Definition

The term gender is used in contrast to the term sex; the latter refers to the biological differences between men and women. Gender can be defined as a social construct of views, images and assumptions about masculinity and femininity with the corresponding norms for behaviour of men and women. These norms are not fixed, but are related to the time and the prevailing culture. What is considered masculine behaviour or a masculine trait at one time or in one culture may be considered feminine in a different cultural context.

Gender and power

Gender is an important structuring principle for social relationships and so it is also a way of dividing power. Gender lies at the basis of important power differences in society.

Gender mainstreaming

Organising, improving, developing and evaluating policy processes so that the perspective of gender equality is integrated into all policies by the people who formulate them. This is called gender mainstreaming.

Sources

http://www.emancipatieweb.nl/gm, www.un.org/womenwatch, Council of Europe, 'Gender mainstreaming: conceptual framework, methodology and presentation of good practices'. Strasbourg, EG-S-MS (98) 2, May 1998.

More respect thanks to sport

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At three o'clock in the afternoon the school bell rings in the Mwamgunga Primary School in Kenya's Kwale District. A few minutes later, 15-year-old Zainabu Kazungu Nyamvula collects her girlfriends for their daily football training. One year ago Zainabu joined her school's football team, which was set up with the help of Unicef. Now she is the captain. She obviously commands respect on the bare field; she is a role model for the other girls at school. "My parents thought that football was really a boys' game", she says. "But my teacher explained to them that I would learn a lot from it." He was right, says Zainabu."