Gender sensitivity

Gender sensitivity (성인지/性認知) means the attitude or inclination toward gender equality of a society, government policy, etc.

For example, in 1995, United Nations Development Program introduced the gender-related Development Index (GDI) in its Human Development Report to add a gender-sensitive dimension to the Human Development Index (HDI). The GDI is defined as a “distribution-sensitive measure that accounts for the human development impact of existing gender gaps in the three components of the HDI”. Distribution sensitive means that the GDI takes in to account not only the average or general level of well-being and wealth within a given country, but focuses also on how this wealth and well-being is distributed between different groups within society.

In Korea, gender equality (양성평등/兩性平等) has been stipulated by law so as to promote gender sensitivity. The competent authority is the Ministry of Equal Gender and Family (MOEGF, 여성가족부/女性家族部), representing "equal gender" in its name and championing the so-called "gender sensitive policy" (성인지정책/性認知政策) as illustrated below.

Contrary to the deep-rooted traditional notion that "women are inferior to men" (predominance of men over women, 남존여비/男尊女卑), nowadays Korean women including President Park Geun-hye, LPGA champion Pak Seri, figure skater Kim Yuna, Hyundai Group CEO Hyun Jeong-eun, Gachon University President Lee Gil-Ya, and others have cut conspicuous figures in every sector of the Korean society.

Key words
gender sensitive, predominance of men over women, gender equality, GIA, gender role

Gender Sensitive Policy
According to the above-mentioned MOEGF website, each gender has different experiences in the society, and also holds different social and economic positions. The gender sensitive policy reflects the characteristics and differences of the gender so that the effect of the policy will be shown as the gender equality in the society.

As the policy takes considerations on many social classes and regional factors including metropolitan, agricultural districts, workers, and the disabled, the gender sensitive policy uses the gender itself as an important criteria in evaluating and comparing the present situation.

"Gender impact assessment" (GIA, 성영향평가) is referred to as a policy tool to support the formation of the gender sensitive policy, while other countries uses the name 'Gender analysis', or 'Gender equality analysis'. The budget for the gender sensitive policy will be allotted if this policy tool (Gender impact assessment) is applied for the business of national finance.

In order to promote the gender impact assessment, the system to generate the statistics of sex (gender sensitivity) must be established to be utilized as the basic data for analysis. According to the law, the public institutions that produce statistics from Framework Act on Women's Development (여성발전기본법) and national laws of statistics can only produce the statistics regarding gender.

Biological Sex
Biological sex is related to the characteristics of body such as chromosomes, reproduction, hormone, and other physiological conditions, and those biological characteristics divide human beings into female and male from the moment of birth.

Biological sex is natural and permanent. However, in society, the biological differences often tend to define the social position or  capability of male and female.

Social Gender
"Social gender" compared with "Biological sex", is relatively a new idea. At the 4th UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, the procedures to include the word "Social gender" in a code of conduct were so controversial to result in the amendment of page 31. Social gender is not decided by biological factors, but by social, cultural, and psychological characteristics that are formed within the society.

In public and private areas, some roles and responsibilities are given and expected from  female and male. Social gender includes not only roles, attitudes, and behaviors expected by females and  males, but also unequal relationships between males and females. Duties, roles and functions performed by males are evaluated higher than those by females. Males are considered as the standard of the whole society, which affects the policies and social systems and reproduces the inequality between males and females without intention.

Gender Role
Gender role means the attitude and behavior of males and females that are considered 'desirable' in society. In many societies, males are considered independent and objective, while females are considered compromising and patient, and have grown up and been encouraged to show more dependent and emotional aspects.

Almost every society has the prejudice that males are leaders and productive workers to take care of family, and females are wives and mothers as a supporter. However, the notion of gender role is educated through socialization, so it varies according to society, culture, social class, age, and era.

Gender Needs
It is necessary to be more sensitive to the gender needs in order to form the policy toward gender sensitivity. Gender needs are divided into practical needs and strategical needs.

Practical needs are short-term and immediate needs, and come from traditional gender roles. For example, installation of water supply and drainage required for households, maternity protection, childcare facilities,and mastering skills. Even if these requirements are fulfilled, the unequal relationships between males and females will not be improved.