Gender

Gender refers to the socially constructed roles and behaviours of, and relations between, men and women, as opposed to ‘sex’, which refers to biological differences. It determines what is expected, allowed and valued in a woman or a man in a given context. It determines opportunities, responsibilities and resources as powers associated with being male or female.

Gender also defines relationships between women and men, boys and girls as well as relationships between women and those between men. Gender roles and relationships are socially constructed and are learned through socialisation processes. They vary according to context and are constantly shifting. It is important to note that Gender does not mean “women”, however, given that ‘women are often in a disadvantaged position in many developing and developed countries, the promotion of gender equality implies an explicit attention to women’s empowerment.

Gender Equality refers to the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.

Gender equality implies that the interests, needs and priorities of both women and men are taken into consideration—recognising the diversity of different groups of women and men. Gender equality is not a ‘women’s issue’ but should concern and fully engage men as well as women. Equality between women and men is seen both as a human rights issue and as a precondition for, and indicator of, sustainable people-centred development.

Gender Mainstreaming is the process of assessing the implication for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It is 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 in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality.

Gender-transformative refers to transforming unequal gender relations to promote shared power, control of resources and decision-making between women and men, and support for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Gender-based violence is a form of discrimination that seriously inhibits women’s ability to enjoy rights and freedoms on a basis of equality with men…Gender based violence, which impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of human rights and fundamental freedoms under general international law or under human rights conventions, is discrimination within the meaning of Article 1 of (CEDAW). …any act of violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” “…any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and that is based on socially associated differences between males and females.

As such violence is based on socially ascribed differences. Gender-based violence includes, but it is not limited to sexual violence. While women and girls of all ages make up most of the victims, men and boys are also both direct and indirect victims. It is clear that the effects of such violence are both physical and psychological and have long term detrimental consequences for both the survivors and their communities.

Gender-blind describes research, analysis, policies, advocacy materials, project and programme design and implementation that do not explicitly recognise existing gender differences that concern both productive and reproductive roles of men and women.

Gender-blind policies do not distinguish between the sexes. Assumptions incorporate biases in favour of existing gender relations and so tend to exclude women.

Gender-neutral policies use the knowledge of gender differences in a given context to overcome biases in delivery, to ensure that they target and benefit both genders effectively in terms of their practical gender needs. Moreover, they work within the existing gender division of resources and responsibilities.

Gender Parity implies equal numbers of men and women at all levels of the organisation. It must include significant participation of both men and women, particularly at senior levels. Gender parity is one of several integrated mechanisms for improving organisational effectiveness.”

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is a 15-year global agreement adopted in 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan. It aims to reduce disaster risk and disaster-related losses in lives, livelihoods, and health by focusing on four priority areas : understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk governance, investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and recovery.

How Sendai Framework, agenda 2063 of AU and gender protocol of AU and UN work ? The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the agenda of the African Union (AU), and the gender protocols of both the AU and the UN all share the common goal of promoting sustainable development, resilience, and gender equality. They work together by :

1. Integration : Each framework recognizes the importance of integrating disaster risk reduction, sustainable development goals, and gender equality into policies, plans, and programs at national and regional levels.

2. Collaboration : They encourage collaboration among governments, international organizations, civil society, and other stakeholders to address the interconnected challenges of disaster risk, development, and gender inequality.

3. Capacity Building : They emphasize building the capacity of governments and communities to understand and manage disaster risks, promote gender-responsive policies and programs, and implement sustainable development initiatives.

4. Monitoring and Evaluation : They include mechanisms for monitoring progress, sharing best practices, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions in reducing disaster risk, advancing gender equality, and achieving sustainable development goals.

By aligning their objectives and actions, these frameworks and protocols enhance the resilience of communities, promote inclusive development, and contribute to achieving the broader objectives of sustainable development and gender equality.

Vulnerability

Vulnerability : Conditions determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors that increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards. The more vulnerable a community is to a natural hazard, the greater its disaster risk. Disastrous losses can result from natural hazards ; but whether or not a disaster occurs, and how bad the disaster is, depends on the strength of the natural hazard, and on how vulnerable people are. Disaster risk can be reduced by reducing human vulnerabilities.

Women’s Empowerment

Women’s empowerment has four components :

Women’s sense of selfworth ;

• their right to have and to determine choices ;
• their right to have access to opportunities and resources ;
• their right to have the power to control their own lives, both within and outside the home ; and
• their ability to influence the direction of social change to create a more just social and economic order, nationally and internationally.

The concept of empowerment is related to gender equality but distinct from it. The core of empowerment lies in the ability of a woman to control her own destiny. This implies that to be empowered women must not only have equal capabilities (such as education and health) and equal access to resources and opportunities (such as land and employment), they must also have the agency to use those rights, capabilities, resources and opportunities to make strategic choices and decisions (such as are provided through opportunities and participation in political institutions. And to exercise agency, women must live without the fear of coercion and violence.

Women’s Rights

The human rights of women and of the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. The full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life, at the national, regional and international levels, and the eradication of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex are priority objectives of the international community.