Gender Sensitisation: Breaking the norms

Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2020

Gender sensitivity encompasses the ability (skills, knowledge, and attitudes) to acknowledge and make existing gender differences, issues, and inequalities visible (UNIFEM 2007). This capacity is reflected through an awareness applied to everyday life situations, policies, projects, institutions, and a variety of contexts. It includes an understanding of how gender roles have been socially constructed, and how those social constructions often presuppose the existence of inequalities or unfair distribution of opportunities (UNIFEM 2007). Gender sensitivity incorporates a cross-cultural analysis to raise awareness of obstacles for gender equality and focuses on how inequalities take place on the grounds of gender. It can also be read as a part within an awareness spectrum, ranging from gender negative to gender transformative (Christodoulou 2005; Zobnina 2009). Within this spectrum, gender sensitivity lies in the middle, between gender neutral, which does not take into account gender as a relevant category of analysis, and gender positive, which is the capacity to change existing gender norms (Christodoulou 2005; Zobnina 2009). Gender sensitivity is a mental framework required to promote a change of conceptions related to gender; it involves a critical questioning of the underlying assumptions and constructions supporting the idea of gender roles, norms, and access to resources. Gender-sensitive individuals and communities address gender issues (norms, roles, and access to resources) to reach development goals (Christodoulou 2005; Zobnina 2009). Gender sensitivity involves strategies and actions to promote equal participation and fair distribution of benefits as a result of gender analysis and gender inclusion, but it does not necessarily imply the achievement of long-term transformations of unequal gender relations (UNDP 2001).

Currently, and over the past few years’ gender has been placed into the spotlight for numerous reasons. Gender has been deliberated upon in the political arena throughout the development and introduction the gender of the gender recognition act in Ireland. Additionally, gender inequality was highlighted as an issue for everybody following Emma Watson’s speech given at the United Nations “He for She Campaign”. Nonetheless, gender was again magnified to a global level, when well known celebrity Caitlyn Jenner publicly acknowledged that she identified as transgender. Thus, propelling gender and transgender issues into the public domain. It is true that gender has become more topical receiving increased media attention worldwide. As a result, the visibility of the trans community has increased creating a more positive perspective on identifying as transgender. As visibility and media coverage continues to grow the numbers of people that will feel more open to identify as gender nonconforming will grow. This thesis will address the gender binary and the prearranged stereotypes and roles that are defined within society. These roles and stereotypes do not only affect the trans community but humanity as a whole. This thesis will discuss the social construction of gender and its impact on the cisgender population which will be explored and expanded to include the trans community. This thesis will clearly observe that the societal norm of the gender binary does cause restriction and limitation which can be damaging and detrimental. It creates boundaries and a common perception of how people should present in the world in relation to their gender. Next, the discussion will return more prominently to the counselling arena by looking at the need for training in this area, the common misconceptions right through to common issues, and emotions that may be experienced by a trans person. As a result, it will show that the exploration of gender can be both lifesaving and life promoting by providing a space where the client can be truly authentic without prejudice.

Gender Sensitization to us, simply means feeling of empathy for opposite sex. Gender and sex too, have a thin line of demarcation between them. When we talk simply about the biological difference between a male and a female, we are talking in terms of sex but when we talk with reference to the social, cultural and economic status of both, we talk in terms of gender. Women in India still suffer from Gender inequality because of the lack of gender sensitization on part of males. Many of us blame that degradation of values and ethics amongst the youth is the root cause of such problems. These problems are directly or indirectly related to the lack of gender sensitivity be it the case of eve-teasing, domestic violence or the case of brutal rape. The blunt truth is whatever has percolated in young minds has finally been given to them by their socio-cultural environment which mainly includes their family, school and peers. A major part of the responsibility for developing gender sensitization rests on the shoulders of family members and educators. They are the one who can kindle the feeling of gender equality in young girls and boys and develop the empathy for each other. I strongly believe in what David O'Mckay quotes "Women are created from the rib of man to be beside him, not from his head to top him, nor from his feet to trampled by him but from under his arm to be protected by him, near to his heart to be loved by him". It shocks us when a girl child in talk show innocently asks, "Girls are physically weaker than boys, how can they fight against them?" Physical weakness of a female can never lead a male to empower her if he is sensitive enough to realize that within her delicate and physically weak body resides a tender heart which cares for him as a mother, a sister and also as a wife. But this realization comes from how he has learnt to treat a female from his surroundings at home and at school. At home, he has been observing throughout his life, a mother following the instructions of a dominating father, a sister being scolded for not looking after him properly or not carrying out the household jobs properly in her mother's absence.In the present scenario, even females seem to lose their gender sensitivity towards males. Working on many fronts at the same time, getting no care and appreciation in return, frustrated from earning no respect in family and society, their outburst comes in the form of separations, broken families or as live-in relationships searching for complete freedom for oneself. There is an urgent need to develop a family atmosphere where all members of the family enjoy an equal status, are equally respected and taken care of irrespective of their gender and are treated with empathy. As Gloria Stienem says, "We've begun to raise daughter more like sons, but few have the courage to raise our sons more like daughters." “As a sequel to the government’s moves to stiffen the penal provisions for rape and probe the lapses which led to the ghastly crime on December 16 evening in Delhi, the University Grants Commission has called upon the vice-chancellors of the country’s 568 universities and directors of the institutes of higher education to make the campuses safe for women. While the initiative is welcome, there is a need to ensure that it does not remain only a paper exercise where an advice is issued for form’s sake and little is done for its implementation on the ground.Such a caution is necessary because the gang rape of the 23-year-old paramedical student would not have taken place if similar instructions to reduce the incidents of crime like disallowing vehicles with tinted glasses to ply had been followed by the police on the fateful night. In view of such grievous lapses, which are due to the habit of the authorities to issue orders — usually after a dreadful incident had taken place — and then forget about it, there is a need for follow-up measures on the basis of the UGC’s directive.The proposal for curricular inputs towards gender sensitization may be more effective because they will have an academic content. Given the increasing number of women who spend long hours in educational institutions and the professional field, interaction between boys and girls can no longer be left to evolve on its own in the absence of adequate counselling, especially for those who are from a background where friendship with the opposite sex is frowned upon. For inculcating responsible conduct, the gender sensitisation process should start in schools since most of them are co-educational institutes nowadays. The educational system has to play a cardinal role in elimination”

Gender Neutrality and Gender Sensitization: Need of the Hour, 2020

Since the crime has no gender then neither should our laws have one.The lawshould not distinguish between criminals on the basis of their sex.Anybody can commit crime, even women, for the same reasons that men can do. The one who has committed an offence is liable to get the punishment. If we talk about India, we can hardly find any legislation that aims to protect men or the third gender against violence or sexual crimes. The only legislation which has the concept of gender neutrality in it is the POSCO Act, 2012. The idea of gender-neutrality encompasses the concept of placing both the genders at par, not distinguishing their roles and treating them equally in all spheres. Gender neutrality is primarily about fairness and equality to all despite their background. It is a part of wider societal change that is meant to reveal the mechanisms of social injustice and to help with implementation of true equality in all respects. But gender neutrality is not an attempt to remove gender from people.The legal framework of every country is based on its societal skeleton. The concept of gender neutrality in the legal aspect refers to the idea of equality in the recognition of the rights of all individuals irrespective of their sexes. Thus, viewing the prevailing socio-legal conditions of India there is a paramount need toobtain gender neutrality in laws by underlining the shift in the societal trends.

We live in a world which is organized around the idea that sex role stereotypes are the rigid fixed ideas of what is appropriate to masculine and feminine behavior. They imply a belief that " masculine " and " feminine " are two distinct and mutually exclusive categories and that an individual's behavior must be one or the other. These ideas pervade nearly in every culture. In a society, the notion of the two sexes (male and female) have been stereotyped and revolves round the preoccupied notion that men and women have different bodies, different capabilities, different needs and desires which is depicted in terms of different tasks, privileges and role patterns that are traditionally assigned to them. Despite the fact that every society gives affirmation to only two types of gender and their prescribed roles. But what about those who confirm the worldwide acceptance under the terminology used as transgender. It is often used as an umbrella term to signify individuals who defy rigid, binary gender constructions and who express or present a breaking and blurring culturally prevalent stereotypically gender roles. Children are put under strong social pressure to conform to these sex-role stereotypes, regardless of their natural dispositions. During the process of socialization, boys and girls are reared differently. Boys are encouraged and reinforced to develop masculine characteristics that is in terms of aggression, dominance, independence, sense of adventure, high risk taking behavior, freedom of space, and achievement oriented outlook whereas, girls are encouraged to acquire feminine characteristics as such in terms of submissiveness, nurturance, dependence, and low achievement orientation. The purpose of this research paper is to throw light on how and why the social world is arranged around gender distinctions. The paper also highlights the various problems faced by transgender community in Kashmir especially Male to Female (MTF) transgender. The paper attempts to examine to what extent gender is imposed on individuals as a result of the material conditions and social structures in which they live. The present paper relies entirely on the secondary sources of data. Certain suggestions will be recommended in this paper on promoting equality as a fundamental human right and basic principle of social justice.