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Towards Gender Equality In Kerala A Constitutional Promise

Towards Gender Equality In Kerala A Constitutional Promise. Social Justice Department. Gender Vs. Sex. Gender is about relationships between men and women

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Towards Gender Equality In Kerala A Constitutional Promise

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  1. Towards Gender EqualityIn KeralaA Constitutional Promise Social Justice Department

  2. Gender Vs. Sex • Gender is about relationships between men and women • A Social Construct dependent on culture, country, and time (Sati, Prohibition of Widow remarriage, and Married women could not own property in England in the 19th C) • Sex relates to biological differences • Differences not dependent on culture, country, and time • Female, Male, and Transgender • Differences that cannot typically be changed • Women have babies, men do not • Therefore, any gender policy must also recognize these differences

  3. Promise of Gender Equality • Article 14 of the Indian Constitution promises equality before the law • Article 15 prohibits any discrimination on grounds of sex, and supports necessary provisions to improve the status of women • Article 16 requires provides for equality of opportunity relating to employment to any office under the state • Several other provisions requiring policies that are inclusive and gender equal

  4. Why Does Gender Matter? • A just society where all are treated equally • 52% of Kerala population are women and you cannot leave them behind • 25% female headed households • Educate women and you reap significant Intra-generational benefits to household • More productive society where both women and men are participating or contributing to the economic growth of the country • If you do not pay attention to men, this can be another constraint • Inclusive Growth - More income to household

  5. ….progress in Kerala quite paradoxical Half Full Half Empty Low participation in the labor markets Gender-based violence on the rise Low voice and Participation • Highly progressive constitutional & legal framework • Gender parity in education or even a bias in favor of girls at the tertiary levels • Better health than in other states

  6. Translating Constitutional Commitments Requires… • A clear policy & a common vision of gender equality • Strategic and cohesive action plans at an entity level, aggregated to the state level • Allocating adequate finances for such an agenda • Capacity Development of all relevant stakeholders • Mainstreaming gender into the design of interventions or activities targeted to women • Systematic and regular monitoring of results • Policy makers revising policies periodically after assessing results

  7. Preparing a Gender Equality and Empowerment Policy Department of Social Justice Government of Kerala

  8. A Vision: What is Gender Equality? RESULTS FRAMEWORK FOR POLICY • Cross-cutting Issues include: • Justice • Capacity Development • Public-Private Partnerships • ICT

  9. Policy Objectives • Framework policy that will ensure that any policy, program or service supported by Government of Kerala will be gender aware and benefit both men and women equally or equitably • Objective: To achieve a just society where men and women have equal access to development opportunities, resources, and benefits and equal voice in key decision making that shape their lives, communities, and the state

  10. Policy Shift? • A focus on equality • Both women and men will be part of the equation • Focus will remain in the medium term on women’s empowerment to correct imbalance in Kerala, butPolicy Will Begin to bring men into the equation • Transformative research to understand male gender issues • Male and alcoholism (a health-cum gender problem) • Missing boys at the tertiary levels of education (education) • Gender Mainstreaming will get emphasis

  11. Twin Approaches • Gender Mainstreaming: • a gender analysisto understand differentiated impact on women and men, and • addressing in the design any gender-related adverse impacts • Monitoring result • Targeted interventions for women as needed • economic empowerment, capacity development, violence against women, better access to justice, etc..

  12. Machinery • Individual Departments will prepare action plans • Gender Advisory Committee, headed by Minister of Social Justice,will be revived to suprevise and monitor quality and implementation of action plans • Gender State Level Committee Nirbhaya State Level Committee could be reconstructed and expanded chaired by CM for overall guidance, support, and monitoring of state level progress on an annual basis

  13. Implications for DSJ • Establish a Monitoring and Evaluation System • Capacity Development of its own staff both to understand gender issues as well as to be able to vet proposals as they come and to provide support • Training of Trainers for other Departments

  14. Request for feedback • Are the objectives appropriate ? • Are all areas and dimensions related to development aspects covered adequately? • Comments on any weaknesses and how the policy can be strengthened? • Any other observations or suggestions?

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