Quite often you can come across such expressions as "gender-based discrimination", "gender", "gender-based". In our time, when the rights of everyone and everything are protected practically all over the world, when the words "tolerance" and "non-discrimination" are heard from almost every receiver, these words especially often appear in the lexicon of politicians, well-known human rights activists, as well as just people around.
Not every person has a clear idea of what this term means and everything connected with it. Most people who hear or use it confuse it with other designations: "sex" and "sex".
What "gender" means, what "gender" is, and how "gender" and "sex" differ will be described in this article.
Gender - what is it?
To begin with, it is worth dismantling the very definition of the concept of "gender". Most people have a vague idea of what gender is and how to use it in speech, but very often many simply confuse concepts without knowing their clear definitions.
Gender is a designation for the spectrum of a certain range of characteristics that related to femininity and masculinity. That is, in fact, this is a list of characteristics that are inherent in representatives of a particular gender. That is why many people confuse this concept with gender and sexual characteristics. But it should be remembered that there are significant differences between these two concepts.
What is the difference between gender and gender?
It is worth highlighting the main differences that exist between these two concepts. Basically, their definitions are pretty similar. Both gender and sex characteristics denote the distinctive features of a representative of a particular sex. At the same time, it is worth clarifying what features we are talking about:
Gender attribute affects the characteristics of sex concerning the social definition of the individual. In the theory of social constructivism, as well as in gender studies, the concepts of "sex" and "gender" are opposed to each other. This opposition is based on the thesis that the differences between women and men are not based on biological origin, but are imposed by social structures for which these gender designations are legitimate.
Gender implies division not according to sexual characteristics, but according to such an ephemeral principle as "natural essence". That is, it is not the biological belonging to the sex that is taken as the basis, but one's own awareness of the individual. His own mental affiliation, his sense of belonging to a certain gender, is the definition of his gender.
Theory of social constructivism is a theory opposite to biological determinism, which assumes that a person belongs to a sex, the signs of which he had formed in the womb. Social constructivism calls into question this theory that gender roles, sexual division, are not given at birth, but appear over time. Speaking quite roughly, social constructivism claims that women or men are not born, but become.
Gender and its attributes are acquired by an individual not at birth, but over time. Each person has the right to decide for himself which gender he belongs to and which gender signs are closer to him. The definition of one's gender also depends on the feelings of the individual himself, as well as on social relationships.
The history of the concept
It should also be said about how this concept appeared in general. For the emergence of the definition of gender and gender characteristics, there was a number of preconditions which strongly influenced the need for the emergence of such a concept at this stage of the development of society.
- Back in 1955, the sexologist John Money was studying sexual differentiation and introduced the concept of gender to define the social role of an individual, different from his biological sex. The need for this type of research is due to the emergence of transgender and intersex people. The emergence of individuals with a certain gender identity required the need to define them in society. True, it is worth noting that in those years this term did not really take root, remaining just a scientific concept - part of the study.
- The broad development of the term was observed in the early 1970s, when the feminist movement was active. Feminism was based on a certain theory in which social constructivism played a rather serious role. Theorists of the feminist movement used the concept of "gender" to separate the sexual characteristics given by nature to man from the norms and forms of human behavior, which in society are divided into "male" and "female".
The proclamation of the separation of the concepts of "gender" and "sex" made it possible to question the biological definition of a person as "a manifestation of his destiny." It gave a big boost for the development of social and human sciences, since the introduction of such a broad concept as "gender" has expanded the horizons of the study of human self-determination and social adaptation of each individual.
The use of the term at the present stage
Nowadays, the term "gender" is often used instead of the term "gender". There is no clear distinction between situations in which one or another concept should be used. The use of one term in place of another depends on the views of the particular author.
Authors who are in no way related to feminist theorists and who are not followers of their ideas most often use "gender" as a synonym for the term "gender". If the author of a scientific article simply does not see much difference in them, he simply will not distinguish and separate them.
At the same time, feminists and followers of their movement have a clear position. The term "sex" is used by them quite rarely, and then only to condemn it. Most often they use exactly "gender" or "gender attribute", as they proclaim the freedom of self-determination of a person, regardless of his biological identification.
Sex - describes the biological differences between people, determined by the genetic features of the structure of cells, anatomical and physiological characteristics and reproductive functions. Many representatives of wildlife are subject to sexual dimorphism (sexual dimorphism - the presence of differences in anatomical and physiological characteristics in males and females).
Gender is a socio-psychological characteristic of a person, gender from a social point of view.
The question posed by many researchers working in this field is to determine the role of biological and sociocultural factors in the formation of differences in the psyche of men and women (sexual dipsychism).
The following gender characteristics of a person are distinguished - gender identity, gender role, gender stereotype.
The process of gender differentiation in humans is socially conditioned. Social differentiation begins from the moment the sex of the child is determined and the sex is fixed in the form of a name assigned to the child (male or female). From this moment begins the process of teaching the child a gender role in accordance with the cultural characteristics of this society and under the influence of certain stereotypes. Thus, to be a man or a woman means not only to be a person with a certain anatomy, but also to follow certain sociocultural expectations that society places on a person. In the words of Simone de Bouvoir, "Women are not born, women are made." The above, of course, applies to men as well.
Gender identification is a process that results in gender identity - the unity of behavior and self-awareness of an individual who identifies himself with a certain gender and is guided by the requirements of the corresponding gender role.
Gender role - a set of rights, duties, norms of behavior for men and women in a particular society at a particular historical time. The formation of a gender role is significantly influenced by gender stereotypes - standardized, simplified ideas about typical behavior patterns for men and women and character traits inherent in a particular culture. Allocate gender stereotypes relating to normative ideas about the behavioral, psychological characteristics of men and women; stereotypes related to the content of professional activity (for women - serving and performing, for men - instrumental, creative, managerial) and stereotypes related to family and professional roles of men and women.
To date, there are 3 types of psychological sex of a person or 3 types of gender roles - masculine, feminine, androgynous.
Masculinity and femininity are normative ideas about the somatic, mental, behavioral properties characteristic of men and women.
The content of the masculine role includes the characteristics of active, dominant, instrumental behavior (independence, independence, assertiveness, ability to lead, willingness to take risks, strength, aggressiveness, etc.). The main characteristics of the feminine role are dependence on others, expressive characteristics necessary for establishing close interpersonal relationships - fidelity, gentleness, tenderness, compliance, the ability to empathize, etc.
The androgynous (from Latin andros - male, gynes - female) role is characterized by a combination of the characteristics of feminine and masculine roles, as well as the flexibility of transition from one to another role, depending on the requirements of the situation.
Interestingly, even in the time of Plato, a legend was spread about androgynous people who combined the appearance of both sexes. They were strong and even harbored plans to encroach on the power of the gods. And then Zeus divided them into two halves - male and female. Since then, people have been characterized by a love attraction to each other, which, connecting the former halves, tries to make one out of the two and thereby heal human nature.
Thus, androgyny is a characteristic of a holistic personality, the integration of a female emotionally expressive style and a male instrumental style.
The moral, spiritual laws are as unshakable as the laws of nature. A stone thrown up will surely fall down. A river turned back will disrupt the ecology. Departure from moral laws, ignoring the voice of conscience will lead to a distortion of the worldview, to the pathology of a conscious perception of reality.
Gender presented as equality of human rights, the protection of women and the family, but in fact, gender ideology claims that a person is born bisexual and can choose whether he is a man or a woman. In recently published Ukrainian textbooks, students are presented with the view of “gender” scientists that there are even 5 genders (heterosexuals, homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals). Behind the theory of "gender" is the approval of marriages of homosexuals, the adoption of children by "families" of homosexuals, the promotion of homosexuality in all spheres of life, on the so-called. the right to change sex (a man must be registered as a woman if he so desires, etc.).
Pushing the idea of gender equality: according to gender theory, people in society should not differ by gender (male or female), as it has been for thousands of years, but first of all, they should differ by the social gender that they choose for themselves. Biological signs in dividing people into male or female gender should no longer be a distinguishing criterion, as this is considered "discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity". Simply put, we are talking about the loss of reason: a man is no longer a man, and a woman is no longer a woman! A citizen can demand changes in his passport and in all his documents, and now he is no longer Mr. Ivanov, but Mrs. Ivanova. Mrs. Petrov can turn into Mr. Petrov, and this will also be officially documented.
The goal of gender policy is to destroy the natural institution of the family in society, to promote and legalize homosexual perversions. This should serve as the so-called. amendments to the law and it's happening already these days!
With international money, various organizations are created and trainings are conducted, absurd ideological values are introduced in the Ministries of Family, Education and Justice instead of solving real problems.
Gender is introduced into Ukrainian laws: On September 8, 2005, in accordance with international standards, the law " On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men” No. 2866-IV. When the deputies adopted this law, the term "gender" was considered as "equal legal status of women and men and equal opportunities for its realization". But the law also has a different wording. : "If an international treaty of Ukraine establishes rules that differ from those provided for by the Law of Ukraine, then the rules of the international treaty have priority." Today, when homosexual marriages are legalized almost all over Europe with the possibility of adopting children and persecution for so-called homophobia (a negative reaction to manifestations of homosexuality), it can be argued with accuracy that the term "gender" has a completely different meaning, namely - "social gender" of a person, that is, the gender that a person chooses for himself. This is evidenced by "Resolution 1728 (2010)" PACE, published on April 29, 2010, under the title "Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity". Because of this, the law No. 2866-IV received a completely opposite meaning, which is contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine and the Family Code of Ukraine.
The terms "mother" and "dad" have already been banned by the Council of Europe: gender ideologues in the EU consider the image of a mother embracing her beloved child as a manifestation of sexism, i.e. discrimination against women. As if this focuses society's attention only on the reproductive function of women. But where are the deep maternal feelings and the relationship between mother and child? Gender ideologists are silent about this. Also unclear is the decision of the Council of Europe, according to which the Council of Europe refuses to use the words “mother” and “dad” and proposes to call simply “parents”. They believe that it is not known what identity this person has chosen and, thus, he can be offended. In addition, if such a position is already legalized, then one can be punished for insulting a person. Due to gender laws and the introduction of sex education, children from kindergarten will have a disturbed psyche and a perverted mentality.
If we study the theory of gender policy, then we will not find in its lexicon such classical categories of human relations as love, morality, respect, mutual assistance, chastity, motherhood, friendship, sympathy. There we are talking about “gender equality”, “gender stereotypes”, “linguistic sexism”, etc. ().
A person is born a man or a woman, and this is reflected not only in the external signs of sex, but also in the psyche and life purpose, which is realized in marriage by playing the role of father or mother. Differences in the psyche of the spouses should complement each other and lead to spiritual maturation, which is due to the fact that the husband and wife, while raising their child, forget about innate egoism, and they form family spiritual values: sacrifice, pure love, which is the opposite of egoism and cynicism. In such family harmony, the child can grow, becoming a mature person.
The gender ideology talks about the rights of women in Ukraine, but in fact it is a hoax - we are talking about the elimination of the rights of women and children. In addition, we are talking about interference in the human psyche, about some kind of depersonalization, when a person becomes some kind of number, and it is not known whether this is a man or a woman.
In order to prevent the adoption of these laws, tell others about it and support the initiative to oppose the introduction of homosexuality in our country at the legislative level. The introduction of gender-gay ideology is taking place with the help of international funding and lobbying at the state level already now
Before exploring various theories of inequality, let's define the very concept of "gender".
There are several concepts of gender in feminist literature. This is due to both the relative "youth" of the gender approach (the first works appeared about twenty years ago) and the complexity of the phenomenon itself. For all of them, the basic provision is the distinction between the concepts of sex (sex) and gender (gender). Gender is a term that refers to those anatomical and biological features of people (mainly in the reproductive system), on the basis of which people are defined as men or women. It should only be used in reference to characteristics and behaviors that result directly from biological differences between men and women. Gender is a complex socio-cultural construct: differences in roles, behavior, mental and emotional characteristics between male and female, created (constructed) by society.
Within the framework of this approach, gender is understood as an organized model of social relations between women and men, which not only characterizes their interpersonal communication and interaction in the family, but also determines their social relations in the main institutions of society (and is also determined - or constructed by them). Gender, therefore, is interpreted as one of the basic dimensions of the social structure of society, which, together with other socio-demographic and cultural characteristics (race, class, age), organizes the social system.
The social reproduction of gender consciousness at the level of individuals maintains a sex-based social structure. By embodying in their actions the expectations associated with their gender status, individuals constitute gender differences and, at the same time, the systems of domination and power that they determine. In many societies, women and men are not only perceived but also valued differently, justifying differences in the distribution of power between them based on gender characteristics and differences in their abilities. Awareness of gender identity is a constitutive element of social relations based on perceived differences between the sexes, and gender is a priority way of expressing power relations.
Gender is constructed through a certain system of socialization, division of labor and cultural norms, roles and stereotypes accepted in society. Gender norms and stereotypes accepted in the society to a certain extent determine the psychological qualities (encouraging some and negatively evaluating others), abilities, activities, professions of people depending on their biological sex. At the same time, gender roles and norms do not have a universal content and differ significantly in different societies. In this sense, being a man or a woman does not mean at all the possession of certain natural qualities, but the fulfillment of a particular role.
In modern social and humanitarian studies, gender is not used as an immutable and universal construct. The concept of gender does not mean a thing or an object, not many things or objects, but a complex interweaving of relationships and processes. It is necessary to think in terms of relations in order to derive cultural reality from the analytical category of gender - both in the past and in the present.
The concepts of feminine and masculine began to be actively used together with the development of the concept of gender and are used in gender studies to denote the cultural and symbolic meaning of "female" and "male".
Gender (gender):
1. (General value) - the difference between men and women by anatomical sex.
2. (Sociological meaning) social division, often based on anatomical field, but not necessarily the same as it. Thus, the sociological use of the term may differ from everyday use.
3. In psychology, the term "gender" is used in a broader sense, implying any mental or behavioral properties associated with masculinity and femininity and supposedly distinguishing men from women (formerly called sex properties or differences).
Sociologists and social psychologists argue that gender refers to the biological characteristics according to which people are classified as "male", "female" or in rare cases "hermaphrodite" (when the characteristics of both sexes are actually or explicitly combined), and gender refers to social and socio-psychological attributes that categorize people as "male", "female" or "hermaphroditic" (when the characteristics of both genders are combined, intentionally or unintentionally). According to many psychologists, in psychological discourse, gender should be applied when it concerns the socially created division of society into those who belong to men and those who belong to women. While "male" and "female" are terms reserved for the biological differences between them and boys and girls, "masculine" and "feminine" refer to culturally shaped behaviors and temperaments considered socially appropriate for the sexes. These traits are learned through a complex and lengthy process of socialization.
Anthropologists such as Margaret Mead, as well as psychologists and sociologists, have emphasized that gender is not determined biologically, but socially and through culture, being culturally and historically relative. Its meaning, interpretation and expression change both within and between cultures, serving as the object of historical change. Social factors - class, age, race and ethnicity - also shape the particular meaning, expression and experience of gender, highlighting the fact that it cannot be equated in any simplistic way with sex or sexuality.
Gender (gender) - social gender. In English, the concepts of social sex (“gender”) and biological (“sex”) are distinguished. Terminologically, the concept of gender took shape in the process of the theoretical development of feminism, and then in gender studies proper.
Modern social science consistently and very productively develops this concept as one of the most important for the analysis of the foundations of sociality and its forms. The meaning of the concept of "gender" lies, first of all, in the idea of social modeling or the construction of sex. Social gender is constructed by social practice. A system of norms of behavior is emerging in society that prescribes the fulfillment of certain gender roles; accordingly, a rigid series of ideas arises about what is “male” and “female” in a given society, gender is a set of social representations, and not a fixed given by nature. Gender is a cultural mask of gender, what we think of gender within the boundaries of our sociocultural ideas. Moreover, sex is only gender, that is, what became sex in the process of its socialization. Gender does not belong to man, but man to gender, and he is determined by power and language. In modern society, it is increasingly difficult to draw a line between the biological predestination of sex and its social modeling. “Today there is nothing less reliable than sex. The uncertainty principle applies to sexual relations as well as to relations, political and economic.
With all the variety of approaches and positions regarding the definition of gender, it makes sense to single out two concepts: the theory of the social construction of gender and the theory of the gender system.
In the logic of the first approach, three groups of characteristics are named: biological sex, sex-role stereotypes common in a particular society, and so on. "gender display" - a variety of manifestations associated with the norms of male and female action and interaction prescribed by society. The concept of "gender display" was introduced by I. Hoffman and expresses many manifestations of the cultural components of gender. In accordance with this approach, gender appears as a dimension of social relations rooted in a given culture. The concept of "gender system" includes various components and is defined differently by different authors.
The gender system is the totality of relations between the sexes (and within the sexes). Since the gender system assumes a gender dimension of the public and private spheres, correlates the system of gender hierarchy with other social hierarchies and systems of domination, then in this kind of analysis a large role is given to the study of the role of social institutions that implement gender technologies. “Our innate cognitive habit of categorizing everything and acting on that categorization also helps to perpetuate the notion that gender differences are big and relevant. We are even more inclined to draw a line between genders, and begin to partially define our identity based on our gender. Social gender psychology shifts our attention from biology to the situational and social forces that underlie gender divisions and thus provides us with guidance on how gender equality can be achieved. At the same time, social psychology explains why changes in gender roles and stereotypes will be slow and uncertain in the absence of concerted efforts. These efforts usually come from women, but change can happen more rapidly if we recognize that traditional roles are unfair, unsuitable for modern society, and limiting not only women but also men.
Thus, the construction of gender is both a product and a process of representation, both about others and about oneself.
WHAT IS GENDER?
Gender is the definition of women and men based on their social role. It is not the same as gender (the biological characteristics of women and men), and not the same as a woman. Gender is defined by the concept of tasks, functions and roles assigned by society to women and men in their public and private life.
[Gender aspects: application practice.
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation]
Gender Approach differs in that it is aimed at women and men, and not at women individually. A gender perspective highlights:
- differences between the interests of men and women, even within the same household, how they interact and are expressed;
- traditions and hierarchies that determine the position of women and men in the family, community and society as a whole, through which men usually dominate women;
- differences between women and men based on age, wealth, nationality and other factors;
- the direction of changing gender roles and relationships, often occurring quite rapidly as a result of social, economic and technological trends.
Gender equality implies equal possession by women and men of socially valuable goods, opportunities, resources and rewards. Gender equality does not mean that men and women become the same, but that their opportunities and life chances are equal.
Gender analysis takes into account social and economic differences between women and men at every stage of policy development in order to:
- identifying potentially different impacts of policies, programs and legislation on women and men;
- ensuring equal results for women and men, boys and girls, in the implementation and planning of interventions.
[Canadian International Development Agency]
Making Gender Integral for water as defined by the World Water Vision is as follows:
“A gender approach includes consideration of both practical and gender needs, such as improving conditions for women through the provision of water and sanitation close to home, as well as strategic gender needs: improving the position of women in society by increasing her awareness of the situation and the ability to accept decisions and influence change. The gender approach also seeks to prevent further burdening of women and emphasizes the importance of not automatically reinforcing and perpetuating traditional roles. This implies the need to consider both men and women, as men need to change their attitudes and behaviors in order to support this process.”
[World Water Vision, 1999]
The word “gender” was borrowed from grammar and introduced into the behavioral sciences by sexologist John Money, who in 1955, when studying intersexuality and transsexuality, needed to distinguish, so to speak, general sexual properties, sex as a phenotype, from sexual-genital, sexual-erotic and sexual-procreative qualities. Then it became widely used by sociologists, lawyers and American feminists. However, it has always been and remains ambiguous.
In the social sciences, and especially in feminism, "gender" has taken on a narrower meaning, denoting "social sex", that is, the socially determined roles, identities and spheres of activity of men and women, which depend not on biological sex differences, but on the social organization of society. The central place in gender studies is occupied by the problem of social inequality between men and women.
The word gender in English denotes the distinguishable masculinity or femininity of a person, some characteristic, or a non-human organism. The division into male and female is analogous to the division into male and female in biology.
In countries where documentary proof of identity is developed, social gender usually coincides with the sex fixed in the documents, that is, with the passport gender, excluding cases of transgender
Gender (social gender) in a broad sense does not necessarily coincide with the biological sex of an individual, with his or her gender of upbringing, or with his/her passport gender.
Usually, two genders can be distinguished in a society - male and female, however, the set of genders is much wider, there are communities with four or more genders. The social gender of witches, for example, did not coincide with the social gender of ordinary women and, in terms of social role, was closer to the male social gender.