Pakistan International Peace & Human Rights Organization
Nindo Shaher District Badin Sindh Pakistan

GENDER BIAS

Definition Actions against women (or men) based on the perception that the other sex is not equal and does not have the same rights.

Example In most cases women were not involved in the food distribution process as employees or decision-maker. The data show that the majority of employees, field monitors and supervisors were male. As the ration cards were in the men's name, women had limited access to or control over the food rations.

GENDER-DIFFERENTIATED IMPACT

Definition the effects of policies, programs, projects and/or measures, which have a different impact on women and men (IPS199630). These may widen or narrow the existing gaps between women and men in their control over resources and benefits derived from them. In countries manifesting gender gaps, implements measures aimed at achieving a differential impact, benefiting women and girls.

Example Emergency situation affect women and men differently. For example in a study of time spent in a day which compared the lives of women and men, it was found that women's normal activities were accentuated by the hardship of life in the camp, with less time for sleeping and productive activities. The lives of men had also changed in that their previous role had been distributed. By the end of 1995, approximately 500 Village Development Committees had been established in Combodia. Members were elected. Women had to represent at least 40 percent of the membership. There was a Ministry for Women's Affairs, elevated from the former secretariat. A National Policy on women had been promulgated to guide ministries and agencies on how to meet women's needs. The First Socio-economic Development Plan 1996-2000 incorporates explicit considerations of the role of women in development process.

GENDER EMPOWERMENT MEASURE (GEM)

Definition This index, developed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) quantitatively measures the empowerment of women on a country-by-country basis. The index measures gender inequality in three key areas: a) Power over economic resources based on earned income: b) access to professional opportunities and participation in economic decision-making; and c) access to political opportunities and participation in political decision-making, i.e. it indicates women's participation in political and economic life and in decision-making positions such as by the number of parliamentary seats and the number of professional and managerial jobs held by women. The greater the gender disparity, the lower the GEM.

GENDER EQUALITY

Definition A term which reflects an equal sharing of power between women and men, in their equal access to education, health, administrative and managerial positions, equal pay for work of equal value and equal seats in parliament, among others (United Nations; 199558; UNDP; 199549). shares the United Nations' goal of achieving gender equality. The process of integrating gender equality and women's empowerment into policies has major implications for programming, and as regards the development of human resources. will pursue the following four strategies; a) staff and counterpart capacity-building in analysis and planning, taking into the differences between women and men; b) managers' role in mainstreaming gender issues; c) development of guidelines on gender equality and empowerment; and d) exchange of experiences.

Example Due to the challenge that grass-root participation poses to existing norms and power relations, introducing "participation" may result in the creation of conflicts within the community. Tradition should not be evoked as a way of avoiding the issue of gender equality

GENDER EQUITY

Definition The fair distribution of resources and benefits between women and men according to cultural norms and values. This concept has different implication in different countries because it is based on different cultural standards. It is usually based on the traditional perception that women and men do not necessarily have the same needs and rights. The UN system promotes gender equality, pushing beyond cultural definitions of gender equality.

GENDER FOCAL POINT

Definition Staff of the country offices and headquarters who: a) monitor the implementation of Gender Action Plan; b) maintain relationships with Gender Focal Points in government and other relevant organizations; and c) acts as training and briefing resources mobilizes on gender analytical planning.

GENDER FRAMEWORK

Definition A series of analytical tools which set out different key categories of factors that are relevant in the analysis of specific topics, including gender variables . These tools will contribute to the understanding of women's and men's roles, their needs, access to power, their coping starting points for designing and programming assistance from relief to development.

GENDER GAP

Definition The disparity (measured quantitatively) between women and men, and girls and boys, in their access to resources, education, health, services or power. The reduction or expansion of gender gaps can better illustrate to development workers to what extent women and men, and girls and boys have benefited from project or policy interventions in areas such as education, health care and food distribution.

Example undertook assessments to identify cases where a gender gap existed in a management of the assets created by food-for-work activities, in the distribution of their long term benefits or in access of training and credit facilities. In Equador, the computerized monitoring and evaluation system now includes indicators to follow up project benefits from a gender perspective; in Bolivia, as a result of the analysis the monitoring and reporting requirements included in the plan of operations were modified to take this specific concern more into account. The situation of women in Yemen (March 1996) shows that 45.9 percent of urban females' aged 10 and above are illiterate compared to 16.3 percent of males. Where gender-gaps exists, specific targets are being introduced in country program to invest 60 percent of resource in women and girls. For example, in the Bangladesh Country Program, specific targets were introduced within the Rural Development Program to reach more women beneficiaries and to meet the required investment level of overall resources in women and girls.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING

Definition Gender is a dimension that has to be incorporated in all policies, and development planning and processes, since it helps to understand better the attitude, needs and roles of women and men in society, on the basis of social, economic, political and cultural factors. Thus, gender has to be considered as part of the general analysis of an activity, policy, program, event or process. It should be mainstreamed and should not be considered as a separate issue.

Example In Honduras, the project mechanisms to ensure benefits to women will be: a) women will participate at the level of 50 percent in committees at the community and municipality levels in food distribution, results monitoring and assessments of projects that will be carried out under a food-for-development scheme; b) a simple monitoring tool will be distributed to the Field Units to monitor food distribution among household members, and access to, and control over food and other resources; c) the training package delivered by UNFPA, UNICEF, PAHO and on health and nutrition, project implementation and community building will include gender as a cross-cutting issue; d) the Management Units will receive advice from the leading "Women's Office" on how to meet the Commitments to Women made at the Beijing Conference in 1995; e) the terms of reference of project personnel will include gender sensitivity, especially for Management Unit staff; h) the project will organize a gender workshop every year with the participation of implementing agencies (NGOs, municipal councils and the health sector) to access how gender issues are being included in project implementation; and g) data collection and indicators will be desegregated by gender.

GENDER NEEDS

Definition Since women and men play different roles, have differential access to and control over resources and face different types of constraints, they usually have different needs and priorities. When planing development interventions, it is often assumed that household members have the same needs. In these cases, women's needs are often not expressed Practical gender needs (PGN): Need related to the women; men and children play in society. Activities which address the practical needs of women include a) reducing their workload; b) increasing their incomes, among others. (OXFAM; 1995 41). PGN do not address the subordinate position of women in society; therefore, they are not directly linked with women's empowerment. Strategic gender needs (SGN): A need that questions the traditional roles that women and men play in society. SGN is a response to inequalities in decision-making positions and long-term benefits (Moser, C.; 1989 36 ). Addressing the strategic needs of both women and men requires long-term planning, and requires work with both to bring about changes in gender relations. Activities which address strategic gender needs include: a) achieving equality of legal rights such as land tenure; b) improving access to productive resources; c) enhancing participation in decision-making; d) acquiring equal opportunities in employment; e) taking up positions of power; and f) gaining the right to participate in decisions about development interventions.

Example Some 70 percent of full-time farmers in Malawi are women and one third of rural households are headed by women; yet women have less access than men to agricultural extension, credit, technology or inputs. As a result, they comprise a large portion of the rural poor and are less able than other farmers to cope with the consequences of drought. The needs of such women, especially those of rural households headed by women, should be addressed in both an emergency free distributions of maize and food-for-work, development projects. If is going to introduce a gender-sensitive, community-based policy concerning food distribution, it will be necessary to avoid a static perspective on what constitutes the differential needs of men and women. It must also consider the different requirement of women and men at different stages of the life cycle. In this respect, the elderly children and adolescents are also part of a gender-sensitive approach that acknowledges the differential needs of a population. In Guatemala the participation of women as full members in the sectoral committees is effective. The needs of to the extent that the existing assistance fits their needs.

GENDER PERSPECTIVE

Definition A focus which introduces a framework of analysis to be used in order to be used in order to assess how women and men affect and are affected by policies, programs, projects and activities in any development or relief interventions.

Example The determinants to define the level at which refugees in eastern Zaire achieve food security will be more relevant and systematic if refugee women and men are studied in different group, taking into account the specificity of each group. Access to resources, mobility, political conditions, security, availability of non-food items, level of vulnerability, etc. are experienced and perceived and perceived differently by refugees according to their sex, age, wealth and social status.

GENDER-RELATED DEVELOPMENT INDEX (GDI)

Definition The GDI is based on the Human Development Index (HDI) 5 adjusted for gender inequality. The GDI adjusts the average achievement of each country in life expectancy, educational attainment and income, in accordance with the degree of disparity in achievement between women and men. The greater the gender disparity in basic human development, the lower a country's GDI

GENDER RELATIONS

Definition Analysis of women and men's positions in relationship to each other. (IPS; 1996 30). As a result of unequal gender relations, women's practical needs for the basics of life, including water, food and shelter may be met but not their strategic needs. Women often are unable to later outcomes according to their own wishes due to unequal power relations based on gender.

Example In most regions of the world today woman are represented in a wide range of professions and occupations, but they continue to be stereotyped as dependent upon a male breadwinner within a family unit. This reflects a crystallization of traditional gender relations. As a result, women have limited opportunities to become decision-maker, whether in the family, in their communities, or at the national political level. is attempting to rectify this situation by providing opportunities for women in decision-making roles, e.g., in food management and distribution.

GENDER ROLE

Definition Socially determined behaviors, tasks and responsibilities for women and men based on socially perceived differences that define how women and men should act. Gender roles change over time, through individual choices or with social or political changes such as economic crises, natural disasters and consequent emergencies, and post-war situations in which the decision-making power and responsibilities of women and men may vary

Example While the responsibility of African women in preserving the family has always proven to be critical, in situations of exile the role of women becomes even more difficult. For example, many women and girls after the Rwandese tragedy have found themselves forced to assume the lone role of family breadwinner. Refugee women's survival strategies in eastern Zaire in ensuring the economic well-being of the household has led to increasing responsibility on their part and changed roles within the family. During post-war situations women often become the sole providers of food for children, the sick and the elderly, as men are absent. At the same time, they often lack the necessary resources and sometimes also the experience to make decisions for the entire household. They may also be expected to revert to their former traditional roles despite their new skills. Consequently, the physical and psychological stress on these women is enormous.

GENDER-SENSITIVITY

Definition Understanding and consideration of socio-cultural factors underlying sex-based discrimination. The term also applies to attitudes that socialize girls and boys into certain behaviors or opportunities, for example, pushing boys to play sports or not expecting girls to do well at sports. (IPS, 1996 30). Gender-sensitive planing uses specific methods and tools to provide women and girls more opportunities for their participation in the development process and to measure the impact of planned activities on women and men.

Example Bolivia has prepared an Action Plan to promote and monitor the role of women in activities from 1997 to 2001.Work plans must include: a) design of a system for gender involvement by trimester; b) definition of indicators to monitor follow-up actions; c) creation of a gender analysis matrix to analyze activities undertaken; and d) revision of M&E forms to provide gender data and information on credit, training, food distribution and planning. Furthermore, the major part of the technical and administrative personnel will be women. Following up on the Commitments to women made in Beijing in 1995, memoranda of understanding (MOU) on joint and individual responsibilities were signed with seven international partners in 1996. The MOUs define the following implementation and monitoring requirements: the application of a participatory mode of planning that considers the specific needs and potential of refugee and displaced women; the provision of appropriate and adequate food for women and children at risk; and measures taken to ensure that women hold key positions in the management of food aid. A gender-sensitive program addresses the differential losses of both women and men, and seeks to anticipate the balance of power in the interest of community survival.

GENDER TASK FORCE

Definition The Gender Task Force advises the Program on the overall strategy and monitors progress in the implementation of a Action Plan on Commitments to Women. Chaired by the Deputy Executive Director, the Gender Task Force operates at the senior management level in the field and at headquarters to ensure that progress achieved is sustained throughout the Program.

GENDER TRAINING

Definition Teaching activity aimed at developing a common understanding of gender policies and concepts, as well as skills in targeting, beneficiary participation and monitoring of gender equality.

Example In the Latin American and Caribbean region, gender policies and practices were integrated into regional planning and training workshops. All international staff and some national officers have participated. National gender training workshops with counterparts were organized in Bolivia, Guatemala, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Tanzania, and Uganda. Workshops were followed up with the preparation of gender action plans.

GRASS-ROOTS ORGANIZATION

Definition Community-based group, which is part of civil society and represents the interests of its members. The construction of legitimacy (meaning the ownership and organization) is an important issue which grass roots organization is faced.

Example In order to achieve a grass-roots level of participation in both emergency and development interventions, it is important to identify the different actors who are to participate in terms of class, gender, and ethnic representation.

MALE

Definition The term male refers to biologically based references to sex. (IPS; 199630). In line with people-centered approach, it is recommended that the term "man" be used when possible, since "male" has a biological connotation.

MAN

Definition Refers to socially or culturally based references to adult males. The term male should be used when referring to biologically based references to sex.

MATERNITY

Definition The quality or state of being a mother. Refers to tasks, responsibilities and activities that a woman performs to give birth and/or bring up children. Women make a significant contribution to welfare of the family and to the development of society which is not always recognized. The social importance of maternity and the role of parents in the family and in the upbringing of children should be acknowledged. These activities require shared responsibilities of parents and society as a whole. Maternity, motherhood and the role of women in procreation must not be a basis for discrimination nor restrict the participation of women in society. It is important to recognize the important role played by women in caring for the family members. Expectant woman-mother It is recommended to use expectant mother rather than "pregnant woman''. Expectant mother implies not only the fact of delivering a child, but also a human condition related to motherhood. Nursing mother, A women who breastfeeds her children. It is recommended to use the term "nursing'' mother rather than "lactating'' women. "Nursing mother'' not only describes the fact of providing milk to children, but also covers aspects related to human care.

Example In designing a food intervention, a hierarchy among individual objectives needs to be established to reflect the relative importance of the causes of nutrition and health problems faced by expectant and nursing mothers and infants in the specific situation. will provide assistance to those women and children whose nutritional vulnerability is directly linked to a lack of sufficient and appropriate food intake. Priority will be given to malnourished children and undernourished expectant and nursing mothers. Food delivery performance, child growth and birth weight are the key indicators for the monitoring process.

MATRILINEAL

Definition Societies or groups organized on the basis of female descent in which the identity, family name or inheritance is determined through the mother's line.

OWNERSHIP

Definition The right to have control over a resource. It is important to note the differences between having control over and having access to resources. To have decision-making power over it, which normally derives from ownership of it. To have access to a resource is to have the possibility of making use of it, but not necessarily of having any control over it. To own, to have access to, and to control resources are actions that are generally gender-based. For example, in some cultures, women do not have the legal right to own land or livestock. They therefore do not have decision-making power over them, even if they make of and manage them on a daily basis.

Example At the initial stage of a project in Bolivia, women conducted most of the work; notably, the care and milking of the animals, which were purchased with project credit, and delivery of milk to processing plants. However, full membership in the producers' associations and benefits from market proceeds were often denied to them, on the grounds that their husbands represented them sufficiently. After discussion, the project-operating manual was changed to ensure the legal registration of the women and their businesses in their names. This measure, together with the provision of credit and technical assistance to women, ensures that they have control over dairy production and distribution, and the sale of milk.

PARTICIPATION

Definition To take part in an activity, endeavor, or objective; to engage or have a share in something in common with others. In a development lexicon, participation refers to individuals, groups' communities and institutions taking part in the decision-making process related to the development effort. Participation must include persons or groups marginalized or discriminated from decision-making positions. It is often necessary to develop specific strategies and tools to promote the participation of marginalized or discriminated groups such as women or ethnic minorities. Participation leads to empowerment. recognizes the following level of people's participation in projects: a) as food recipients; b) as workers; c) as consulted members; d) as planners; and e) as decision-makers. also recognizes that community participation is a promising and dynamic approach that is sustainable, needs oriented and crucial to equitable rehabilitation and development. The concern is for women to be able to participate fully at all level of action and decision-making.

Example The participation of women and men in food aid operations is an essential component in disaster situations, as it empowers the community to control the information and resources to which they are entitled. Community participation is critical to promote self-reliance and long-term sustainability of projects. In Malawi, Mozambique, Angola and Zaire to empower women and men, to improve their assets, skills and capabilities, and to deal with their vulnerable and food-insecure situation, it is imperative that they participate in the identification of their needs, and the planning and implementation of programs to facilitate the recovery and reconstruction of their communities.