Author and Executive Director of TrueChild, Riki Wilchins' presentation on Gender Theory and "Gender Transformative" Philanthropy

1. FROM GENDER THEORY
TO
GENDER TRANSFORMATIVE
PHILANTHROPY

2. RIKI WILCHINS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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3. OUR PRESENTATION
1. Terms & Definitions
2. Gender Analysis
3. Gender Norms
4. Common Objections
5. Research & Programs
6. What’s Next
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4. 6 DEGREES OF GENDER
Biological Sex
Primary & secondary bodily characteristics (chromosomes, hormones, etc.)
Gender Identity
Inner sense of being female or male
Gender Expression
Expressing being masculine or feminine through clothing & behavior
Sexual Orientation
Attraction to members of one or more sexes
1. Terms & Definitions
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5. 6 DEGREES OF GENDER
Gender Equity
Ensuring equal access to resources, power, opportunity for females, males, children and
families, LGBTQ, etc.
Gender Norms
Socially-constructed ideals, scripts, expectations for manhood/womanhood; in sex and
GBV determines who does what to whom, when,, and for what reason
Gender Transformative
Explicitly highlight, challenging and try to change rigid gender norms and inequities.
1. Terms & Definitions
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6. GENDER TRANSFORMATIVE
1. Terms & Definitions
Kimberle Crenshaw
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7. GENDER ANALYSIS?
1. Terms & Definitions
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8. WHY GENDER LENS?
Gender affects every issue funders
work on, but grantees are challenged
to do innovative work around gender
like they are on race and class.
Grantees get race and class and
they’re starting to get sex/or.
But what happened to gender?
2. Gender Analysis
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9. GENDER NORMS ARE LEARNED
ESP DURING “GENDER INTENSIFICATION PERIOD”
Adolescence & Early Teens
Interest in traditional norms accelerates
Belief in them solidifies.
2. Gender Norms
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10. ARE HIGHLY REGULATED
FEMALE
2. Gender Norms
MALE
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11. GENDER NORMS TAKE PRACTICE
2. Gender Norms
Courtesy of Boondocks
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12. ENHANCED IN
LOW-INCOME ENVIRONMENTS
Codes may
be
especially
narrow
Penalties for
transgression
often
particularly
harsh.
2. Gender Norms
Strong peer
pressure “on
the street”
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13. MASCULINITY
“We’re in this box, and in order to be in that box, you
have to be STRONG, you have to be TOUGH, you have
to have lots of GIRLS, you gotta have MONEY, you have
to be a PLAYER or a PIMP, you gotta to be in CONTROL,
you have to DOMINATE other men, and if you are not
any of those things, then people call you SOFT or
WEAK or a P*SSY or a CHUMP or a F*GGOT and…
NOBODY wants to be any of those things so…
EVERYBODY STAYS INSIDE THE BOX.”
3 Gender Norms
Byron Hurt www.bhurt.com
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14. MASCULINITY & BELIEF
Intimate relationships are adversarial
Women are responsible for conception
Pregnancy validates manhood
Lots of girlfriends/sex proves masculinity
Public control of women part of manhood
Force sometimes nec. to control females.
3. Gender Norms
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15. MASCULINITY & BEHAVIOR
Earlier sex
More sexual partners
Less intimate relationships, more infidelity
More unplanned pregnancy
More (manly) sexual risk-taking
More partner abuse and sexual coercion.
3. Gender Norms
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16. FEMININITY & BELIEF
Virginal & modest
But “hot” and attractive
Dependent, & deferential
Nurturing & maternal
Motherhood validates womanhood
Having a man validates femininity
Premium on older, stronger men.
3. Gender Norms
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17. FEMININITY & BEHAVIOR
Less likely to carry condoms
More likely to objectify their own bodies
More likely to defer to male sexual prerogatives
More likely to date older, stronger males
More likely to tolerate abuse or coercion
More likely to have early/unwanted pregnancy.
3. Gender Norms
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18. GATEWAY BELIEF SYSTEM
R&S/H
Health/Wellness
LGBTQ Bullying
Partner Abuse
Economic
Empowerment
Educational
Achievement
3. Masculinity & Femininity
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19. COMMON OBJECTIONS
CAN’T WE DO WITHOUT GENDER LENS?
YES! MOSTLY WE ARE.
WE CAN ALSO DO W/O CLASS/RACE ANALYSIS
BUT IT IS EFFECTIVE?
4. Common Objections
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20. JUST GENDER EQUITY?
4. Common Objections
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21. WHAT ABOUT LGBTQ?
WORK BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET
GENDER NONCONFORMING
4. Common Objections
GENDER
CONFORMING
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22. SO IT’S ALL GENDER?
Complex Intersectional Issues
Not saying: “It’s the only dog in the fight.”
Not saying: “It’s the biggest dog in the fight.”
“It’s the biggest dog NOT in the fight.
4. Common Objections
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23. STRONG RESEARCH BASE
5. Research & Programs
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24. STRONG PROGRAM BASE
Gender norms
are “central to
improving
both individual
and societal
R/H”
Gender norms “key to
effective HIV prevention
for MSMs
“Deconstructing
masculinity with
young men 13-19”
to eliminate
violence against
women and girls
5. Research & Programs
The powerful
influence of
gender norms is a
foundation of
gender inequality.
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25. US: The Disconnect
“Gender roles & norms influence, if not
define,
behavior in the interpersonal relationships
in which
sex [and partner violence] occurs.”
“[We] are ignoring social & contextual factors central to
understanding sexuality, HIV [and gender violence].”
“Astounding as it may seem, the central role
of gender has been largely ignored…
…we are studying this in a gender vacuum.”
6. What’s Next
“Love, sex, and power. Considering women's realities in HIV prevention.”
H Amaro . Am Psychol. 1995 Jun;50(6):437-47, 1995 .
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26. US Disconnect: Guidelines
6. What’s Next
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27. US Disconnect: Policy
6. What’s Next
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28. RECONNECT!
TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACHES
6. What’s Next
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29. Thank you!
www.truechild.org
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