exam 2 week 9 Flashcards
Why do men and women lead gendered lives?
Men and women face different opportunities shaped by social structures, requiring them to navigate these structures for personal advantage.
What has historically been emphasized in women’s development?
Women’s development has emphasized:
Fertility and empowerment, with the belief that empowering women leads to lower fertility rates and fosters economic growth.
Development issues framed as “problems” to solve with policies addressing “overpopulation.”
What is a limitation of development models focusing on women and girls?
These models often fail to address the root causes of gender inequality.
How is sex defined?
Sex categorizes someone as either female or male.
It is determined/fixed at birth and does not change over time.
Once born male, always male; once born female, always female. This is often assumed to be natural.
Some of these notions are changing in light of recent debates.
How is gender defined?
Gender refers to the distinctive qualities of men and women (masculinity and femininity) that are culturally created.
It involves socially constructed roles and responsibilities of men and women.
It also encompasses psychological, social, and cultural aspects of maleness and femaleness.
Gender roles can be socio-cultural, economic, and political, and can sometimes be ideological.
What are sex roles?
Sex roles are duties or tasks that males and females perform due to their biology.
Examples:
Breastfeeding for females
Impregnating for males
These roles are biologically determined, fixed, universal, and exclusive to a particular sex.
What are gender roles?
Gender roles are duties or tasks deemed appropriate for males and females by a cultural group based on their sexual identity.
Roles are not determined by biology (e.g., women caring for children, men fixing punctures).
They are learned, vary across cultures, and can change based on factors like class, religion, age, race, education, location, and ethnicity.
How does CUSHNER (2012) define sex and gender?
Sex: A biological characteristic.
Gender: A social characteristic.
What is gender identity according to CUSHNER (2012)?
Gender identity includes knowledge of rules and expectations for what boys and girls should wear, how they should speak and act, and their “place” in the overall structure of society.
What are gender relations?
Gender relations are the social relationships between men and women as sex groups, affected by race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, social class, status, and geographical regionGender relations are the social relationships between men and women as sex groups, affected by race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, social class, status, and geographical region (intersectionalities of gender).
What is gender equality?
Gender equality is not only the absence of discrimination and bias, but also the equal valuing of the similarities and differences between men and women. It is about equality of opportunities in a society where both men and women can lead fulfilling lives.
What is gender equity?
Gender equity is the process of achieving fairness and justice among men and women. It entails the proportional distribution of social resources and services, as well as proportional representation of both sexes in the development process. Gender equity leads to gender equality.
What is gender bias?
Gender bias is the tendency to be in favor of, or against males and females based on their gender rather than anything else.
Example: Taking only females for fashion and fabrics because of the stereotypical belief that women are better at sewing than men.
What is gender discrimination?
Gender discrimination is the unfair treatment directed against an individual or group based on their gender, denying them rights, opportunities, or resources.
Whether positive or negative, differential treatment is given to males and females based on their gender.
What is gender awareness?
Gender awareness is the ability to recognize how gender discrimination and bias impact men’s and women’s access to resources and benefits.
It involves understanding when and where problems are disguised and defended as culture and tradition.
What is feminism?
Feminism is a social and political movement aimed at defending and expanding the rights of women.
It is both a cause and a result of the changing positions of women in society.
An ideology that recognizes the systematic discrimination against women on the grounds of their gender.
What is patriarchy?
Patriarchy is a social system that propagates male superiority, power, and control over women as a natural norm.
Leadership roles, control of valuable resources, and decision-making are male preserves.
It draws a clear demarcation line between males and females, creating a social stratification with males always on top.
What is critical feminist theory?
Critical feminist theory is a framework that critically examines power dynamics, social structures, and cultural norms to challenge patriarchal systems and advocate for social justice and gender equality.
What is the gender analytical framework?
The gender analytical framework is a lens used to analyze gender roles, identities, and relations within societies, enabling the identification of structural processes shaping unequal social relationships and guiding efforts to promote gender equality.
What is gender essentialism?
Gender essentialism is the belief in inherent and unchangeable differences between men and women based on biology. It reinforces traditional gender norms, stereotypes, and hierarchies, perpetuating inequality.
What does it mean to “essentialize” women and girls?
: To essentialize means portraying women and girls through stereotypes and generalizations.
Example: Characterizing them as vulnerable, helpless victims in need of “saving.”
What is instrumentalization?
Instrumentalization refers to using someone or something as a means to achieve a specific goal, often without regard for their intrinsic value or rights.
Example: Women and girls are viewed as tools to achieve broader development, such as economic growth or population control.
How is women’s economic empowerment often justified?
Women’s economic empowerment is justified in terms of macroeconomic growth, neglecting their broader rights and equality.
What is the welfare approach?
The welfare approach focuses on basic needs while strengthening women’s roles as homemakers and in reproductive duties.
How is the welfare approach influenced by modernization theories?
It frames development challenges as issues to be addressed through policies targeting factors like overpopulation and lack of modernization.
How do family planning programs display gendered power dynamics?
family planning programs often focus on women for population control and essentialize them based on their roles as mothers.
What is Women in Development (WID)?
WID emerged in the 1970s to address gender disparities by recognizing women’s roles in development beyond the traditional family and inclusion of women in mainstream development.
It addresses issues such as sexual violence, discrimination, and limited access to resources.
What are the challenges and limitations of WID?
Gender inequality persisted.
WID tended to treat women as passive recipients of development rather than active agents of change.
It focused more on integrating women into existing systems rather than challenging the underlying power structures that perpetuate gender inequalities.
What is Women and Development (WAD)?
WAD shifted the focus from integrating women into existing structures to challenging patriarchal norms and power dynamics.
It advocated for women-only projects aimed at enhancing women’s agency, knowledge, and economic independence.
What are the challenges and limitations of WAD?
It may have inadvertently reinforced gender segregation and excluded men from gender efforts.
It faced challenges in gaining mainstream acceptance within development discourse due to its more radical approach.
What is Gender and Development (GAD)?
GAD is an approach that brings a gendered perspective to development, aiming to challenge unequal gender relations and transform power structures.
It highlights the need to address complexities such as poverty, race, ethnicity, and class facing women and men, particularly in the Global South.
What are the challenges and limitations of GAD?
GAD lacks insight into the experiences of the Global South due to its Western-centric view.
It operates within established neoliberal goals, failing to challenge deep gender inequalities.
GAD struggles to address complexities of poverty, race, and class, resulting in minimal changes in gender relations.
It prioritizes Global North perspectives, neglecting Global South voices.
How did the concept of empowerment evolve?
Empowerment evolved from being a grassroots tool for transformative change to focusing on efficiency by mainstream agencies.
What did early gender and development debates stress?
Early debates stressed collective action, with critiques urging deeper understanding and empowerment.
What challenges emerged with the mainstream adoption of empowerment language?
Mainstream adoption led to critiques about feasibility and the neglect of opposition.
What is gender mainstreaming (GM)?
Gender mainstreaming is the integration of gender perspectives into all aspects of policy design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation across political, economic, and societal spheres.
-The process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. 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 & programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated.
What are some success stories of gender mainstreaming?
Success stories include law reforms, increased women’s participation in parliaments, and involvement in peace processes, but these are exceptions rather than the norm.
What are the challenges and limitations of gender mainstreaming?
Critics question the transformative potential of gender mainstreaming, suggesting scaling back expectations.
Some propose leaving transformative goals to political processes instead of relying solely on gender mainstreaming.
What do NGO initiatives focus on regarding toxic masculinities?
NGO initiatives tackle toxic masculinities, addressing their role in gender violence and inequality.
What did 1990s development discourse focus on regarding men and masculinities?
The 1990s development discourse focused on men and masculinities, highlighting issues like HIV/AIDS, violence, and gender equality.
What challenges do efforts to challenge toxic masculinity face?
Efforts to challenge toxic masculinity and foster gender-equal men face backlash from those threatened by changing gender norms.
How do efforts to challenge toxic masculinity respond to gender-based violence?
Efforts to challenge toxic masculinity and promote gender equality respond to rising gender-based violence in the 21st century.
What hinders changes in masculine attitudes?
Gendered assumptions about power and privilege hinder changes in masculine attitudes, especially among those benefiting from existing structures.
how are gender-based violence and gender relations connected in development initiatives?
Shifts in perceptions of gender relations highlight gender-based violence as a systemic response to socioeconomic changes, stressing the need for alternative masculinities through development initiatives.
What is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)?
CEDAW outlines discrimination against women and methods to address it through national actions.
It calls for legal measures to end discriminatory laws and protect women from discrimination.
What is the focus of UN Resolution 1325?
UN Resolution 1325 forms the basis for global campaigns against rape and gender violence in conflict.
It calls for leadership to prevent and stop violence, increased resources for survivors, and justice for victims.
What did the Beijing Conference and Platform for Action achieve?
The Beijing Conference resulted in 12 strategic objectives for gender equality.
Adopted unanimously by 189 countries, it influenced numerous programs and campaigns globally.
Practical Gender Needs (PGNs)
The immediate needs identified by women to assist survival in their socially accepted roles, within existing power structures.
-Responds to short-term needs and responses, responds to needs that are usually easily identifiable (goods and services), responds to biological requirements and specific health problems.
Strategic Gender Needs (SGNs)
Those needs identified by women that require strategies for challenging male dominance and privilege. These needs may relate to inequalities in the gender division of labor, in ownership and control of resources, in participation in decision-making, or to experiences of domestic and other sexual violence. These needs are often feminine in nature as they seek to change the status and position of women in society in relation to men -power relations
Ester Boserup
A Danish and French economist who introduced the approach of WID in her book, Women’s Role in Economic Development
Women, Environment, Development (WED)
1980s approach that raised awareness of environmental concerns to a global scale to seek systemic solutions to global common issues. Made visible the connections b/w the environ. and gender issues.
What is Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
Goal 5 emphasizes achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
It builds on previous international commitments, aiming to end poverty and promote equality and sustainability.
What are the challenges in gender equality policies and commitments?
Limited access to education for girls in some countries.
Issues such as lack of tracking measures, policy-practice gaps, funding limitations, and resistance to gender equality efforts persist.
What is climate change?
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in Earth’s climate patterns, including changes in temperature, precipitation, and weather events, driven primarily by human activities such as greenhouse gas emissions.
What are the characteristics of weather?
Weather is short-term.
It covers a limited area.
It can change rapidly.
It is difficult to predict.
Weather is what’s happening outside your window right now.
What are the characteristics of climate?
Climate is long-term.
It covers a wide area.
It involves seasonal changes.
Climate is measured over long spans of time.
Climate is the average of many years of weather observation.
Climate Change and Development: A 21st Century Challenge
Climate change has become central in international development discourse.
It is now recognized as the most pressing challenge of the 21st century.
Early development focused on stimulating economic growth through industrialization in developing countries.
Environmental protection was initially considered secondary to economic prosperity.
Sustainable development
Meeting current needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their needs. Adopted as the guiding principle of economic and international development.
Climate Change and Development: A 21st Century Challenge
Transition to recognizing the importance of environmental issues.
International cooperation has led to global goals like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 13: Climate Action.
The Central Paradox
Economic development promotes societal well-being but can lead to environmental degradation.
This degradation negatively impacts the well-being that development seeks to improve.
Addressing this paradox is a major challenge in environment-development politics.
Two Defining Characteristics of Environmental Problems
Collective Action Problem: When individuals or groups fail to cooperate to achieve a common goal due to the associated costs of taking action.
Example: Countries may hesitate to implement stringent environmental regulations or invest in sustainable practices because of concerns about economic competitiveness or short-term costs.
Tragedy of the Commons
Individuals, acting in their own self-interest, exploit shared resources without considering long-term consequences, leading to depletion of resources.
Example: Overfishing in shared maritime territories, where fishing vessels maximize their catch without regard for sustainability, depleting fish stocks and threatening fishing communities.
Contending Approaches to Environment-Development Politics
Modernization Theory and Environmental Quality:
Suggests that improvements in quality of life result from:
Industrialization
Urbanization
Technological advancements
Global trade
What does the Environment Kuznets Curve (EKC) suggest about economic growth and environmental degradation?
The Environment Kuznets Curve (EKC) suggests that environmental degradation worsens initially with economic growth but eventually declines after reaching a certain income level.
Further economic development is considered a solution to pollution and degradation, as the environment improves once a certain threshold is passed.
What are the criticisms of traditional approaches to environmental development politics?
Traditional approaches are criticized for:
Promoting unsustainable environmental exploitation and consumerism through modernization.
Failing to account for global resource use and biodiversity conservation, as seen in the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC).
Emphasizing economic growth at the expense of environmental costs, which are often offloaded to poorer nations.
Example: The case of China.
