GEN 013: People and the Earth's Ecosystems

Module #13 Student Activity Sheet

Name: Class number: _______
Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Lesson title: Gender Perspectives on Natural Resources Materials:

Learning Targets: SAS,
At the end of the module, students will be able to:
1. Differentiate the unequal access of ownership and control References:
of natural resources of men and women https://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net 2. Identify the
relationship of gender to the natural /downloads/women_conservation_ove resources
rview_2012.pdf

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

Introduction
Hello, PHINMA Ed students! Welcome to GEN 013! Before we proceed on the discussion let me ask a
question to everyone. Who do you think is the most extravagant? The girl or the boy? I ask this question in
order for us create confusion in our mind, because our topic for today is gender perspectives on natural
resources. Are you excited to know who’s the compulsive buying behavior?

B.MAIN LESSON

Highlights all the important terms on the statement. Use highlighter or color to accomplish this task.

Taking into account the different roles and responsibilities of men and women is critical to the sustainable
management of natural resources as well as the success of Natural resources management policies and
programs. We need to be aware that natural resources management programs may affect women and men
differently due to their rights, roles and responsibilities. Awareness of this is essential if we’re to promote
sustainable development and effective conservation and to ensure that natural resources are managed
appropriately. At the same time, the unique roles men and women play in their communities leads to different
bodies of knowledge about the environments around them.

Men and women usually have different roles in the family and community. For example, men are
responsible mainly for income generating activities and decision-making, while women take on subsistence
activities and looking after the family. When it comes to environmental protection and management, they’re also
likely to have different opinions, attitudes, priorities and power over resources. They also interact differently with
the environment, which provides them with different opportunities to protect and manage it more sustainably. If
programs and projects are to foster sustainable, effective and equitable management of natural resources, they
must address the concerns and needs of both men and women – and the ways they, individually and collectively,
relate to the resource base. Programs that don’t recognize gender differences can often have negative outcomes.
This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION
 GEN 013: People and the Earth's Ecosystems
Module #13 Student Activity Sheet
Name: Class number: _______
Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Eight outline of the main gender issues that relate to natural resources management, and explain their possible
impact on the environment

1. Natural resources management programs must consider and be aware of the different roles
played by men and women

Both women and men use natural resources and influence the condition of the environment.
However, women’s roles are often less visible than men’s, and aren’t formally recognized. For example:
women frequently carry out labor on land over which they hold no formal tenure rights; women spend a
great deal of time collecting water, fuel wood and fodder for family subsistence, which is not considered
‘work’; women fishers are responsible for mending nets, and gutting and marketing fish, but they’re often
not considered ‘fishers.

2. Natural resources management programs need to consider the differences between men’s and
women’s rights to access and control natural resources

Rights and access to land, and control over it, are often different for men and women. For
instance, women usually lack tenure rights. The same goes for resources, such as trees and forests. So,
for example, there’s little benefit to women being involved in environmental conservation and tree
planting schemes when only a small percentage of women have control over land.

3. Natural resources management programs must include both men and women in decision-
making

Social and cultural barriers may prevent women from decision-making, and they often lack the
confidence to voice their opinions, too. So, they’re largely absent from decision -making in environmental
management, despite being critical actors in NRM.

In addition, women lack the opportunities to hold managerial positions or decision-making posts
within programs or governing bodies. This can be because of cultural barriers, a lack of confidence and
ability. Or because their existing responsibilities don’t allow them time to engage in such roles.

4. Both men and women should participate in all stages of Natural resources management
program.

This is a challenge. Women are often excluded due to social and cultural barriers, as well as
logistical barriers such as timing and length of meetings. Often, women’s participation at meetings is
limited as they lack confidence to speak in front of men. And there’s often a bias towards male attitudes
and opinions. Women-only meetings have, at times, proved useful in promoting their full participation.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 GEN 013: People and the Earth's Ecosystems
Module #13 Student Activity Sheet
Name: Class number: _______
Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

In addition, women are often confined to less visible roles in Natural resources management
sectors. For example, although women have always been present in the fishing industry, in most
instances their participation is neither socially acknowledged nor economically remunerated.

5. Natural resources management program must be aware of cultural and social barriers.

We should also recognize that such barriers increase the vulnerability of women. If they don’t
participate, then decisions made may be unfavorable to them. And cultural limitations on women can
leave them more vulnerable to natural disasters than men. For example, in times of flooding women are
at greater risk if they can’t swim or climb trees; and many women will not or are not permitted to leave
their homes without men.

6. Natural resources management program must consider indigenous knowledge

As women’s participation in meetings and decision-making can be limited, programs will often
neglect and be unaware of the vast indigenous knowledge that they have about the use and management
of natural resources.

Women often have a greater awareness of indigenous knowledge about trees, shrubs and
grasses than men, mainly because they devote more time than men to collecting forest produce to meet
family needs.

7. Natural resources management programs require appropriate technologies

Men may often favor cash crops, such as tobacco, for greater income, whereas women prefer
crops such as staples that assist them in their daily needs. Technologies that are designed to
important productivity may fail to consider that it’s the women who’ll need to use the new tools – and
that they’ll be reluctant to use them if they’re too heavy, or too time consuming.

8. Natural resources management programs can increase work burdens if gender isn’t considered

Programs need to recognize the different needs, roles and responsibilities of men and women to
avoid increasing women’s work burden. Limited understanding can overlook women’s roles and their
potential influence in any Natural resources management process. But increasing women’s involvement
in programs could avoid distancing them from natural resources management processes. For example,
ensuring that women participate in meetings will enable them to provide feedback on how the program
has affected them or their workloads. Giving women the opportunity to voice their opinions will help to
ensure natural resources management programs don’t alter the management of and access to natural
resources in ways that increase women’s burdens or reduce their interest in the program.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 GEN 013: People and the Earth's Ecosystems
Module #13 Student Activity Sheet
Name: Class number: _______
Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Check for Understanding

Direction: Draw if the statement is referring to the women activity towards natural resources, and
if the statement describes the men activity towards natural resources.

_____1. They mending nets, and gutting and marketing fish, but they’re often not considered ‘fishers’.
_____2. They usually lack tenure rights
_____3. They often do decision-making, and they often lack the confidence to voice their opinions.
_____4. Lack the opportunities to hold managerial positions or decision-making posts within
programs or governing bodies
_____5. Cultural limitations on _______ can leave them more vulnerable to natural disasters
_____6. _________ may often favor cash crops, such as tobacco, for greater income. M
_____7. __________ prefer crops such as staples that assist them in their daily needs
_____8. They devote more time to collecting forest produce to meet family needs.
_____9. We work with everything, the natural disasters that happen, we manage those and work to
rebuild the damage that they cause. M
_____10. Decision -making in environmental management, despite being critical actors M

C. LESSON WRAP-UP Summary

Direction: You are done with the session! Now let me know how much have you learned from the lesson today
by answering the 3 questions below.

1. Three things you learned:

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Two things that you’d like to learn more about:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3. One question you still have:
________________________________________________________________________________________

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 GEN 013: People and the Earth's Ecosystems
Module #13 Student Activity Sheet
Name: Class number: _______
Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Thinking about Learning

Direction: Enlist all the materials, (ex. Food, transportation, things such as clothes, phone, pants, make-up) you
used last week and compare your work with your opposite sex. Then ask your classmate use the question
below

LIST OF MATERIALS YOU USED

PHONE
LAPTOP
MOTORCYCLE
CLOTHES
PANTS
BAG
PENCIL

1. What is the total price of these items?

AROUND 1K
2. Did you used it well or you used the item just for this time?
YES
3. Do you think the material you buy is necessary?
NO

Answer Key

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION
 GEN 013: People and the Earth's Ecosystems
Module #13 Student Activity Sheet
Name: Class number: _______
Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Think about learning

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION