominant culture (ideology, religion) or on one’s own self-image.
- Resistance based on power relations
Fear that another group will take over and affect the status, power, influence and other privileges enjoyed by the grouping resisting change known as vested interests.
- Practical resistance
The way a society is structured that does not easily respond to change. For example, a society with a rigid class hierarchy. Organisations, particularly public sector ones tend to reflect these societal structures.
- Psychological resistance
Fear for loss of security, feelings of guilt, doubts about one’s own capacities, low self-esteem, lack of identification with women’s interests (gender is seen as feminism in disguise, and feminism is regarded as too aggressive and too radical).
4.0 Conclusion
Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin ended her presentation by encouraging the participants to be firm and strong as there will be a lot of setbacks in their political career. She also urged them to be women of virtue and strife to the top with intellect, perseverance, endurance and hardwork and not their physical assets. She mentioned that positions attained by other means like by sexual favours will only last but for a while. The training came to a successful end at 4:30 pm.
15 filled-in evaluation forms:
- All the participants learnt new things such as gender and sex and their differences, development and history of women’s movement, gender approaches, gender and development and the importance of women’s participation in development, legal documents that guides gender issues, equality and women’s empowerment.
- Participant’s response on module relevance, content, resource person, lecture, group work, general discussions in table below.
Excellent | Very Good | Good | Average | Poor | |
Module Relevance | 93% | 7% | |||
Content/Material | 71% | 29% | |||
Resource Person | 93% | 7% | |||
Lecture | 87% | 13% | |||
Group work | 86% | 13% | 1% | ||
General Discussions | 79% | 21% |
- Generally, according to the order of significance, the new things learnt by the participants were;
- History of Women’s Movement
- Differences between gender and sex
- Gender approaches, their challenges and opportunities
- Gender Concepts
- Legal documents promoting gender equality
- 80% of the participants thought the delivery was excellent and the 20% thought it was very good.
- Going forward, the participants feel that presentations should involve audio visuals and videos. There is the quest for more female facilitators and presentations. Some of the participants also requests for a hard copy of presentation materials instead of sending soft copies via mail.
The fourth module, Fundamentals of Ghana’s Democratic Systems is scheduled on 2nd and 3rd June, 2018.
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