Gender sensitization is the process teaching of gender sensitivity and encouragement of behavior modification through

raising awareness Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause or ...

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

concerns. In other words, it is the process of making people aware of

or the lack of to the need to eliminate

gender discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is in ...

. It involves understanding and challenging the existing gender roles,

stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

s, and

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is inaccurate, closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individ ...

es that are prevalent in society. Gender

sensitization Sensitization is a non-associative learning process in which repeated administration of a stimulation, stimulus results in the progressive amplification of a response. Sensitization often is characterized by an enhancement of response to a whole ...

aims to create a more equal and just society where individuals are not discriminated against based on their gender. The goal of gender sensitization is to address issues in gender equality and encourage participants to pursue solutions. This can be achieved by conducting various

campaigns, training center's, workshops, programs, etc. In the domain of

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and

Social Sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

, sensitization is seen as an awareness-informed propensity or

disposition A disposition is a quality of character, a habit, a preparation, a state of readiness, or a tendency to act in a specified way. The terms dispositional belief and occurrent belief refer, in the former case, to a belief that is held in the mind b ...

which aims at changing behavior so that it is sensitive to certain issues. Gender sensitization may be seen as "the awareness informed propensity to behave in a manner which is sensitive to gender justice and gender equality issues." It is interlinked with

gender empowerment Gender empowerment is the empowerment of people of any gender. While conventionally, the aspect of it is mentioned for empowerment of women, the concept stresses the distinction between biological sex and gender as a role, also referring to othe ...

. Gender sensitization theories claim that modification of the behavior of

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and parents (etc.) towards children which can have a causal effect on gender equality. This is because

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...

and

gender role A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...

s begin to develop in children at the age of 2–3 years old. Gender sensitizing "is about changing behavior and instilling

empathy Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. There are more (sometimes conflicting) definitions of empathy that include but are ...

into the views that we hold about our own and the other genders." It helps people in "examining their personal attitudes and beliefs and questioning the 'realities' they thought they know. Gender sensitization can be achieved through various means, including education, training, and awareness-raising campaigns. It can be integrated into school

curricula In education, a curriculum (; : curriculums or curricula ) is the totality of student experiences that occur in an educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experi ...

, workplace policies, and community programs. The aim is to create a culture where individuals are aware of gender issues and actively work towards gender equality. Overall, gender sensitization is an essential aspect of creating a more equal and just society, where individuals are not discriminated against based on their gender. It is crucial to promote

and challenge

gender stereotypes A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...

and biases to create a world where all individuals have equal opportunities to succeed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gender Sensitization Gender equality Feminist terminology