In this article, we will go through some basic concepts that will give you a preliminary understanding of gender policies – also known as gender-aware policy, gender-responsive policy, gender-inclusive policy, or gender equality policy.

Gender and policy are two different yet interconnected facets of today’s contemporary world that have significant social, political, economic, and environmental impacts on society.

Hence, having a fundamental knowledge of their intersection is essential in building inclusive and just societies.

Through this blog post, we will explore the individual and collective meaning of the terms ‘gender’ and ‘policy’ and the importance of their relationship.

Understanding Gender

Gender is ubiquitous and is frequently used in public and private sectors across the world. Due to its frequent use, it is often misunderstood and misused.

The word ‘gender’ is often used as a synonym for the word ‘sex’ and/or it is substituted for ‘women’ (Marchbank & Letherby, 2014). These misconceptions are deeply embedded in our daily conversations.

Therefore, it is essential to draw a line that clearly identifies the meaning of ‘gender’ and its importance in our society. To do so it is important to understand the difference between sex and gender.

The Difference Between Sex and Gender

The universal distinction between sex and gender is that sex is what we are born with – it means that sex is biological.

Whereas, gender is something that is socially constructed on our biological sex, i.e. the social and cultural norms that teach us how to behave, act, wear, and speak as a boy or a girl in certain circumstances (Connell, 2009).

Read in detail All You need to know about Gender, Sex, Gender Identity, and Gender Pronouns

Defining Gender

Some of the definitions advocated by leading actors in this field are mentioned below.

First, the World Bank defines gender as “the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviors and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as their relationships with each other”.

Whereas, the United Nations describes gender as “a concept that refers to the social differences between women and men that have been learned, are changeable over time and have wide variations both within and between cultures”.

These definitions provide us with a direction through which we can identify gender. It also means that gender is socially constructed and can vary across different cultures and societies.

Different societies have distinct expectations of behavior from a man or a woman. The norms and behaviors can alter with the passage of time and hence so can the identity of gender.

It is worth mentioning here that gender in today’s world is non-binary, i.e. it is not confined to a man or a woman.

It encompasses a wide range of identities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender etc. Hence, understanding this facet of society is key to the development of a society.

Also, read 5 Steps to Develop a Gender Policy – Also Known as Gender-Responsive Policy

Understanding Policy

The term ‘policy’ is sometimes confused with ‘governance ‘and ‘procedure’. These are three important concepts in the field of social sciences that are interconnected but have distinct meanings.

Governance is a much broader concept that surpasses the spectrum of policy-making. It is the process of setting objectives, making decisions, implementing programs and allocating resources, etc.

It involves the coordination of different social actors (public and private) “… to steer the economy and society towards collective goals….” (Pierre & Peters, 2021).

The procedure, on the other hand, is a method that contains specific actions or steps that are mandatory to implement a policy.

Procedures usually provide step-by-step instructions and are more detailed than policies.

Defining Policy

Policy can be described as a set of guidelines, principles, and rules that are established to provide guidance for making a decision within a private or public organization on a specific issue.

Policies give us frameworks that guide society to function in various spheres of society. Policies that address public issues are known as public policies. Public policies are ubiquitous and we are being regulated by these policies in nearly every facet of our daily lives.

A public policy can be broadly defined as “… a course of action (or non-action) taken by a government or legislature with regard to a particular issue” (Knill & Tosun, 2012).

This definition clearly states that governments or public actors react to tackle a certain problem. On the contrary, if no action is taken on an issue that would also be considered as a policy action.

The Intersection Between Gender and Policy

To understand the intersection between gender and policy we must understand gender mainstreaming. It is an important concept that plays a vital role in developing policies from a gender perspective.

Gender Mainstreaming is a strategy that considers different gender perspectives in the planning, preparation, design, and implementation of policies and programs. It promotes gender equality and reduces discrimination.

Every individual in a society should have an equal right to participate and benefit equally from development efforts without any discrimination.

Integrating gender mainstreaming ensures the adoption of gender-responsive policies. These policies intend to address the necessities of individual identities living in a society in such a way that promotes equity, justice and inclusivity.

The aim of adopting a gender-aware policy is to address disparities and provide a foundation that ensures equal rights for all. By providing an impartial platform to all the members of society in every aspect of their lives.

The Need for Gender-Aware Policy

As we study history and delve into the rich literature related to gender we explore that women around the world have suffered, struggled, and fought for their basic rights.

Such as they have fought for their right to get education, the right to get a job or a promotion, the right to cast a vote, the right to participate in sports, the right to own property, equal employment opportunities, and this list can go on… (Connell, 2009; Marchbank & Letherby, 2014).

Women who fought for their rights were able to open doors for their successors. But these changes were at times limited to a certain area or a region.

Benefitting the masses meant that governments at national and regional levels should consider analyzing societal issues with a gender lens in all facets of lives.

Therefore, they should focus on making and adopting policies that include all groups of gender identities in a society. These gender-aware policies must be developed through the lens of equity or equality as required.

Types of Gender Policies

In the context of gender, experts have classified two major types of policies.

1. Gender-Blind Policies

Policies that focus on a one-shoe-fit-all strategy by not recognizing the differences between sexes are known as gender-blind policies.

The United Nations has stated that there are policies “…. that do not center gender concerns or distinguish between genders…” (UNICEF, 2017).

Policy-makers develop policies through assumptions that promotes gender inequalities. These policies do not pay attention to the diverse needs of individuals living in a society.

They fail to recognize women and non-binary people. Hence, overlooking the nuances of gender leads to ignorance and unfulfilled needs.

2. Gender-Aware Policies

Policies that recognize women and non-binary people as an agent of development; and that they have different needs and priorities.

These needs and priorities may contradict with the needs and priorities of men. Developing such policies are known as gender-aware policies or gender-responsiveness policies.

These policies pay “… attention to the unique needs of [individuals], valuing their perspectives, respecting their experiences, understanding developmental differences between girls and boys, women and men and ultimately empowering them…” (UNICEF, 2017).

Gender-aware or gender-inclusive or gender policies are not just a matter of equality but they are essential for the overall development of just and inclusive societies.

Understanding the diversity of gender beyond the binary is fundamental to crafting policies that are truly inclusive and sensitive to the diverse experiences of individuals.

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Concluding Remarks

The discrimination faced by a group of individuals in a society can lead to basic human rights violations. This can further lead to oppression and violence.

Changes at different tiers in a society are pivotal. Such as behavioral changes toward attitudes and relationships, changes in economic institutions, changes in developing and adopting gender-inclusive legal frameworks, and changes in gender-aware political decision-making.

The gender-inclusive policy considers the needs of groups such as women and men as well as subgroups such as minorities, disabled, elderly or youth. Recognizing the needs of such groups is possible by involving them in the policy formulation process.

Representation of different genders in the process of developing and making policies promotes gender perspective and leads to a group of gender balanced policy-makers.

Policy-makers in this process should have the right knowledge and skills to address the needs and priorities of binary and non-binary people. Otherwise, policies will end up promoting inequalities and discrimination.

FAQ

What are two major types of policies?

The two major types are gender-blind policy and gender-aware policy.

Gender-blind policies don’t consider the different needs of women and men.

Whereas, gender-aware policy recognize the separate needs of men and women and are developed to address their needs.

What is the relationship between gender and policy?

Gender, which is often viewed through the binary lens of men and women, is a complex spectrum that represents the individual identities living in societies.

Public policy refers to the rules and regulations that guide the functioning of such societies. Gender and policy are inseparable facets of a just and equitable society.

References

Budryte, D. (2014). Political Empowerment. In Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research (pp. 4876–4879). doi:doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2196

Connell, R. (2009). Gender: In World Perspective. Polity Press.

Knill, C., & Tosun, J. (2012). Public Policy: A New Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan.

Marchbank, J., & Letherby, G. (2014). Introduction to Gender: Social Science Perspectives. Routledge.

Parejo, V. H., & Radulović, B. (2023). Public Policies on Gender Equality. In Gender-Competent Legal Education (pp. 406-425). Springer.

Pierre, J., & Peters, G. (2021). Advanced Introduction to Governance. Edward Elgar Publishing.

UNICEF. (2017). GENDER EQUALITY: GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from ©United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

United Nations. (1995). Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women 1995. New York: United Nations.

United Nations. (1997). COORDINATION OF THE POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIALIZED AGENCIES AND OTHER BODIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM. CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/followup/main.html

United Nations. (2002). Gender Mainstreaming: An Overview. New York. Retrieved August 12, 2023, from http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/pdf/e65237.pdf