Gender

Gender is a complex and multifaceted social construct that encompasses the roles, behaviors, expectations, and identities assigned to individuals based on their perceived societal norms related to masculinity and femininity. It influences how people perceive themselves and interact with others, shaping their experiences, opportunities, and relationships within society. It is a way of looking at how social norms and power structures impact on the lives and opportunities available to different groups of people. Understanding these gender relations and the power dynamics behind them is a prerequisite for understanding individuals’ access to and distribution of resources, the ability to make decisions and the way women and men, boys and girls and others are affected by political processes and social development.

Gender is not determined biologically, as a result of sexual characteristics of either women or men, but is constructed socially. It is a central organizing principle of societies, and often governs the processes of production and reproduction, consumption and distribution. Gender is often misunderstood as being the promotion of women only. However, gender issues focus on an individual's internal sense of their own gender, which may align with the sex assigned at birth (cisgender) or differ from it (transgender) focusing on their roles, access to and control over resources, division of labour, interests and needs. Gender relations affect household security, family well-being, planning, production and many other aspects of life.

Why we Care!

Women and marginalized gender identities are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, including domestic abuse, sexual assault, harassment, barriers in accessing services, basic education, economic resources and political opportunities. Acknowledging and incorporating these gender inequalities into programmes and analyses is therefore extremely important, both from a human rights perspective and to maximize impact and socioeconomic development. There is importance of directly targeting the persistent constraints and obstacles to these inequality (especially in areas of economic empowerment, educational gaps, household/societal voice, and violence) in order to enhance productivity and improve longer-term development outcomes. Gender equality is important for sustainable peace, and there is a growing body of empirical evidence suggesting that a higher level of gender inequality is associated with higher risks of internal conflict hence the need of addressing gender issues to enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative.

Our Commitments

GRONET advocates for a deeper understanding of the socially constructed basis of gender differences and how it impacts on relationships between men and women as well as promoting LGBTQ+ rights. We argue for an improved understanding of power relations and the gendered nature of systems and institutions which impacts their lives. We also focus on transformation of the system into one characterized by gender equality and integrating its concerns throughout other goals, and a standalone goal covering specific core areas.
Markets, institutions, and households play a role in reducing inequality, and globalization can provide important opportunities. GRONET focuses on reducing female mortality, narrowing education and earnings disparities, increasing women’s voice, and limiting gender inequality across generations. It ensures consistent support, improve the availability of gender-disaggregated data, and extend partnerships beyond governments and development agencies.

We empower individuals of all genders to challenge stereotypes, assert their rights, and participate in decision-making processes is key to creating a more inclusive society. We campaign for embracing diverse gender identities and expressions in media, education, and public discourse to promote greater visibility and acceptance as well as implementing inclusive policies and practices that address the needs and rights of individuals of all genders for advancing gender equality..

Proposed Projects

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Support

While progress has been made to highlight gender inequality issues and experiences in development programmes, national laws and political decisions, attention to gender is often inconsistent. We argue that the aim of the ‘gender agenda, the transformation of unequal, unjust power relations has been largely ignored. In addition, insufficient funds are allocated to ensure that gender equality is an important part of these programmes and policies.

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