G

“Gaslighting involves (i) the attempt by the gaslighter to undermine his victim’s self-trust: her conception of herself as an autonomous locus of experience, thought, and judgment. The gaslighter's (ii) motivation is a strong desire to neutralize his victim’s ability to criticize him and to ensure her consent to his way of viewing things (specifically with regard to issues relevant to the relationship, perhaps in general), and thus to maintain control over her. The gaslighter (iii) pursues this goal by means of a strategy of manipulation, fabrication, and deception that (iv) specifically relies upon his victim’s trust in him as a peer or authority in some relevant sense.” [1]

Footnotes:

[1] Spear, A. D. (2018). Gaslighting, confabulation, and epistemic innocence. Topoi, doi:10.1007/s11245-018-9611-z

“Gender is based on the expectations and stereotypes about behaviours, actions, and roles linked to being a ‘man’ or ‘woman’ within a particular culture or society. The social norms related to gender can vary depending on the culture, and can change over time.

The gender binary influences what society considers ‘normal’ or acceptable behaviour, dress, appearance and roles for women and men. Gender norms are a prevailing force in our everyday lives. Strength, action, and dominance are stereotyp­ically seen as ‘masculine’ traits, while vulnerability, passivity, and receptiveness are stereotypically seen as ‘feminine’ traits. A woman expressing masculine traits may be chastised as ‘overly aggressive,’ while a man expressing ‘feminine’ traits may be labelled as ‘weak.’ Gender norms can contribute to power imbalances and gender in equality in the home, at work, and in communities.” [1]

Learn More:

• Issue: Gender Equality – Learning Network

Footnotes:

[1] The 519. (n.d.). The 519 glossary of terms. Retrieved from http://www.the519.org/education-training/glossary

“Gender equality means that women and men enjoy the same status and the same conditions in which to fully realize their human rights and their potential to contribute to national, political, economic, social, and cultural development, as well as to benefit from the results of that development. Gender equality means that society values the similarities and differences between women and men and the various roles they play.” [1]

[See for comparison: Gender Equity]

Learn More:

• Issue-Based Newsletter: Gender Equality – Learning Network Brief
• Issue-Based Newsletter: Gender Equity – Learning Network

Footnotes:

[1] Trépanier, E. & Bouchard, M. G. (2011). Promoting gender equality: From theory to practice.  A training kit for international cooperation organizations. Montreal, QC: Association Qébécoise des Organismes de Coopéraction Internationale. P. 162. PDF retrieved from: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwielfe5kfHiAhVPbKwKHabqAcYQFjAAegQIAhAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aqoci.qc.ca%2FIMG%2Fpdf%2Ftrousse_efh_vang.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0lHOB54Saz7MX2LlwsmzJr

“The process of being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, strategies and measures must often be available to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages that have kept women from enjoying equal opportunity. Equity contributes to equality.” [1]

Since “access to services, supports and opportunities and attaining economic, political and social fairness cannot be achieved by treating individuals in the same way” [2], “equity work analyses and challenges unfair systems and practices” and works towards creating outcomes and access that are fair for everyone. [2]

[See for comparison: Gender Equality]

Learn More:

• Issue-Based Newsletter: Gender Equality – Learning Network
• Issue-Based Newsletter: Gender Equity – Learning Network
  
  

Footnotes:

[1] Trépanier, E. & Bouchard, M. G. (2011). Promoting gender equality: From theory to practice.  A training kit for international cooperation organizations. Montreal, QC: Association Qébécoise des Organismes de Coopéraction Internationale. P. 162. Retrieved from www.aqoci.qc.ca/IMG/pdf/trousse_efh_vang.pdf

[2] The 519. (n.d.). Glossary of terms. Retrieved from http://www.the519.org/education-training/glossary

“An umbrella term sometimes used in place of ‘gender non-binary’ or ‘gender non-conforming’, to describe individuals with gender identities and expressions that expand and broaden definitions of cisnormative and gender normative identities.” [1]

Learn More:

• Issue-Based Newsletter: LGBTQ2S Youth, Violence, and Homelessness – Learning Network
• Issue-Based Newsletter: Intimate Partner Violence in Rainbow Communities – Learning Network
• Organization: The 519

Footnotes:

[1] Abramovich, Alex. (2019). Creating LGBTQ2S inclusive, affirming, and safe PiT counts. Retrieved from https://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/creating-lgbtq2s-inclusive-affirming-and-safe-pit-counts

“Gender-based harassment is one type of sexual harassment. Gender-based harassment is ‘any behaviour that polices and reinforces traditional heterosexual gender norms’.” [1,2]

“It is often used to get people to follow traditional sex stereotypes (dominant males, subservient females). It is also used as a bullying tactic, often between members of the same sex.” [1]

“Unlike some other forms of sexual harassment, gender-based harassment is not generally motivated by sexual interest or intent. It is more often based on hostility and is often an attempt to make the target feel unwelcome in their environment. In some cases, gender-based harassment may look the same as harassment based on sexual orientation, or homophobic bullying.” [1]

“The effects of sexual and gender-based harassment on young people may be particularly harsh. As well as feeling the effects listed above, they may back off from schoolwork and all school-related activities, they may skip or drop classes, or they may drop out of school entirely. They may also abuse drugs and/or alcohol to cope. In extreme cases, they may think about or attempt suicide.” [1]

Learn More:

• Fact Sheet: Policy on preventing sexual and gender-based harassment – Ontario Human Rights Commission

Footnotes:

[1] Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2013). Policy on preventing sexual and gender-based harassment. Retrieved from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-preventing-sexual-and-gender-based-harassment-0

[2] Elizabeth J. Meyer, “Gendered Harassment in Secondary Schools: Understanding Teachers’ (Non) Interventions,” Gender and Education, Vol. 20, No. 6, November 2008, cited in Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2013). Policy on preventing sexual and gender-based harassment. Retrieved from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-preventing-sexual-and-gender-based-harassment-0

Gender-based violence is a term that recognizes that violence occurs within the context of women’s and girl’s subordinate status in society and serves to maintain this unequal balance of power.

Gender-based violence is sometimes used interchangeably with “violence against women” although the latter is a more limited concept. The United Nations (UN) defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.” [1, 2]

The UN also notes that “While gender-based violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, some women and girls are particularly vulnerable - for instance, young girls and older women, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex, migrants and refugees, indigenous women and ethnic minorities, or women and girls living with HIV and disabilities, and those living through humanitarian crises.” [3]  The existence and impact of gender-based violence are therefore often interconnected with other systems of inequality and/or vulnerability. 

Learn More:

• Organization: World Health Organization
• Organization: Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children
• Organizations: Learning Network Provincial Advisory Group
• Issue-Based Newsletter: Sexual and Gender-based Harassment — Learning Network
• Issue-Based Newsletter: Gender Equality — Learning Network

Footnotes:

[1] United Nations. (1993). Declaration on the elimination of violence against women. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/ViolenceAgainstWomen.aspx

[2] United Nations. (n.d.). Violence against women. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations.

[3] United Nations. (n.d.). International day for the elimination of violence against women. United Nations.  Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday

“Gender Mainstreaming is a globally accepted strategy for promoting gender equality. Mainstreaming is not an end in itself but a strategy, an approach, a means to achieve the goal of gender equality. Mainstreaming involves ensuring that gender perspectives and attention to the goal of gender equality are central to all activities - policy development, research, advocacy/ dialogue, legislation, resource allocation, and planning, implementation and monitoring of programmes and projects.” [1]

Learn More:

• Issue-Based Newsletter: Gender Equality — Learning Network
• Resource: Gender Mainstreaming, Promoting Gender Equality — Comité québécois femmes et developement

Footnote:

[1] UN Women. (n.d.). Gender Mainstreaming. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/gendermainstreaming.htm

Gender-transformative approaches seek to challenge inequalities by transforming harmful gender norms, roles and relations while working towards equality and equity.

Gender-transformative approaches “address root causes to redress gender inequalities, remove structural barriers, and empower disadvantaged populations by making changes in law and policy; adapting and improving systems and services; distribution of resources, and changing negative or harmful norms and beliefs (including stereotypes), behaviours, and practices.” [1]

For instance, gender-transformative research “examines, questions and analyzes the underlying causes of gender inequalities and builds an evidence base to address them.” It also “provides space for women, men, and non-binary genders to learn. And it engages people across the socio economic spectrum to change the norms that enable inequalities.” [2]

Learn More:

• Backgrounder - Engaging Youth to Promote Healthy Masculinities and End Gender-Based Violence

Footnotes:

[1] Marcus, R. et al. (2022). Gender-Transformative Programming. UNICEF. Retrieved from

https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/media/43146/file#:~:text=A%20gender%2Dtransformative%20approach%20is,rights5%20and%20empowering%20disadvantaged%20populations.

“Deliberate decisions and actions made by one nation or group of people in order to eliminate, usually through mass murder, the entirety of another nation or group. The term has also been used to refer to the destruction of the culture of a people, as in cultural genocide.” [1]

Footnotes:

[1] Canadian Race Relations Foundation. (n.d.). CRRF glossary of terms. Retrieved from https://www.crrf-fcrr.ca/en/resources/glossary-a-terms-en-gb-1

“Grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.

Children and young people who are groomed can be sexually abused, exploited or trafficked.

Anybody can be a groomer, no matter their age, gender or race. Grooming can take place over a short or long period of time – from weeks to years. Groomers may also build a relationship with the young person's family or friends to make them seem trustworthy or authoritative.” [1]

Learn More:

• Backgrounder: Keep Children Safe from Online Sexual Exploitation & Abuse During the Pandemic – Learning Network

[1] National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. (n.d.) Grooming. Retrieved from https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/grooming/