Gender Analysis
Annex 5: Selected terms
Adapted from The Full Picture Te Tirohanga Whānui Guidelines for Gender Analysis, New Zealand Ministry of Women’s Affairs, 1996.
- Gender
- The social attributes, opportunities and roles associated with being female and male and the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, as well as the relations amongst women and amongst men. These attributes, opportunities and roles are socially constructed, context and time specific, and changeable. Gender determines what is expected, allowed and valued in a woman, man, boy or girl in a given context society or culture at a specific time and place. Gender is an overarching variable that cuts across all other factors including race, class, ethnicity, age and disability.
- Sex
- The physiological, biological and hormonal characteristics that define and differentiate humans as either female or male. These markers or traits by and large are determined at birth, universal and unchanging.
- Gender relations
- The economic, social and power relationships between males and females. Rather than seeing women and men, boys and girls in isolation, gender relations requires us to consider their power, benefits, opportunities, and rights relative to each other.
- Gender equality
- The equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men, girls and boys. Equality does not mean that women and men, or girls and boys become the same, but that their 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. Equality between women and men is a human right, a precondition for and indicator of sustainable people-centred development.
- Gender equity
- Recognises that different approaches may be needed to produce equitable outcomes by taking account of and addressing the differences between and amongst the lives of women and men, girls and boys and the diversity of different groups of women/girls and men/boys.1
- Gender mainstreaming
- A strategy to ensure that both women’s and men’s needs, priorities, and experiences are taken into account in all development planning, policies, and programming. 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 including design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.2
- Empowerment
- Individuals acquiring the power to think and act freely, exercise choice, and to fulfil their potential as full and equal members of society. While empowerment often comes from within and individuals empower themselves, cultures, societies, institutions and individuals can create conditions, which facilitate or undermine the possibilities for empowerment. The empowerment of women is an essential precondition for the elimination of poverty and hunger, the full realisation of human rights and the achievement of sustainable development.