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Advocacy for Gender Equality
Module II
Module II: Advocacy for Gender Equality
Objective:
To obtain the commitment of government officials
and employers’ and workers’ organizations to engage
in identifying gender equality deficits; and to ensure
gender balance in participation and representation in
the development of Poverty Reduction Strategies.
1. What do we mean by ‘gender’
Gender is a concept that refers to the social construction of differences and
commonalities, equalities and inequalities, and power relationships between women and
men.
It can also refer to factors which encourage women and men to develop and conform to
expectations about their roles and responsibilities.
In the world of work, gender has been an influential concept in understanding the role
that societies play in shaping the division of labour between men and women and in
regulating, valuing and assigning the work undertaken by them. Analysis over time and
across societies and cultures tends to show that women are more likely than men to be
negatively affected by this gender division.
Gender inequality is likely to be linked to other forms of inequality, both between
different groups in a society (such as those based on race, class and ethnicity) as well as
those internal to households (such as age, marital status, sexual orientation and physical
ability).
2. Why is gender equality crucial
for poverty reduction
Women have entered the labour market in great numbers in recent years and today
comprise 41 per cent of the paid labour force worldwide 6 . Regionally, their contribution
(using data for the age range 20-54 years) is also significant: 58% in Africa, 64% in Asia,
6
United Nations. The Worlds’ Women 2000. Trends and statistics. New York: United Nations, 2000.
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