Pm - Gender And Leadership

Facilitator’s Notes Day 6: Development Modules

Session 28 Gender Issues and Leadership PURPOSE OF THE MODULE The purpose of the module is to: • Provide participants with an understanding of basic concepts on gender, gender roles, gender equity and equality • Challenge participants preconceived notions of gender and gender roles • Give participants an understanding of why gender equality is everyone’s business • Provide participants with an understanding of gender responsiveness as part of transformed leadership and challenge them to think about what they can do in their capacities to promote gender equality PROCESS •

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This thematic module is divided into four sessions: 9 Understanding key concepts on gender and sex 9 Understanding each of our gendered roles and their implications 9 Understanding key concepts related to gender and development 9 An overview of why gender equality is important in performing leadership roles There are two group exercises (exercise one focuses on sessions 1 and 2; exercise two focuses on sessions 3 and 4) which will be conducted by dividing the participants into small groups, discussing the questions and presenting in plenary. References are made to the slides in each section. Many of the slides have diagrammatic representations, which are referenced to each part of the text. Reading through the text and understanding concepts will make

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it easier to explain each slide through the different sessions. TIME SCHEDULE The overall time of the course is two hours, which can be divided in the following way: • Session One: Differentiating between sex and gender. (5 mins) • Session Two: Defining gender roles (5 mins) • Group Exercise One (20 mins: 10 mins for group discussions and 10 mins to discuss in plenary) • Session Three: Gender in Development (30 mins) • Session Four: Gender in Leadership (30 mins) • Group Exercise Two: (20 mins: 10 mins for group discussions and 10 mins for discussion in plenary) • Conclusion and roles: (10 mins) MATERIALS REQUIRED • •

LCD Projector Flip charts and marker pens

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Facilitator’s Notes Day 6: Development Modules

MODULE CONTENT: I. Differentiating between sex and gender: Often, we use the words sex and gender interchangeably, without really understanding the context, meaning or connotations of these terms. (Slide 1 is used to demonstrate the difference between these two key concepts) o

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Sex is a biological description used to categorize individuals based on their sexual and reproductive functions. The term male and female describe the sex of a person. Gender is used to describe the different values, rules and norms prescribed by societies for men and women. It also describes the relationships and structures of society that result from, create and reinforce gender norms. The term masculine and feminine describe the gender of a person.

Based on this understanding of the two terms, while ones sex remains the same over time and across cultures; ones gender (determined by ones sex) changes. In sociological terms, gender roles are characteristics and behaviours attributed by virtue of ones sex by different cultures. Hence gender is defined differently in different cultures and at different periods of time. II. Defining gender roles: •

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Norms are the collectively accepted and approved ways of being (a woman/man) and doing (performing a role as a woman/man), i.e. what is considered normal by a given group or society. This is done through a process of socialization. Gender socialization is the process by which we learn and teach others to abide by social norms and rules about being a woman or a man.

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Conscientisation involves awareness and understanding of the difference between sex roles and gender roles and that gender roles are socially created and therefore can be changed to promote equality.

Slide 2 illustrates how understanding gender roles are difficult because of the sheer complexity of relationships and layers which determine the roles we play: ™ At an individual level: through our attitudes, behaviours and beliefs ™ At the level of relationships: through family, friends and colleagues ™ At the community level: through workplace, school, religion, local customs and media ™ At the societal level: through policies and laws, national culture and language and societal norms SLIDE 3 GROUP EXERCISE 1. The purpose of the first group exercise is to get participants to think about their perceptions and attitudes towards gender stereotypes and how these can be challenged. ¾ Gender roles and stereotypes are different in every society. Discuss some gender stereotypes; how they are similar for your group, and how some are different. Think about some gender roles which have changed and what are some factors that help change these roles. (picture/diagram) ¾ If our gender roles are determined at the four different levels (individual, relationships, community and societal) then how do you think changes at these levels can lead to changes in the make up of our gender roles? Provide examples of how changes at any of these levels have led to changes in the gender roles in your own society.

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III. Gender and Development: (Slide 4 captures the following key concepts around gender and development) Gender equality is women and men having equal rights, access, freedoms and opportunities. Gender equity recognizes the differences between women and men and essentially means fair treatment for both sexes. Equity in this way can be the means to the end of achieving equality. The Women in Development (WID) approach is used in designing, planning, implementing and evaluating women-only focused programmes. It tends to address the symptoms rather than the causes of gender inequality and does not question the power dynamics of gender inequality. The Gender and Development (GAD) approach recognizes that women, poor men and other disadvantaged groups are vulnerable to social structures that impact them negatively. The GAD approach seeks to redress gender inequality by creating an equitable and sustainable environment for development in which both women and men can participate. This approach sees gender as a cross-cutting issue which has relevance for and influences all economic, social and political processes. (Slide 5) Inspite of moving away from the notion of WID, to GAD, the word gender still conjures the image of a ‘women’s issue’. What is important is to realize that gender is not about one segment of society; it is about the relational aspect of being a woman and a man. It is more about power, about relations, about access and about control. Hence one challenge has been to involve men in the process of working on gender issues. Why is gender a cross-cutting issue? Gender inequality hurts society as a whole, not just individuals. Countries with high levels of

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gender inequality tend to have more poverty, slower economic growth, less inclusive governance and a lower standard of life than countries where women and men enjoy similar levels of access, freedom and opportunity. Gender inequality restricts the potential of women to contribute to economic, social and political processes. If you invest more in equality, you invest in more sustainable, equitable and holistic human development. (Slide 6 indicates the centrality of gender to all other issues) Slides 7, 8 and 9 illustrate how gender roles have larger implications. (Slide 10) UNDP follows the 1997 definition of Gender Mainstreaming by the ECOSOC: “the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, […] making women’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” IV. Gender Responsiveness in Leadership Roles It is important to consider that our individual commitments and actions are translated into reality by an institutional behavioural change, which will provide a conducive framework of moving towards an equitable and fair system. (Slide 11- principles for vision and commitment gets translated into institutional change) There is a need to change the predominant style of leadership in order to address the major challenges that face us. Globalization and other economic advances may have created new opportunities, but it has also increased inequalities of all sorts. We need a kind of leadership, which will work on reducing these inequities and create a space to negotiate for the interests of all, in particular

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the disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalized. A transformative leader is someone who can guide, direct and influence others to bring about a fundamental change, in both the external as well as internal processes. Transformed leadership is not just about an individual but about transformed institutions with changed structures and systems. ™ A leader can provide a vision, develop a community for that vision and facilitate the implementation of the vision ™ A community then agrees on the objectives, supports leaders in realizing the objectives and demands accountability from the leaders (Slide 12) Some key arguments to address gender issues in decision-making processes: ™ Numbers do matter: If half the population of any given society is being affected by a decision, it is only fair that there is representation from that share of the population. Women and men having undergone different socialization processes, often have different needs and perspectives to decisions being made. It is essential that these are reflected when problems are being analyzed and when solutions are being developed. ™ Gender on the agenda: It is often argued that all women do not and will not work for the welfare of other women or adequately address gender issues when in positions to make decisions. This is absolutely true and in the same right, it is also important to remember that not all men are gender insensitive. Hence the idea is to not just transform individuals but institutions. Since decision-making is about the relationships of those making decisions and those being affected, it is important to work on an agreed agenda, which then incorporates gender issues.

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(Slide 13 ) GROUP EXERCISE 2: • The purpose of this exercise is to challenge participants to think about what they can do to promote gender equality, what challenges they expect to face, and what the possibilities are for coalition building and cross-sector cooperation. • Participants should think of an example/s when they may have looked at a gender issue or gender dimensions of a problem/situation while making a decision. Participants will discuss in working groups and report their findings/conclusions in plenary for further discussion. During the plenary discussion, show Slide 14- Gender Analysis as a simple tool. (Slide 15) Role that the various sectors/actors can play in addressing gender inequalities: •

Individual and Organizational level: An organization’s culture is determined by the cultures and attitudes of individuals who are part of it and the policies it has in place for organizational effectiveness. The gender equality perspective is important to achieve organizational goals as well as necessary for effective working of an internal organisation.

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Media: The media plays an important role in shaping people’s attitudes, both men and women. The media portrayals of women in most countries do not provide a balanced picture of their diverse lives and contributions to society in a changing world. Visual and print media often limit and reinforce gender roles.

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CSOs/NGOs- working together on a common agenda: Civil society and nongovernmental organizations have a space in most societies to create an activism regarding an issue. There is a need for organizations working on gender issues to

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be able to create their own agenda, and to successfully negotiate with and form coalitions with other organizations. •

Governments: All governments put in place certain policies and interventions. However, very often these do not engage majority of the population and as a result do not have positive implications for all sections of society.

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A common commitment to mainstreaming the promotion of gender equality is not always selfevident in everyday work. Leaders and decision-makers need to play a key role in making the promotion of gender equality a priority. What is required is collective action to work on an agreed transformed agenda.

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