Institute of Development Studies Jaipur

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Gender and Gender Based Violence

• Institute of Development Studies Jaipur

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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.

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1970s

• The work of Esther Boserup, Womens Role in
  Economic Development (1970), provided
  intellectual underpinning for WID arguments which
  had lasting impact on the women and development
  discourse.

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• 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

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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.

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GaD contd

• Gender Inequality more pervasive than other forms
  of inequality .
• A feature of social relations in most societies-
  different forms in different cultures.
• Can be seen in distribution of roles and
  responsibilities, access to resources, power and
  decision making

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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

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Gender

• Is not another word for women
• Does not focus on women alone
• Does not denote sexual difference

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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.

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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

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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

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Gender Equality

• Gender Equality equality of treatment under law
  and equality of opportunity
• A necessary condition for human development

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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

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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
  decision-making remains largely with men

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Sex Ratio

• Sex Ratio 922
• Urban 890
• Rural 932
• Juvenile sex ratio 909
• Urban 886
• Rural 914
• (Source Census 2001)

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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

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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, non-spousal violence
  and violence related to exploitation.

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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"

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Institutional Mechanisms to address gender
inequalities

• State Commission for Women
• Mahila Thanas
• Vishakha Judgment
• State Policy for Women