How To Be More Gender Sensitive?

Have you ever felt uncomfortable or offended when someone said something about your gender identity or how you act accordingly? Well, people may always cross lines about certain situations, maybe telling a stereotypical idea, being unaware of what terms they are using like using pronouns, and so on. Upon further reading this blog, you’ll be socially aware and learn how to be gender-sensitive so stick around and keep reading.

Before digging in about gender sensitivity, let’s remind you first about the basic terms we will be encountering. Gender is how you identify yourself inside and how you express this externally. It is different from sex, which is the biological distinction of a person. Gender identity is the personal sense of your own gender. And lastly, gender expression refers to how you express your gender identity through clothing, pronouns, names, etc. Gender sensitivity is a process in which people become aware of how gender influences their behavior in life by observing how they treat others. It’s a system wherein it aims to break discrimination and any other issues rooted in sexism. Discrimination is widely seen for generations and generations that are experienced by mostly women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We have experienced different forms of gender stereotypes and still experience them today. By being mindful of the people around us, how we treat them as humans, we won’t be experiencing hate and suffering. It’s a form of basic human decency when we are aware and sensitive enough with the people around us, about how they would feel if we ever go beyond the boundaries. What we want to imply is how to be MORE sensitive.

Breaking gender stereotypes.

To fight discrimination and stereotypes starts in teaching the younger ones what equality is. It begins with how their parents and other people around them treat other people. Upon seeing what our treatment of every individual should be regardless of their gender, they would also bring that principle until they grow up and won’t be seeing other people as inferior to them. For instance, teaching a little boy that women are not objects and they shouldn’t be treated as less than men, and teaching that not because a man is dressed feminine is he’s already gay and it shouldn’t be used as an insult. In this way, they’d grow up as an educated man and wouldn’t be an ally to the misogynist and patriarchal society.

This is not limited to educating the young ones but also other people that need enlightenment. It also may happen within our circle of friends, when someone isn’t aware that he’s following gender stereotypes. We can educate them for we just want what’s good for them because that’s what friends are for, right?

Having proper communication with other people

Word choice is very important in communication. For instance, when citing a situational example in a book, the pronouns he and his are the ones mostly used, even if there’s no context given about the person’s identity. Another case is when you see a woman, that doesn’t mean their pronouns are already she and her. There are people who prefer to be identified as either they, he, or she. When you don’t know what their pronouns are, you should kindly ask them or use they or them as a safe option. We should be mindful all the time of the words that spit from our mouths. Learn how to ask for you to be careful with what pronouns or words you will be saying and avoid offending someone. To remind you, there’s no harm in asking especially if you are really willing to be informed and learned about something.

Letting other people express themselves, free from judgments

You know that feeling of freedom when you are able to do the things you really want to do? Well, that doesn’t work for all of us. There are a lot of people who are scared enough to express themselves internally and externally because of what society might tell them. Connecting this principle to the first one, if we treat other people equally, we wouldn’t put ourselves in their businesses. Instead, we will let them and support them for the things they want to do in their lives. Let other people wear what they want. Say what they want. As long as they are not offending and violating someone’s feelings. In this way, people who can’t come out and shy enough to express themselves would be confident and show the world who they truly are. It has been long years since we are fighting and voicing out for equality. What people want is for us to treat each other equally and be sensitive enough about each ones’ feelings. To be gender-sensitive is important for us to have a better and peaceful environment. Imagine a world free from gender stereotypes and discrimination. It would be a happy place for everyone to love and express themselves freely, without society expecting and telling them what to do. So better start it within ourselves, learn how to be gender-sensitive after which you can educate other people around you.

There is a guy in every wo(man). Women are the light of society, just as our eyes are the light of our bodies. Without a woman, there is no creation of man. Women should be treated with respect and dignity as mothers and sisters, with all humility bestowed upon them. Men and women are two sides of the same coin in society. Women were deprived of their social, economic, and political status in the beginning. They were seen as a man's accessory and were always restricted to the home. As a result of this circumstance, the concept of Gender Sensitivity, which is defined as the ability to recognize gender issues as well as women's differing perceptions and interests as a result of their various social positions and gender roles. Gender sensitivity is frequently confused with gender awareness. However, it is the start of gender awareness, which is more analytical and critical, raises questions about gender discrepancies, and pushes people to take action to address gender issues. It maintains neutrality while giving equal weight to men and women. It also examines how men and women act and are treated, as well as how men and women perceive their roles. Advocacy, which is a conscientization approach aimed at raising people's awareness of the consequences of gender inequality and demanding that problems of gender discrimination be identified and addressed in-laws and programs, is also significant. It's not about pitting men against women when it comes to gender sensitivity. Gender-sensitive education, on the other hand, benefits both men and women. It assists students in determining which gender preconceptions are accurate and which are stereotyped generalizations. Gender awareness demands not only mental effort but also sensitivity and openness of mind.

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Written by Cerdeñola, Rianna Ferrice A., & Ercilla, Jamaica G.

Source(s):

Diversity and Inclusion, AHS. “Sexual Orientation and Gender”. MyHealth.Alberta.ca Network, 18 Dec. 2020, https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/gender-ID-expression-LGBTQ.aspx.

Zambon, Veronica. “What Are Some Different Types of Gender Identity?” Medical News Today, 6 Nov. 2020, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/types-of-gender-identity.