9.2 Key Terms
When discussing gender, we use various terms. In this section, we clarify their meaning.
Gender discrimination: Denying opportunities and rights or giving preferential treatment to individuals on the basis of their sex.
Gender equality: The elimination of all forms of discrimination based on gender so that girls and women, boys and men have equal opportunities and benefits (OECD, 2015).
Gender equity: Fairness in the way boys and girls, women and men are treated. In the provision of education, it refers to ensuring that girls and boys have equal access to enrolment and other educational opportunities (Subrahmanian, 2005).
Gender stereotype: The constant presentation, such as in the media, conversations, jokes or books, of women and men occupying social roles according to a traditional gender role or division of labour (OECD, 2015). However, avoiding gender stereotyping does mean the denial or minimisation of differences between males and females.
Gender sensitive: The ability to perceive gender issues. It is the beginning of gender awareness (UNICEF, 2017). The opposite of gender sensitivity is gender blindness. This is an attitude to ignore gender issues, claiming that they don’t exist. For example, a gender-blind teacher may see no problem with boys taking all leadership roles in the class.
Gender-based violence refers to acts of violence inflicted on women because of their gender and sexuality. It includes physical violence in the form of corporal punishment, psychological violence such as verbal abuse, and sexual violence ranging from unwanted sexual talk and indecent touch to rape.
The figure below shows the difference between equality and equity. Equality means treating all learners in the same way. Equity is about giving all learners the support they need to achieve the learning outcomes. This means that some learners will need more or different support than others (see Figure 183). In the third image, all three children can see the game without any supports or accommodations because the systemic barriers have been removed. The cause of the inequity was removed.
Figure 184: Equality versus Equity (Save the Children, Mureke Dusome project, 2017)