MODULE 6:
HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER
EQUALITY AND EQUITY
In this module, you will be able to:
explain human rights and its core characteristics/principles
and categories
recognize that there is an international consensus on
human rights
discuss the difference between sex and gender and the
circumstances that lead to gender roles and stereotypes;
and
promote awareness of human rights, gender equality, and
equity in communities
I. Human Rights
All human possess basic freedoms or liberties called human
rights.
According to the United Nations (UN 2009,1998), human
rights refers to basic standards or fundamental freedoms and
liberties inherit or inalienable to all human beings – whatever
their race, sex, gender, social class, age, disability, religion,
political affiliation, creed, or other characteristics of
background or group membership.
Human rights are universal and non-discriminatory,
inalienable, interconnected and indivisible.
Core Characteristics/Principles
Universal and nondiscriminatory
- human rights apply equally to all people because everyone
is born free and equal in dignity and rights. Inalienable
- Human rights are innate to all human beings and cannot be
traded for something else or be taken away. Interconnected
and indivisible
- All human rights must be realized together and no right can
be prioritize over another.
Major Categories
1. Civil Rights – include the right to life, and personal
security; the right to be equal before the law; the right to
be protected from arbitrary arrest; the right to the due
process of the law; the right to a fair trial; the right to
practice religious freedom and worship. Also, the right
of every child to be registered and to have a name and a
nationality.
2. Political Rights – guarantee an individual’s involvement
to public affairs, which include the right to speech and
expression, the right to assembly and association, and
the right to vote and participate in political affairs.
Major Categories
3. Economic Rights – include the right to work and fair
salary; the right to from trade unions and free associations;
and the right to social security, including social insurance.
4. Social Rights – include the right to a family; the right to
health and well-being; the right to leisure time; and the
right to enjoy the wildest possible protection and
assistance for the family, especially for mothers, children,
and young persons.
5. Cultural rights – include the right to the benefits of
culture; the right to indigenous land, rituals, and shared
cultural practices; the right to speak one’s own language;
and the right to “mother tongue” education.
II. International Bill of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR),
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) are collectively referred to as the
International Bill of Human Rights (IBHR), and they contain a
broad and ample list of human rights that signatory
governments are obliged to respect, protect, and fulfill.
• Respect – people must not be deprived or interfered in the exercising
their rights.
• Protect – private actors must be prevented from violating the rights of
others.
• Fulfill – positive actions must be taken in order to facilitate the
enjoyment of basic human rights.
II. International Bill of Human Rights
United Nations’ Abbreviated 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Basic Principles (Articles 1 – 3) Article 7: Right to equality before the law
Article 8: Right to remedy by competent
Article 1: Right to equality
tribunal
Article 2: Freedom from Article 9: Freedom from arbitrary arrest
discrimination and exile
Article 3: Right to life, liberty, and
Article 10: Right to fair public hearing
personal security
Civil and Political Rights Article 11: Right to be considered innocent
(Articles 4 – 21) until proven guilty
Article 12: Freedom from interference with
Article 4: Freedom from slavery privacy, family, home and
correspondence
Article 5: Freedom from torture and Article 13: Right to free movement in and out
degrading treatment of the country
Article 6: Right to recognition as a Article 14: Right to asylum in other countries
person before the law from persecution
II. International Bill of Human Rights
Article 15: Right to nationality and Article 23: Right to desirable work and join
freedom to change it trade unions
Article 16: Right to marriage and
Article 24: Right to rest and leisure
family
Article17: Right to own property Article 25: Right to adequate living standard
Article 18: Freedom of belief and
Article 26: Right to education
religion
Article 19: Freedom of opinion and Article 27: Right to participate in the
information cultural life of the community
Concluding Articles (Articles 28 – 30)
Article 20: Right of peaceful
assembly and association Article 28: Right to social order that
articulated this document
Article 21: Right to participate in Article 29: Community duties essential to
government and in free free and full development
elections Article 30: Freedom from state and
personal interference in the
Article 22: Right to social security
above rights
III. Sex and Gender
Sex refers to the biological and physiological differences
between male and females that are determined by nature.
Gender refers to the set of social norms, practices, and
institutions that regulate the relations between men and
women, which vary and change across cultures and time
(UN 2008).
III. Sex and Gender
An example of gender socialization is assigning the color
blue for the boys and pink for the girls, or boys given
robots and girls given dolls to play.
Traditional Gender Stereotypes
Masculine Feminine
Adventurous, Aggressive, Home-buddy, Shy, Weak,
Strong, Rough, Impatient, Gentle, Tolerant, Emotional,
Rational, Intelligent, Self- Intuitive, Altruistic/Caring,
centered/Egoistic, Ambitious, Satisfied, Submissive
Authoritative
III. Sex and Gender
Division of Gender Roles and Labor Based on Gender Stereotypes
Male Female
Chef, Policeman, President, Cook, Metermaid, Secretary,
Professor, Leader, Doctor, Teacher, Servant,
Executive Work, Businessman, Nurse/Pharmacist, Clerical
Public Servant, Athlete, Work, Employee, Home
Construction Worker, Father as Servant, Sports
Ultimate Provider, Chivalrous Spectator/Fan, Domestic
Knight in Shining Armor Worker, Mother as Care
Giver, Beautiful Damsel in
Distress
IV. Awareness of Human Rights,
Gender Equality and Equity
The respect, protection, and fulfillment of human rights have
become an indicator for political performance and governance at
home and abroad. It has also become the process to achieve
human development.
• Many countries still have discriminatory laws and policies that
prohibit women from equal access to land, property, housing, and
inheritance.
• Despite some progress in women’s wages in the 1990s, women
still earn less than men, even for similar work. Economic and
social discrimination results to fewer and poorer life choices for
women.
• Gender-based violence, such as domestic violence and rape results
to women’s death disability.
• Worldwide, women are twice more likely to be illiterate than men.
IV. Awareness of Human Rights,
Gender Equality and Equity
Gender equality, according to the International Labour
Office (ILO), entails the freedom of human beings – both
men and women – to develop their personal abilities and
make choices without limitations set by gender
stereotypes, rigid gender roles, and prejudices.
Gender equity, on the other hand, means fairness of
treatment for men and women according to their
respective needs (ILO 2007).
IV. Awareness of Human Rights,
Gender Equality and Equity
To illustrate the difference between the two terminologies,
consider the following examples:
Gender equality requires both men and women to have
access to public health care.
Gender equity comes in term of the specific public health
care services that women and men are able to avail.
For example, when giving vitamin supplements, gender
equity requires women to be given more of iron and folic
supplements than men, since women need such
supplements more due to their menstrual cycles and
childbearing capacity.
