Gender Mainstreaming as a Tool for Women Empowerment

Running head: GENDER MAINSTREAMING
Gender Mainstreaming
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1GENDER MAINSTREAMING
Equality refers to a particular state of the affair where all the people enjoy the same
status in relation to certain respects. Equality can refer to concept pertaining to economic
equality and health equality. It includes the equal opportunities and the obligations within the
framework of a society. Social equity refers to the concept that deals with justice and fairness
pertaining to social policy. Social equity is made use of in various contexts like education and
the public administration (Mukhopadhyay 2016). The difference between equality and equity
lie in the fact that equity is indicative of fair provision of the resources that is allocated to
individuals. Equality on the other hand denotes the provision of the same resources being
given to the people. It is indicative of state of being same in terms of status, rights and the
opportunities. A particular domain of life that needs equalizing pertains to my workplace. In
my workplace I have seen incidences of gender discrimination that deprives the workers of
their rights. The female employees are not provided all the provisions and the opportunities
and they are discriminated against in the organization. It has a detrimental effect on morale of
the female employees and reduces their productivity in the organization (Staudt 2018). The
women in the workplace earn less as compared to the men that discourages the female
employees in Australia. Equality given to the women in the workplace can help in removing
barriers that can ensure their equal participation in the organization. Equality being provided
to the women can help them in enjoying the various professional positions like leaders,
managers and the directors. Equal benefits given to the men and the female employees can
increase their productivity in an organization that can pave the path for economic growth of
the country. It can augment the performance of an organization and enhance ability of the
company of attracting and retaining the employees. It can play an important role in enhancing
the reputation of the organization in front of the rest of the world (Vickers 2015). Equality in
the workplace can provide them with respect that can help the women in getting proper
respect in the society. The equality given to the women employees can help the women in

2GENDER MAINSTREAMING
gaining respect that can help in protecting them from incidences of domestic violence. It can
strengthen them that can help them in fighting the injustices prevailing in the society.
The Equal Treatment Perspective talks about providing the same status in society to
the male and the female gender. The Women’s perspective is consistent with that of equal
treatment perspective. They both talk about the rights of the women in the workplace and
how the providing of equal opportunities can act to the benefit of all the workers in an
organization (Alston 2014). The main argument that the author is making is that the
perspectives are consistent with that of the strategy pertaining to mainstreaming. Women’s
perspective talks about the denial of certain privileges that causes the women to lag behind in
certain respects in the society. The equal treatment perspective talks about the women getting
access to the resources that can make them a strength of the nation. It can help them in the
aspect of decision-making that can provide them with a dignified position within the
framework of a society. Both the perspectives talk about the right of the women of having
control over body and the aspects of sexuality. Family planning is an important aspect that
can prove to be helpful in empowering the women in the society. It can be said that equal
treatment is meted out to women if they can decide number of children that they are going to
have and intervals in between the births. There are crimes against women that are often
ignored by the authorities. The women are not provided with the opportunity of being given
access to the legal institution. I agree with the key argument of the author because I feel that
the men in the society wanting to meting out proper treatment to the female can help the
women in getting a dignified position in the society. The Woman’s perspective talks about
the right of the women in every sphere of life and I think that the men giving space and
opportunities to the women can prove to be instrumental in safeguarding the position of
women within the framework of the society. The men in the society wanting to provide equal
treatment can help them in securing a strong position in society (Parpart 2014). The Women’s

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perspective focuses on their share of rights that they deserve for their just treatment in the
society. The limitation pertaining to gender mainstreaming arises because of the
‘problematic’ male beliefs that places onus on that of individual men for overcoming the
complex problems in the society. The limitation arises owing to the fact that the behaviour of
the men deal with the agentic choices and it ignores research showing masculinity arising
from the cultural antecedents (Bock 2015).
The tool that have been chosen by me in relation to gender mainstreaming is Sida’s
model that includes the three steps of Gender analysis, Identify How and by application of the
approaches in relation to gender mainstreaming. The step of gender analysis has helped me in
analysing the situation pertaining to gender equality within the ambit of a particular context.
It helps in the identification of expected results pertaining to the gender equality
(Mukhopadhyay 2014). Gender analysis has helped me in highlighting difference between
that of men and the women. It is related to the concept of distribution of resources and the
opportunities. Gender analysis has been conducted before that of intervention that is
irrespective of any sector. The target group of Sida includes the boys, girls, men and the
women. It helps in developing the responses that are suited to that of gender-based
inequalities that helps in meeting needs of the various population groups. It helps in
examining relationship between that of men and the women in the society. This tool has
helped me in arriving at the step of “Identity how” that helps in identification of areas
pertaining to collaboration. Gender strategy should be strategic in relation to country and it
focuses on the aspect of long-term objectives. The approach choice should be on the basis of
needs, demands and constraints of country (Khosla 2015). The gender strategy should be
action-oriented and it should state clearly the actors that give rise to gender discrimination in
the society. The other approaches that has helped me in relation to gender mainstreaming is
the concept of integration along with targeting (Bacchi and Eveline 2015). Integration talks

4GENDER MAINSTREAMING
about the interventions that are crucial in relation to gender equality. The targeting of specific
groups can solve issues related to gender mainstreaming. The approach of integration can
help in application of gender perspective at the time of intervention that can be useful in the
approach pertaining to mainstreaming. The components of gender equality should have an
impact on the interventions and it should be capable of generation of results. This tool box
can help in focussing on a particular arena that can contribute to that of long-term goal
pertaining to gender equality. The targeting can help in strengthening the partners and
dialogue can act as a natural component that can help in the process of financing of
programmes (Jost, Ferdous and Spicer 2014). The movements in relation to the rights of the
women and the organisations can act as valuable partners pertaining to dialogue that can help
in advancing the cause of gender mainstreaming.
The definition of the concept of gender mainstreaming is vague that makes it difficult
for the actors to grasp the implications. The campaigners pertaining to gender mainstreaming
have framed strategies that can persuade the decision makers for their acceptance. They have
made use of the strategy pertaining to “selling” that can act as a useful means that are pursued
by the policy makers. It emphasizes on gains in relation to “efficiency” instead of equality
that are derived from that of introduction pertaining to gender. The effect of the strategy
framing process led to the adopting of “integrationist” approach in relation to gender
mainstreaming that helps in subverting innovative meaning in relation to strategy (Le Masson
2016). The integrationist approach helps in the introduction of gender perspective into the
various policy paradigms without being questioned. It ignores the potential that can transform
the existing institutional along with organizational process. Strength of integrationist
approach lie in the fact that it talks about the role pertaining to gender experts in the
formulation of policy. It focusses on tea specs of bureaucratic process along with danger in
relation to “rhetorical entrapment”. Another approach in relation to gender mainstreaming is

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the “agenda setting” approach. It can help in transforming and reorienting the policy
paradigms by the changing of structures in relation to decision-making. The approach of
“agenda setting” prioritizes the gender objectives among the competing issues (Tiessen
2015). It can help in the reorientation of that of mainstream political agenda by the
rearticulating of the policy ends. This approach emphasizes on reorientation of nature
pertaining to mainstream. The approach of agenda setting recognises the voices of the women
with the help of the consultation process. The risks can however undermine solidarity across
the various groups. Gender mainstreaming has been a failure because the world leaders have
failed in recognising the rights of the women. Progress pertaining to gender mainstreaming
has been slow however it can be said the improvements have been made in the arena of
reducing that of maternal mortality and increasing participation of women in the workforce
(Staudt 2018). The failure of gender mainstreaming is owing to the fact that violence against
that of the women is still prevalent across the world. There are obstacles in relation to active
participation of women in various spheres of public along with private life. The women in the
society do not occupy position in various areas like governance, leadership and technology.

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References:
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Bacchi, C. and Eveline, J., 2015. Mainstreaming politics: Gendering practices and feminist
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Bock, B.B., 2015. Gender mainstreaming and rural development policy; the trivialisation of
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395.

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Staudt, K., 2018. Gender mainstreaming: Conceptual links to institutional machineries.
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Tiessen, R., 2015. Gender essentialism in Canadian foreign aid commitments to women,
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