Upland Development
Programme
Upland Development Programme
GENDER ANALYSIS
Introduction
The UDP acknowledges the need to integrate gender in upland development. In its global and local vision and missions, it has identified gender as an issue cutting across all its programme components, around which gender issues have to be resolved.
Gender bias across communities, e.g., upland farms, can be pinpointed as a primary reason behind continued poverty and/or underdevelopment because it prevents majority of women, on whom the family depends much for domestic support, [inc. food supplement], from accessing the means of economic and other forms of empowerment [education, training, health services, child care and legal status].
Conventional approaches to community development sometimes end up reinforcing gender biases by not benefiting men and women equitably. Women are rarely involved in conceptualizing and implementing development programs that concern them. For example, population programmes and projects have mostly ignored the obstacles faced by women who end up depending on their children for social status and economic security. Thus, population growth remains high even while gender bias is reinforced by the notion that women of reproductive age are the problem.
Conventional development theories and strategies that are said to aim to eliminate gender biases implicitly believe that both men and women benefit equally from economic growth; that all members of a household has common interests and that within the household, benefits will be distributed equally regardless of age and gender. These, however, were proven falsely. Several strategies, one of which is gender analysis, surface the inequalities that men and women have and experience in their lives in terms of their access to and control of resources, the activities that they are engaged in, and on the rights and opportunities that are supposedly open to all.
Situation Identification/Examination Vs. Gender Analysis
UDP, aiming to mainstream gender in its regular programme operations sees gender analysis to identify gender-related components. These gender concerns must be seen with gender lenses, i.e., the consciousness that these activities can have differential impacts on affected men and women. Many developmental programmes use analytical approaches, situation identification/examination [Situation ID/Ex] and gender analysis [GA], to see
sex and gender matters as they interplay with other factors. Most often, a situation identification/examination is done.
A situation identification/examination surfaces and interprets, in relation to developmental goals, the factors which interplay in the various spheres of social, economic, cultural and political life. It forms the basis of a community profile. A comprehensive Situation ID/Ex describes men-women population distributions, age, employment, livelihood, the classes or strata of people classified according to their access and control of resources, benefits and opportunities, organizations and services existing in the sites, formal and nonformal leadership patterns, the influence of religion, ethnicity, education, media, among others.
The situation identification/examination usually, if not, always, appears incomplete as far as gender issues are concerned and may even be vague and imprecise without a thorough-going gender analysis.
Gender analysis [GA] for the UDP is based on the assumption that households within the upland communities are not homogenous and do not constitute one interest. Men and women in such households have varying gender needs which have to be surfaced in order to address inequalities when and where they exist. Even if men and women belong to the same class or ethnic groups, women, more often, are treated differently and are at a great disadvantage because of their double, sometimes triple, burden.
Gender analysis is linked to the more comprehensive situation or social relations analysis to see the interweaving of various forms of subordination, e.g. how peasant women in an upland community are disadvantaged not only because of gender but also because of class and ethnicity. Such a linking will also guard against the notion that all women are the same and that they suffer from the same set of disadvantages wherever they may be. There are differences among women, as there are among men, depending on their specific situations.
One form of gender analysis includes a listing of activity areas of men and women in the upland communities in order to compare them in terms of variety and time allocation. Through this listing, it usually becomes apparent that women- majority of whom are considered unproductive, [therefore, not in the labor force] by government statisticians, economists, development experts/staff and farmer-husbands, actually perform the lion share of work.
Another kind of gender analysis model looks at the resources and benefits available to and/or controlled by the community members, men and women alike, to surface differences in power relations and how these can be corrected. It compares the different life situations, particularly the advantages and disadvantages experienced by men and women in the family, in the community and the political arena. This comparison uncovers underlying gender biases and issues, matters that are to be looked into in developmental programmes and projects.
Objectives
Knowing the importance of gender analysis is to UDP in order to see hidden realities not found in a situation identification and examination, this effort of gender analysis has the following objectives:
Examine the extent of participation of adult men and women, as well as that of children, in upland community activities including their involvement in community organizations
Describe men’s/women’s access to and control of community and UDP resources as well as benefits derived from therein
Draw from the activity and resource profiles intervening factors and gender issues that need to be addressed by UDP
Present general recommendations regarding the results of the gender analysis The general statement of objective here is to promote gender equity in the distribution of project resources and benefits. Through this gender analysis, women will have the visibility and the acceptance that indeed they are partners for upland development.
Gender analysis is an organized approach for examining factors related to gender in the entire process of programme development, from conception to evaluation. However, for purposes of just having an idea of how women are in the uplands in terms of prospects for project implementation, this gender analysis is more for the beginning phases of UDP. The implementors, the local government units and other programme staff would have a better knowledge on how the community women could make a difference in upland agricultural projects and activities.
This gender analysis is an examination of the specific input interventions which programme plans to introduce in the uplands. The assessment is conducted in terms of the contribution which the projects can make to address the gender discrimination issues and realize the goals and objectives of the overall programme.
There is no more Situation ID/Ex presented here. The existing situationers, though very limited in scope and sometimes gender insensitive/blind, are there. They are in the Programme Provincial Offices [PPOs], in municipal agriculture offices, in the Project Management Office [PMO], included in the Baseline Survey and small researchers conducted as part of the environmental scan of every UDP component. Community profiles could also be found in municipalities/barangays/sitios through the assigned technicians.
Methodology
Using the Harvard Analytical Framework, one of the first gender analysis models to be developed, attention is given on the activity profile of men and women, including those of children whether they are males and females, especially on their participation in
community organizations. Analysis is also focused on their access to and control of resources in the community and those that UDP brings. It tackles some influencing factors present and finally it will present gender issues that need to be addresses by programme interventions. These issues will give the implementors the gender content around which they address people-related problems cutting across different programme components.
This analysis does not anymore include the programme cycle analysis which would need a long-term and close attention. It will not look into the impact of women participation in UDP based on the pre and post programme projects and activities. These, however, could be done as an expansion of this GA.
A lot of documentary analysis was used. Programme documents, in the form of reports, researches and surveys, technical papers, the global and provincial workplans were looked closely into. Observation, interviews and informal talks with both programme implementors and beneficiaries were done in comparison with what have been established in materials of international, national and local circulation.
The Activity Profile and Analysis
This part of the paper generally answers the question ‘who does what?” but goes further to include ‘when/how often’ and ‘where’ by as many specific roles as necessary, such as those of young men/women. This provides the contextual data base or a picture of the general target communities with an analysis of relevant productive and reproductive activities. The reproductive activities here means more than those associated with procreating, including household activities related to family sustenance.
The Activity Profile
Here follows an activity profile of men and women in the upland communities covered by UDP. Major Community Activities Predominant Gender AM=Adult Male AF=Adult Female cm=child male cf=child female Usual Time/Duration Location
Productive Agriculture Land prepa- ation Planting/replan- ting Fertilizing Weeding Harvesting Cleaning Storing Selling of pro- duce Raising animals Growing vege- tables Income-Generation Working in farm- related activities, e.g. gathering/se- lling vegetables Working on non- farm activities, e. g. services to another person/s Crafts, e.g. mat wea-
ving Fishing
Selling of catch Others: store ten- ding, vending, AM, cm AM, AF, cm, cf AF AM, AF, cm, cf AM, AF AF AF, cm, cf AM, AF, cm AF, cm, cf AF, cm, cf AM, AF AF, cm, cf AF,cf AM, cm AF, cf A.M. or P.M. Whole day A.M. or P.M. Whole Day Whole day P.M P.M. A.M. or PM. Whole day -do- Whole day Mostly half-day, either A.M./P.M. Night/early A.M. Whole day Farm Farm Farm Farm Farm House/near House Home/near home Bar./town center Home/Near home Home yard/farm Others’ farms Others’ farms Others’ homes/places/sites Sea/shore Home/other places Reproductive Child care Care of the sick Family planning decisions Discipline of chil- dren Decision-making re school of chil- AF,cf AF,cf AM AM AM
Whole day & night -do- As needs arise As needs arise -do- Home, school Home, parents’ Home Home Home
dren Cooking Gathering fuel Fetching water Cleaning house Laundry + Iron- Ing AF, cf AF, cm, cf AM, AF, cm AF, cf AF, cf Whole day P.M.
Early A.M. & P.M. Whole day
A.M. & night
Home, farm Nearby places Nearby sources Home
Home, nearby water sources
Leisure
Rest before meals Gaming activities, e.g. cockfights Sports Listening to radio Watching TV Reading Movies in town/city Short travel Excursion Others AM, cm AM AM. Cm AM, AF AM, cm.cf AM, AF cm,cf AM AM, AF, cm, cf AM A.M./P.M. P.M. P.M. Night Night P.M. Sat./Sun -as needed- -as scheduled -- Home Where is Comm. Center Home Home Home, school Town plaza Wherever -do- Community Attending meetings Helping in common tasks, e.g. chapel building Assisting in church services Attending neighbors’ functions, e.g. wedding Top leadership in organization Middle/low in leadership in org. Plain membership AM, AF AM AF AM, AF AM AF AM, AF P.M., Night AM/PM P.M. P.M. & Night As needs arise As needed As needed Comm. Venues Identified places Church Neighbors’ homes Around community -do- In community
Table 1. Activity Profile
Women are in the productive, reproductive and community spheres. The normal productive-reproductive divide does not hold true to upland community members. Women in upland communities have triple burden, productive, reproductive and community.
Women have very little decision making in the reproductive sphere, her supposedly admitted domain. Men decisions in the reproductive sphere consist of major issues, which, if the line of thinking for the reproductive sphere has to be followed, should be the women’s because they concern her body.
The females have more of the reproductive activities. The principle of physical strength here is said to be observed. Because women are ‘weak’, they have to work on non-‘heavy’ things. Men are supposed to be physically strong so they have to work outside of the homes, work that are said to be ‘heavy and difficult and major as they are almost always monetized.
Women take almost all of reproductive activities. Here, the norms of which the transgression could involve prerogative appellations like “bayot or “bakla” work. Men have more of the leisure activities. There is a false notion that they need to
rest and relax after work. Their work are assumed to be heavy and valuable, hence, their relaxation is justifiable.
Women and girls do most of the home chores [considered not work] and other productive work done at or near the homes. It is because of their availability for household production owing to their relative home-boundedness.
Community-activitieswise, the women are in lower leadership roles. They tend to ‘bow’ to the headship of men as they ‘bow’ to their control at home.
Water-fetching and fuel gathering are done by more women. They are seen as woman’s activities because they have something to do with cooking, cleaning and laundry, considered basic women’s domains.
Women work long hours. Their time is almost double as that of the men. Their work is characterized by routine and unending repetition, activities that seem to be boring and non-challenging.
Most productive activities that are located far from home are men’s. This is said so because men should take difficult and far travels. Far locations will take women away from home, something that should not happen because there will be greater effect on the family.
The profile sees an overloaded upland woman in the home and work environment. She has very limited leisure time and minor decision-making in the family and for herself.
Access to and Control of Resources and Benefits
Upland community members need to be looked into in terms of access to and control of resources as well as benefits derived therein. Programme development and implementation have a lot to do with the resources in the environment and the extent to which they are utilized by the community members who should also benefit from them. Resources refer to anything that produces a stream of income and other benefits. They include factors of production, such as land, capital or credit and technology. Benefits, on
the other hand, pertain to income, food, social status, and other results of human activities and development efforts. Being able to avail oneself of or utilize a particular resource is associated with access.; the power or authority to decide about acquisition, use, allocation, and disposal of a resource or benefit denotes control. While access is open to all, control may be restricted to a few or only to men or only to women.
Resource/Benefit Access M=Predominantly Male F=Predominantly Female Fam=Family Control [Same as Access] Gender Gaps Resources Land Labor Capital Water Fuel Forest Marine resources Basic services Training Technology Customs Leadership Influence M M M F F M M M M/F M M M M M M M F F M M M M M M M M
Women are disadvantaged -do
-do
Men are recipients of benefits -do-
Women are disadvantaged -do- -do- -do- -do- -do- -do- -do- Benefits Income Food Improved Status Land rights Potable water Skills Savings Education Health Knowledge Home Appliances Clothing Others F Fam M M M M Fam F Fam Fam Fam Fam M F M M Fam M M F F F F Fam
Women are disadvantaged Everybody benefits Men enjoy earn the status Men have the power -do-
-do-
Customs have women as safe- Keeper.
Females are in good standing. Women have big role.
Women share more. The power is on women. Everybody gives and takes. Table 2. Resources and Benefits Profile
The males are dominating the access to as well as the control of resources. The women have both very little of the two.
Most benefits are probably evenly distributed to the members of the family. However, there are still many benefits that are not shared with the upland women. Because of the production-reproduction divide, the major resources are still
connected with men. The women accept their fate without question.
Access and control of resources associated with female activities consequently go to women. Very little control are on male-dominated activities.
Its good to note that women benefit much from education, health and other social advantages. Their being so contribute to the whole family as beneficiaries, at the end.
The access to and control of resources are anchored on the concept of entitlement. Farmers’ claims or entitlements to resources stem from birth [inheritance] or privilege and merit. . Such claims are protected by societal norms, legislations, institutions and other similar factors. The same norms, legislations and institutions, however, could restrict the entitlement of one group, vis-à-vis those of another. Agricultural laws, for example, protect the claims of big names against the reasons of the small farmer-producers. Another is the restriction imposed on women’s access to and control of key resources, e.g. credit.
While formal access to and control of resources might be restricted, there are informal means through which a group [women] can gain access to and control of resources. A problem arises when efforts- some, in the name of development- shut off these informal channels. A sensitivity to these informal sources and mechanisms is, thus, called for in the same manner that a sensitivity to the nature of women’s work
Influencing Factors Issues
