GS Module 1
GS Module 1
GS Module 1
CONSTRUCTION OF GENDER
Introduction
B. Objectives
Identify the differences between sex and gender.
Determine how gender roles, gender division of labor and gender socialization and its
agencies influence the culture of people in a society.
C. Pre-Test
Identify if the following statements refer to gender or sex. Write G on the space provided
for if the statement is associated with gender and S if it refers to sex.
_______ 1. Women breast-feed their babies while men bottle-feed their babies.
_______ 2. Only women give birth to babies.
_______ 3. Its attributes are masculinity and femininity.
_______ 4. It refers to being a female or a male.
_______ 5. Labor Force Participation as of 2018 is: female: 46.6% while male: 75.1%.
_______ 6. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) projected the population as of 2019 at 108.4
M. The number of male population remain slightly higher at 54.7M compared to 53.7M females.
_______7. Even if the male-female ratio of our population is almost equal, there remains a wide disparity
in terms of labor force participation.
_______8. Little girls play dolls, little boys play toy cars.
_______9. There are courses dominated by male students while other courses have a lot of female enrollees.
_____ 10. It is universal and relatively fixed at birth.
D. Key Concept
a. Sex
refers to the biologically determined differences between men and women.
used whenever reference is made to women and men as different physical categories
physical identity of a person; genetic
attributes: ♂ maleness ; ♀ femaleness
b. Gender
refers to the social differences between men and women that are learned, changeable over
time and have wide variations within and between cultures.
refers to “the economic, social, political and cultural attributes and opportunities” associated
with being male and female.
is a socio-economic variable to analyze roles, responsibilities, constraints, opportunities and
needs of men and women in any context.
since gender is a social construct, the particular socio-economic and cultural/religious context
cannot be ignored in determining women’s roles, needs, priorities and activities.
socially learned behaviors
expectations associated with the two sexes
attributes: masculinity femininity
SEX GENDER
- only women can give birth - women can do traditionally male jobs
-only men can produce sperm -men can take good care of children
c. Gender Roles
refer to what males and females can and should do in a given society
explain what females and males are responsible for in households (reproductive),
communities (community-managing and constituency-based politics) and the workplace
(productive)
1. Productive- this relates to production of goods for consumption or income through work
in or outside the house.
2. Reproductive- this relates to domestic or household tasks associated with creating and
maintaining children and family.
3. Community-Management –this relates to tasks and responsibilities carried out for the
benefit of the community.
4. Constituency-Based Politics-this relates to task involving decision-making and
organization at all political levels in behalf of the constituency’s interest.
Gender roles have 3 aspects:
POSITIONS within the social structure/hierarchy indicating:
♀♂ where women and men belong, or ♀♂ are expected to belong.
BEHAVIORS prescribed for women and men.
PROPER RELATIONSHIPS between roles.
These aspects of Gender Roles determine to a large extent the SOCIAL RELATIONS
between women and men which is also known as GENDER RELATIONS.
But to understand gender relations other factors have to be considered like class, race, ethnicity,
religion.
Gender roles are highly resistant to change. Why? Due to continuous exposure and reinforcement of
gender differentiation. A majority of behavioral scientists agreed that gender roles are not inborn, they are
learned.
Gender Roles
Male Female
Productive Role Reproductive Role
Community Role
Family School
Religion Media
f. Gender Relations
The aspects of Gender Roles determine to a large extent the SOCIAL RELATIONS between
women and men which is also known as GENDER RELATIONS.
But to understand gender relations other factors have to be considered like class, race,
ethnicity, religion.
Relations of cooperation, connection, and mutual support, and of conflict, separation, and
competition, of difference and inequality.
Concerned with how power is distributed between the sexes resulting to systemic differences
in men’s and women’s positions and define the way in which responsibilities and claims are
allocated and the way in which each is given a value.
According to time and place, and between different groups of people, and other social
relations based on class, race, ethnicity, disability and others.
What is access to and control over resources?
Access- this relates to the ability to use resources
Control -this relates to the ability to determine the outcome (define and make decisions about the
use) of the resources
Power and Unequal Gender Power
“ability to get someone to do what you want”
A fundamental component of gender relations.
Such relation is predominantly characterized by power imbalance.
References
Reflection
How can knowing the basic concepts of gender enable you to understand
yourself and other people?
Post – Test
Identify if the following statements refer to gender or sex. Write G on the space provided for if the
statement is associated with gender and S if it refers to sex.
_______1. Women breast-feed their babies while men bottle-feed their babies.
_______2. Only women give birth to babies.
_______3. Its attributes are masculinity and femininity.
_______4. It refers to being a female or a male.
_______5. Labor Force Participation as of 2018 is: female: 46.6% while male: 75.1%.
_______6. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) projected the population as of 2019 at 108.4 M. The
number of male population remain slightly higher at 54.7M compared to 53.7M females.
_______7. Even if the male-female ratio of our population is almost equal, there remains a wide disparity
in terms of labor force participation.
_______ 8. Little girls play dolls, little boys play toy cars.
_______ 9. There are courses dominated by male students while other courses have a lot of female enrollees.
_______10. It is universal and relatively fixed at birth.