Gender and Gender Based
Violence
Institute of Development Studies
Jaipur
Gender based Violence
• Issue of VAW gained increasing centrality in
1975-95 globally, nationally and regionally.
• UN Decade for Women; WID initiatives; GAD
efforts - successful in identifying problems
critical to women's participation that were not
previously understood as development and
human rights issues.
• One such area is violence against women.
1970’s
• The work of Esther Boserup, Women’s Role in
Economic Development (1970), provided
intellectual underpinning for WID arguments
which had lasting impact on the women and
development discourse.
Esther Boserup
• Challenged the assumptions of the ‘welfare
approach’
• Highlighted the important role women played in
agriculture economy of Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Also challenged the conventional wisdom that
women were less productive and not entitled to
a share of scarce development resources
Gender and Development
• The UN Millennium Declaration (2000) makes
an explicit commitment to Gender Equality as an
end in itself
• “ No individual and no nation must be denied the
opportunity to benefit from development. The
equal rights and opportunities of women and
men must be assured”.
GaD contd…
• Gender Inequality more pervasive than other
forms of inequality .
• A feature of social relations in most societiesdifferent forms in different cultures.
• Can be seen in – distribution of roles and
responsibilities, access to resources, power and
decision making
Sex and Gender
• SEX- biological state of being male or female,
born with, cannot be changed
• GENDER-Socially constructed, not born with,
can be changed
Gender
• Is not another word for women
• Does not focus on women alone
• Does not denote sexual difference
Concept of Gender and Gender Relations
• Gender -- rules, norms, customs and
practices by which biological differences
between males and females are translated
into socially constructed differences
between men and women and boys and
girl
• Results in the two genders being valued
differently and in their having unequal
opportunities and life chances.
Concept of Gender contd…
• Gender Relations- an aspect of broader social
relations, shaped and sanctioned by norms and
values.
• Central to these are culturally specific notions of
masculinity and femininity.
• Do not operate in social vacuum
• Four key institutions: family/community/market
and state
UNDERSTANDING
GENDER
•
Gender refers to the
socially
constructed roles
and responsibilities
of boys and girls,
women and men
•
Gender roles are
learned from
families and
communities
• Differ by culture
and religion and
periods of history
Gender Equality
• Gender Equality: equality of treatment under law
and equality of opportunity
• A necessary condition for human development
Factors contributing to existing gender
inequalities in Rajasthan
• Several interrelated factors
– Patriarchal values, ideologies and practices
• Expected to fit the image of a ‘good’ woman
• Gender discriminatory practices-low value at
birth/pre-birth
Contd…
• Seen in reproductive role i.e. homemakers and
child bearers; men as providers.
• Poor access to resources as education, health
and nutrition
• Rights severely curtailed, authority and decisionmaking remains largely with men
Sex Ratio
Sex Ratio
Urban
Rural
Juvenile sex ratio
Urban
Rural
(Source: Census 2001)
922
890
932
909
886
914
Juvenile Sex Ratio
• Declined in 21 out of 32 districts from 916 in
1991 to 909 in 2001, total decline of 7 decimals
• Worse in western and northern regions
compared to southern and south-eastern
regions.
• 13 districts lower than 900
Article 2 UN Declaration
• "Violence against women shall be understood
to encompass, but not be limited to, the
following: Physical, sexual and psychological
violence occurring in the family, including
battering, sexual abuse of female children in
the household, dowry-related violence, marital
rape, female genital mutilation and other
traditional practices harmful to women, nonspousal violence and violence related to
exploitation.
Gender Based Violence
• Physical, sexual and psychological violence
occurring within the general community, including
rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and
intimidation at work, in educational institutions
and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced
prostitution.
• Physical, sexual and psychological violence
perpetrated or condoned by the state, wherever it
occurs"
Institutional Mechanisms to address gender
inequalities
•
•
•
•
State Commission for Women
Mahila Thanas
Vishakha Judgment
State Policy for Women