MOSAIC - The training kit for Euro-Mediterranean youth work

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D 6.2.3 Gender equality, multiple inequalities and discrimination
Gender is socially constructed and socially reinforced by stereotypes, attitudes and
gender roles. To the extent that gender roles indicate difference, power relationships
between the sexes become more and more unequal 33 and gender relations become
more hierarchical, to the disadvantage of women. 34 This gender inequality and power
imbalance between sexes can be seen in a range of gendered practices in every aspect
of life: the division of labour and resources; gendered ideologies such as the norms
and values of acceptable behaviour for women or men; and gendered institutions
such as the family, political and legal systems. Since historically women have been
excluded from many institutional spheres or their participation has been limited, they
often have less bargaining power to affect change. 35
There are different theories and models for understanding how men have historically
and predominantly placed themselves in social hierarchies over women. 36 Patriarchy 37
is an important concept in appreciating the extent of gender inequality. It may be
defined as the systematic societal structures that institutionalise male physical, social
and economic power over women. These structures work to the benefit of men by
constraining women’s life choices and chances. Although there are many differing
interpretations of patriarchy, the roots are often located in women’s reproductive role
and in sexual violence (acceptance of fundamental ideas about the nature and value
of women, mostly their biological roles as wife and mother 38 ), interwoven with processes
of capitalist exploitation. The main ‘sites’ of patriarchal oppression have been identified
as housework, paid work, the state, culture, sexuality and violence. Behaviours that
discriminate against women because of their gender are often seen as patriarchal
practices; for example, occupational segregation, exclusion and unequal pay.
Q: Is it common in your society that women and are paid less than men
for similar work?
Masculinities
Those behaviours, languages and practices, in specific cultural and organisational locations,
that are commonly associated with men (and thus culturally defined as not feminine) are
called masculinities. 39 This implies multiple interpretations for a man to demonstrate he
is ‘a man’. The pressure and expectation to behave in terms of dominant codes of masculinity
and ‘manhood’ remain a prevalent experience for many men, with consequences
for women, children and men in turn. 40 It varies across socio-cultural contexts and within
groups and networks, and different men with different experiences, relationships and
pressures often demonstrate their masculinity in different ways. 41
Gender inequality and gender oppression are not uniform across time and space. Nor do
they exclude other forms of social inequality, such as age, class, disability, caste, religion,
ethnicity and race. The theory of male dominance and the concept of patriarchy
contribute to identifying gender inequality in societies. But women are not a homogeneous
group constrained in identical ways, even in the same society. Gender inequalities
interact and intersect with other social inequalities, which may be prioritised
over gender concerns in certain contexts.
Themes