Gender anti-discrimination policies in the public and private sector

Abstract

As a first step, it is imperative that the term "Gender Equality" is defined and understood. A very close and in depth look at the gender concept has to be taken and in this sense, two aspects are particularly important: (i) the social construction of gender; and (ii) the relationship between the two sexes. (i) Gender is a socially constructed definition of women and men. It is the social design of a biological sex determined by the conception of tasks, functions and roles attributed to women and men in society and in public and private life. It is a culture-specific definition of femininity and masculinity and therefore varies in time and space. The, construction and reproduction of gender takes place at the individual as well as at the societal level. Both are equally important. Individual human beings shape gender roles and norms through their activities and reproduce them by conforming to expectations. There is a growing awareness that gender must also be considered at a political and institutional level. Policies and structures play a very important role in shaping the conditions of life, and in doing so, they often institutionalise the maintenance and reproduction of the social construction of gender. (ii) Gender is not only a socially constructed definition of women and men. It is a socially constructed definition of the relationship between the sexes. This construction contains an unequal power relationship with male domination and female subordination in most spheres of life. Men and the tasks, roles, functions and values attributed to them are valued, in many aspects, higher than women and what is associated with them. It is increasingly recognised that society is somewhat characterised by this male bias: the male norm taken as the norm for society as a whole and which is then reflected in policies, structures and the provision of services. The policies, the structures and the services provided often unintentionally reproduce gender inequality. The definition of gender can link gender and power because gender is a primary way of signifying relationships of power and becomes implicated in the conception and construction of power itself. Gender references establish, to a certain extent, distributions of power, which is differential control over, or access to, material and symbolic resources. Gender equality means accepting and valuing equally the differences between women and men and the diverse roles they play in society. Gender equality incorporates the right to be different and therefore, this means taking into account any existing differences among women and men, which are related to class, political opinion, religion, ethnicity, race or sexual orientation. Gender equality means discussing how it is possible to go further, to change the structures in society which contribute to maintaining the unequal power relationships between women and men, and to reach a better balance in the various female and male values and priorities. […]