GENDER DISCRIMINATION

► Any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the

basis of race, color, sex, religion, political opinion,
national extraction or social origin, which has the effect
of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or
treatment in employment or occupation

► is a subtle or overt display of unequal treatment in

opportunities, benefits, privileges, expectations, and
etcetera due to attitudes toward a particular sex
Gender Discrimination Is Different From Sexism.

sexism is defined as looking down on a sex (usually the female) as

inferior (kendall, 2005) and the belief that females are inferior to males
(andersen & taylor, 2012). the basis of prejudice and the presumption
of inferiority of a particular sex as is implied in the term “sexism”.
Why does gender discrimination happen?

Culture is seen to be the root cause. Gender discrimination opposes the idea of
gender equality and equity because these ideas are viewed as threat to cultural
traditions and social order. Gender discrimination exists in different forms all over
the world.
 Types Of Gender Discrimination:
Discrimination In Education – the unequal treatment in admission,
financial aid, grading, classroom assignment, counseling, guidance,
and/or academic programs and opportunities.

Discrimination In Employment – there are four major ways in

which people are discriminated in the workplace:
a. hiring – the employer or the hiring officer has biases regarding the work
ethic of a gender.
b. pay and benefits – men generally receive higher pay and given more
opportunities to grow career-wise.
c. promotions – at work there is a phenomenon called “glass ceiling”, a
metaphor used to describe an invisible but constantly present barrier that
prevents women and members of the minority sector from rising beyond
their level in a corporate hierarchy.

d. firing – being terminated from a job due to prejudices against one’s gender.

Maternity And Pregnancy Discrimination – usually this form of

discrimination is work- related. a pregnant female can’t get a job because she
is pregnant while others get demoted or fired from work because of her
pregnancy.
What is gender sensitivity

► is about recognizing the issues and problems in how society perceives gender. this includes
understanding how stereotypes, discrimination, and gender roles adversely affect people.
the concept of gender sensitivity was developed to help reduce barriers to personal and
economic development created by gender-related problems.

► to be aware of the how people think of gender and rely less on traditional assumptions or
views on the role of women and men. It is about giving equal respect and upholding the
dignity of every person in thought, words, and action.
► Gender-sensitive Language

it has been a tradition in the english language to use “manly” references

when describing in general terms, for example, using “man” and “mankind”
to refer to all people. consider these words: postman, chairman, freshman,
congressman, fireman, and when anything is made by human beings, it’s
called man-made. or the phrase, “one’s own man” (meaning independent)
while another says “as one man” (meaning unanimous).
1. Using Non-discriminatory Language
• use pronouns that the person identifies with in using Ms. (miss) or Mrs.
(missus), use Ms. to address a woman when the preference is not known. Ms.
is more inclusive and can refer to any woman regardless of marital status.
• avoid gender-biased expressions
example: “he fights like a girl”
“in a manly way”
“what a tomboy”
2. Make Gender Visible Only When It Is Relevant For
Communication

use the feminine and masculine pronouns to explicitly make both

men and women visible in the message. this strategy is called pairing.
example: “each student has his or her own learning style.”
“once we have a winner, she or he will move on to the next
round.”
3. Do Not Make
Gender Visible When
It Is Not Relevant For
Communication

• Use Gender Neutral

Words
 ► Use Plural Pronouns/Adjectives
example:
► gender biased- “an efficient carpenter always checks his tools before
going to work.”
► gender sensitive- “efficient carpenters always check their tools before
going to work.”
• ditch the
gendered pronouns to
avoid overusing the
pairing strategy.
► Example:
Gender neutrality and the Filipino language
► The Philippine languages are classified as a subfamily of the austronesian
languages (zorc, 1986; blust, 2005). but what is more interesting is that
filipino languages notably do not use gender-specific pronouns. for example:
siya, niya, kanya are pronouns that are used for both females and males.

► However, after centuries of being colonized by spain, some filipino nouns

pertaining to family, work, and when describing a person coming from a
particular country – a suffix (a) for feminine and (o) for masculine were
added as influenced by the highly gendered spanish language. hence, tita
(aunt) and tito (uncle); lolo (grandfather) and lola (grandmother);
► labandera (a woman who gets paid washing clothes; washerwoman) and
labandero (a man assigned to wash clothes); tindera (female vendor) and
tindero (male vendor); pilipina/pilipino; amerikana/amerikano;
koreana/koreano.

► However, despite the infusion of spanish inflection with how the locals
communicate, the filipino language is still among those considered as a
genderless language.