APPENDIX 2Definitions of Genderand Development TermsThis country gender assessment uses several terms relevant to gender and development.Some development organizations and international financial institutions have their owndefinitions of these terms, but the Asian Development Bank (ADB) generally relies oncommonly accepted meanings. Where possible, the list below includes definitions fromADB policy documents. As meanings change over time, vary by organization, and are alsodependent on context, the definitions are illustrative and are not intended to be definitive.Domestic violence (also called “intimate partner violence”) refers to behavior in anintimate relationship that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm, including physicalaggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, and controlling behaviors. 1Empowerment describes both the process and the outcome of people—women andmen—taking control over their lives: setting their own agendas, gaining skills (or havingtheir own skills and knowledge recognized), increasing self-confidence, solving problems,and developing self-reliance. Empowerment implies an expansion in women’s ability tomake strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them. Inmost cases the empowerment of women requires transformation of the [gender] divisionof labor and of society. 2Gender refers to the sociologically and culturally based distinction between men andwomen. One’s gender is therefore most often composed of those roles and attributes thatare not purely “natural” or biologically determined, but are rather dictated by norms andtraditions. Because gender is not biologically given, the attributes of both male and femalegender can (and do) change over time and across cultures. 3Gender analysis is a key strategy of ADB’s gender mainstreaming approach that involvessystematically assessing the impact of a project on men and women, and on the economicand social relationship between them. 4Gender-based violence (GBV) was first defined by the United Nations Declaration onthe Elimination of Violence against Women as an alternative term for “violence against1 World Health Organization. 2011. Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence against Women. Fact Sheet No. 239. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/index.html2 Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies. 2009. Glossary of Gender-Related Terms. Nicosia. pp. 6–7. http://www.medinstgenderstudies.org/publications/glossary-on-gender3 United Nations Development Programme. 2007. Gender Mainstreaming in Practice: A Toolkit. 3rd ed. Bratislava. p. 125.4 ADB. 2003. Gender and Development. Manila. p. 39.85
Appendix 2women” to refer to any act that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, orpsychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, orarbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. 5 Over time, thedefinition has evolved to refer to any harm that is perpetrated against a person’s will; thathas a negative impact on the physical or psychological health, development, and identityof the person; and that is the result of gendered power inequities that exploit distinctionsbetween males and females, among males, and among females. Although not exclusiveto women and girls, GBV principally affects them across all cultures. Violence may bephysical, sexual, psychological, economic, or sociocultural. 6Gender and development (GAD) is an approach that concentrates on the unequalrelations between men and women due to “uneven playing fields.” The term “gender” asan analytical tool arose, therefore, from an increasing awareness of inequalities due toinstitutional structures. It focuses not only on women as an isolated and homogeneousgroup, but on the roles and needs of both men and women. Given that women are usuallyin [a] disadvantaged position as compared with men, promotion of gender equality impliesan explicit attention to women’s needs, interests, and perspectives. The objective, then, isthe advancement of the status of women in society, with gender equality as the ultimategoal. 7 ADB describes the GAD approach as one that sees gender as a crosscutting issuewith relevance for and influencing all economic, social, and political processes. 8Gender discrimination refers to any distinction, exclusion, or restriction made on the basisof socially constructed gender roles and norms that prevent a person from enjoying fullhuman rights. 9Gender equality is a desired result of gender equity and refers to equal opportunities andoutcomes for men and women. 10Gender equity is a process for achieving the goal or outcome of gender equality. ADBincludes gender equity as one of the five drivers of change in its long-term strategicframework, Strategy 2020. 11Gender mainstreaming. Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessingthe implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies,or programs in any area and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns andexperiences of women as well as of men an integral part of the design, implementation,monitoring, and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects in all political, economic,and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is notperpetuated. 125 United Nations General Assembly. 1993. Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. Resolution A/RES/48/104, Article 1.New York. http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/48/a48r104.htm6 Council of Europe. 2007. Gender Matters: Manual on Gender-Based Violence Affecting Young People. Budapest. p. 43. http://eycb.coe.int/gendermatters/contents.html7 European Commission, EuropeAid Cooperation Office. 2004. Toolkit on Mainstreaming Gender Equality in EC Development Cooperation,Brussels. Section 3, p. 2.8 Gender and Development, p. 28.9 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 2006. Glossary on Gender-Related Terms. Paris. p. 2.10 ADB. 2010. Country Gender Assessment: Bangladesh. Manila. p. vii.11 Ibid.12 Ibid.86
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