Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Alijis Campus | Binalbagan Campus | Fortune Towne Campus | Talisay Campus
To be a leading GREEN institution of higher learning in the global community by 2030
(Good governance, Research-oriented, Extension-driven, Education for Sustainable Development & Nation-building)
leizl.tortogo@chmsc.edu.ph (63-34) 712-0420 local 116
Module 4:
Sex, Gender and Diversity
Chapter 4: Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Acknowledge the diverse gender roles and gender identity of men and women.
2. Discuss the relationship of sex and gender to sexual orientations and
recognize sensitivity of gender roles and gender stereotypes.
3. Explain the importance of gender-fair language to gender equality and gender equity.
I. Introduction
The chapter presents the gender identity and gender roles of men and women. It discusses topics on
gender sensitivity, equality, equity, diversity and stereotypes, sexual orientation and relationships,
sexism and gender-fair language. Learning activities of the module include writing analyses on issues
of gender stereotyping and inequality some Filipinos have encountered and overcome. As Gender and
Development (GAD) mainstreams in instruction, research and extension in all programs and activities of
CHMSC, the lesson encourages students in promoting gender equality and equity amongst the diverse
gender roles Filipinos portray in the community today. This chapter covers 9 hours per week.
II. Lesson/Unit/Study Guide/ Notes
1. Sex and Gender Identity
Sex - is a biological label, “male or female”
based on genital one has born with, and
the chromosomes one has.
Gender – is socially constructed characteristics of men and women pertaining to and differenting
between masculinity and femininity. The characteristics depending on the context may include
biological sex, identity or sex-based social structures. Generally, one may refer as male or female,
not based on biological sex but more of how one is expected to act. Gender includes gender roles
that are manifested by one’s behavior, thoughts and characteristics that go along with the person’s
assigned sex.
Gender Identity – is how one feel inside and how he or she expresses those feelings. Clothing,
appearance and behaviors can be ways of expressing one’s gender identity.
Gender Identities:
Cisgender – when one identified himself or herself with the gender
he/she was assigned at birth
Transgender– when one identified himself or herself with a
gender different than he/she was assigned at birth.
Transsexual – when one has done gender reassignment surgery to
change the sexual organ he/she was born to that of
a different gender.
1 | P a g e Gender and Development and Green Culture (GAD GRC)
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Alijis Campus | Binalbagan Campus | Fortune Towne Campus | Talisay Campus
To be a leading GREEN institution of higher learning in the global community by 2030
(Good governance, Research-oriented, Extension-driven, Education for Sustainable Development & Nation-building)
leizl.tortogo@chmsc.edu.ph (63-34) 712-0420 local 116
2. Sexual Orientation and Relationships
- a person’s preference for sexual relationships with individuals of the other sex (heterosexuality),
one’s sex (homosexuality), or both sexes (bisexuality). The term also increasingly refers to
transgender (also transgendered) individuals whose behavior, appearance, and/or gender identity (the
personal conception of oneself as female, male, both, or neither) departs from conventional norms.
Sexual Orientation- one’s sense of identity based on sexual,
romantic and emotional attractions. It refers to who
individuals feel attracted to.
Heterosexual - attraction to a gender different from their own (e.g. male attracted to female).
Homosexual - attraction to a gender the same as their own (e.g. male attracted to fellow
male). Sometimes referred to as gay.
Lesbian - women who are attracted only to other women.
Bisexual - when one is attracted to two or more genders. This term is generally used to describe
being attracted to men and women.
Pansexual- when one is attracted to all genders and/or do not concern with gender when he/she is
attracted towards someone
Polysexual - when one is attracted to many genders
Monosexual - being attracted to only one gender
Androsexual- being attracted to masculine gender presentation
Gynesexual - being attracted to feminine gender presentation
Questioning - people who are debating their own sexuality/gender
Asexual- not experiencing sexual attraction. Sometimes the term, ace, is used to describe asexuals.
Queer - a reclaimed slur for anybody in the LGBT+ community or who do not identify as
cisgender and/or heterosexual/heteromantic
Transgender – people whose gender expression is not per society’s expectations for their biological sex
Transgender female – whose gender expression is masculine; identified as “butch” (masculine woman)
Transgender male–has feminine gender expression with high-pitched voice; identified as “queens.”
Ally - a supporter of the LGBT+ community that does not identify as LGBT+
3. Gender Roles & Stereotypes
Gender Roles
Every society categorizes its members according to sex and/or
gender, treating men and women in different ways and
expecting different patterns of behavior from them. The society
distinguishes among their members on the grounds of age, giving different rights and responsibilities
to people of various age categories and requiring them to play different social roles.
2 | P a g e Gender and Development and Green Culture (GAD GRC)
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Alijis Campus | Binalbagan Campus | Fortune Towne Campus | Talisay Campus
To be a leading GREEN institution of higher learning in the global community by 2030
(Good governance, Research-oriented, Extension-driven, Education for Sustainable Development & Nation-building)
leizl.tortogo@chmsc.edu.ph (63-34) 712-0420 local 116
Gender Roles in the Philippines
- Filipino society assigned to men the role of breadwinner
and to women the role of housekeeper.
“Man’s World” – outside home was viewed as harsh
and heartless jungle in which men needed strength
and aggression.
“Woman’s World” – was the home, and her job
was to comfort and care for husband and children,
maintain harmony, and teach her children to conform to society’s
norms.
Gender Roles in other Cultures
Margaret Mead found differences among three tribes in New Guinea. She concluded that
human nature is almost unbelievably malleable. Responding to cultural conditions,
standardized personality, differences between the sexes are of this order, cultural creations
to which each generation, male and female are trained to conform
Arapesh found both men and women would consider a feminine way. They were passive,
gentle and home-loving.
Mundugumor found both sexes show masculine traits. They were competitive, aggressive
and violent.
Tchambuli found sharp differences in the male and female roles. Men are passive,
emotional and dependent. Women are the economic providers, doing the farming, hunting
and fishing.
Stereotype
- is a generalized belief on the attributes and characteristics of a particular group or class of
people. This enables individuals to respond rapidly to situations because people may have a similar
experience before. But it can make people ignore differences between individuals; therefore people
think things about other people that might not be true. By stereotyping, people infer a person has a
whole range of characteristics and abilities that people assume all members of the group have.
Gender Stereotype
- is a preconception or generalized view about characteristics or
attributes that must be possessed by men and women, or the
roles they should perform. Gender stereotypes can be both
positive and negative.
Common Men Stereotypes:
Men are tough and powerful
Men are unfeeling and insensitive
Men are logical, sensible, and rational
Men are afraid to commit in a
relationship and form an attachment
Men are primarily interested in their
careers or vocations
Men do not have a primary
interest in marriage and
parenthood
3 | P a g e Gender and Development and Green Culture (GAD GRC)
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Alijis Campus | Binalbagan Campus | Fortune Towne Campus | Talisay Campus
To be a leading GREEN institution of higher learning in the global community by 2030
(Good governance, Research-oriented, Extension-driven, Education for Sustainable Development & Nation-building)
leizl.tortogo@chmsc.edu.ph (63-34) 712-0420 local 116
Common Women Stereotypes:
Women are helpless and childish
Women are sensitive and intuitive
Women are scatterbrained, unstable and
irrational
Women can easily form deep emotional
attachments
Women do
not have a primary interest in their
careers or vocations
Women are primarily interested in a
long term relationship and parenthood
Furthermore, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) has explained that states parties are
required to modify or transform “harmful gender stereotypes” and “eliminate wrongful gender
stereotyping”. CEDAW provides to take all appropriate measures to “ensure, on a basis of equality
of men and women the elimination of any stereotyped concept of the roles of men and women at all
levels and in all forms of education by encouraging coeducation and other types of education which
will help to achieve this aim and, in particular, by the revision of textbooks and school programs and
the adaptation of teaching methods”.
CEDAW Obligations to eliminate stereotyping:
revising textbooks.
ensuring that teachers receive gender training.
implementing programs to encourage girls to pursue education and employment in non-
traditional fields.
undertaking public information and education programs to change attitudes concerning the
roles and status of men and women.
taking measures to train public officials and the judiciary to ensure that stereotypical
prejudices and values do not affect decision-making.
emphasizing through awareness raising activities the importance of women’s participation in
decision making roles.
adopting measures, including temporary special measures, to eliminate occupational
segregation based on gender stereotypes.
adopting positive measures to expose and modify harmful genders stereotypes within the
health sector.
4. Gender Equality & Equity
Gender Equality refers to equal rights, responsibilities and
opportunities that all persons should enjoy regardless of whether
one is born male or female. Gender equality, also known as
sexual equality, is a state of equal ease of access to resources and
opportunities regardless of gender, including economic
participation and decision-making, and the state of valuing
different behaviors, aspirations and
needs equally, regardless of gender.
Gender Equality in the Workplace
In the context of the world of work, equality between women and
men include the following elements:
Equality of opportunity and treatment in employment
Equal remuneration for work of equal value
Equal access to safe and healthy working environments and
to social security
Equality in association and collective bargaining
Equality in obtaining meaningful career development
4 | P a g e Gender and Development and Green Culture (GAD GRC)
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Alijis Campus | Binalbagan Campus | Fortune Towne Campus | Talisay Campus
To be a leading GREEN institution of higher learning in the global community by 2030
(Good governance, Research-oriented, Extension-driven, Education for Sustainable Development & Nation-building)
leizl.tortogo@chmsc.edu.ph (63-34) 712-0420 local 116
A balance between work and home life that is fair to both women and men
Equal participation in decision-making at all levels
Gender Roles today towards Gender Equality
Annie Gottlieb wrote, “women found themselves serving as secretary, mother and
concubine, while men did all the speaking, writing, and negotiating– and these were men
who profess to reject the ‘oppressive’ ritual machinery of their society.”
The Women’s Movement:
Egalitarian Feminism- a belief that emphasizes sexual equality by insisting that men and
women be treated exactly alike.
Protectionist Feminism- emphasizes the biological differences between the sexes by
insisting that men and women be treated exactly alike (e.g. prenatal care, maternity leave, and
child-care services).
While Men’s Liberation:
Janet Chafetz emphasized “the degree of gender equality depends on the degree on which
women are involved in socially valued economic production—women will enjoy more
equality with men if they move into male-dominated, higher-status occupation
Gender Equity
- is the process of allocating resources, programs and
decision making fairly to both males and females
without any discrimination on the basis of sex, age,
or addressing any imbalances in the benefits
available to males and females. Women and men
should not only be given equal access to resources and
opportunities, but they should be given the means of
benefiting from this equality. This is where the concept of
gender equity comes into play. It implies fairness in the way men and women are treated, and their
experiences and needs are taken into consideration. Thus, equity is very essential to achieve true
equality. Also, gender equity refers to the policies, instruments, programs, services, and actions that
address the disadvantaged position of women in society by providing preferential treatment and
affirmative action such temporary special measures aimed at accelerating “de facto equality”
between men and women shall be considered discriminatory but shall in no way entail as a
consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards. These measures shall be discontinued
when the objectives of equality of opportunity of treatment have been achieved (Magna Carta of
Women, RA 9710).
Benefits of Gender Equity:
- Treat everyone fairly involved in the organization.
- Improve productivity and economic performance.
- Men and women learn to build equal partnerships.
- Enhance recruitment and retention of the occupation.
- Women and men able to do their best work and be
rewarded on merit.
- Encourage men and women to participate actively
in the work force.
5. Gender Diversity and Sensitivity
Gender Diversity is a fair representation of people of different genders. It also refers to equitable
ratio of men and women including those of non-binary
genders. Furthermore, male
dominance is most seen in the
industry of science, engineering,
and medicine.
5 | P a g e Gender and Development and Green Culture (GAD GRC)
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Alijis Campus | Binalbagan Campus | Fortune Towne Campus | Talisay Campus
To be a leading GREEN institution of higher learning in the global community by 2030
(Good governance, Research-oriented, Extension-driven, Education for Sustainable Development & Nation-building)
leizl.tortogo@chmsc.edu.ph (63-34) 712-0420 local 116
Gender Sensitivity is a way people are made aware of how gender plays a role in life through their
treatment of others. There are trainings conducted to educate people especially employees to
become more aware and sensitive to several gender roles in the workplace.
6. Sexism and Gender-Fair Language
What is Sexism in Language?
The University Center for Women’s Studies of the University
of the Philippines defines SEXISM in Language as the use of
language, which devalues members of one sex, almost
invariably women, and thus fosters gender inequality. It
discriminates against women by rendering them invisible or trivializing them while it perpetuates
notions of male supremacy.
Why the concerns about mere words?
1. Language articulates consciousness
This not only orders our thought, but from infancy, we learn to use language to give utterance to our
basic needs and feelings.
2. Language reflects culture
This encodes and transmits cultural meanings and values in our society.
3. Language affects socialization
Children may absorb the cultural assumptions and biases underlying
language use and see these as an index to their society’s values and attitudes. Social inequity
reflected in language can thus powerfully affect a child’s later behavior and beliefs.
How to avoid sexist language?
Guidelines on Gender-Fair Language
1. Avoid attaching sexist terms when the gender is unknown
When the gender is unknown, there is no reason to attach a
supposed gender. If we are talking about a doctor, whose
identity is not given, do not assume that the doctor is “he.”
2. Avoid Sexism
Sexism is introduced to base words by using suffixes.
Adding “ess” or “ette” onto an otherwise neutral noun indicates a feminine adjustment to a
masculine word and, therefore, should be avoided in the non-sexist language (e.g., usherette,
directress).
3. Avoid Demeaning Words
Some words demean like “chick” to refer to a woman and “cat” to refer to a man.
4. Avoid Stereotyping
Stereotyping means “an unvarying form of patterns: a fixed or
conventional notion or perception or conception, as of a person
group, and idea held by several people and allowing for no
individuality.” This develops through time:
Male perceives themselves as tough, powerful, and strong. In
contrast, women perceive themselves as weak, submissive, passive (e.g., a secretary is always
perceived as a woman while a bank president is always perceived as a man).
5. Avoid Verbal Abuse
Words can be used as weapons or healers depending on the choice of verbiage and how they are
spoken. Words like a cry baby or mama’s boy are often used with the intent to hurt. Women are
described as “witches” or “bitches.”
What to do to become a non-sexist speaker and writer?
6 | P a g e Gender and Development and Green Culture (GAD GRC)
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Alijis Campus | Binalbagan Campus | Fortune Towne Campus | Talisay Campus
To be a leading GREEN institution of higher learning in the global community by 2030
(Good governance, Research-oriented, Extension-driven, Education for Sustainable Development & Nation-building)
leizl.tortogo@chmsc.edu.ph (63-34) 712-0420 local 116
To become a Non-Sexist Speaker or Writer
1. Man does not involve women
Avoid using man to refer to a human being.
Sexist Non-sexist
Man was created by God A human was created by
to inhabit the earth. God to inhabit the earth.
2. Use “man” correctly
The man as a verb, substitute with work, serve and run. Man as people.
Sexist Non-sexist
We are going to man the We are going to supervise
booth. the booth.
Englishmen The English
Frenchman The French
3. Use pronouns correctly
First and second pronouns are genderless (I, we, me, you, our, your, yours).
Sexist Non-sexist
A politician likes to offer A politician likes to offer
his opinion. an opinion.
A child should learn to tie Children should learn to
his shoes. tie their shoes.
4. Avoid sexism by endings and implication
Use neutral words. Sex should not be used as a basis to. Differentiate between qualified people.
Sexist Non-sexist
Usherette Attendant
Janitor Sanitary Engineer
Fireman Fire Fighter
5. Define women by who they are, not by who their fathers are.
Sexist Non-sexist
Mr. and Mrs. Leopoldo Leopoldo and Erlinda
Perez Perez
Nancy, the wife of Nancy, married to George,
George, is our speaker is our speaker
References:
Books:
Amper, Zona S. et.al., Teaching Gender, Sexuality and Reproductive Health. Academe Component of the Visayas Reproductive Health Initiative. 2006.)
Electronic resources:
www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101
vcampus.uom.ac.mu/soci1101/432_differ
www.oecd.org/dac/gender
http://web.unfpa.org/gender/resources3.htm#2
(http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001211/121145e.pdf)
www.genderbiaslearning.com
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/gender-identity/sex-gender-identity
https://philippines.oxfam.org/life-gay-man-resettlement-site
Others:
Magna Carta of Women RA 9710
III. Learning Activities
IV. Assessment
7 | P a g e Gender and Development and Green Culture (GAD GRC)
