Sometimes, in social relations there is a sexual or gender division of labor, let's define each of them.
What does gender division of labor mean?
The division of labor refers to the way in which each society divides labor between men and women, girls and boys, according to socially established gender roles or those considered appropriate and appreciated by each sex.
Whoever plans a community intervention must know and understand the division of labor and the distribution of goods according to sex and age criteria for each community targeted by development interventions, according to UN Women.
Roles within the division of labor
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Productive roles: these are activities carried out by men and women to produce goods and services, whether for sale, exchange or to meet family subsistence needs.
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Reproductive roles: are activities necessary to ensure the reproduction of society's labor force, these include work in the home such as cleaning, cooking, having and raising children and caring for family members. These tasks are generally performed by women,
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Community-management role: these activities are mainly performed by women at the community level as an extension of their reproductive role to ensure the provision and maintenance of scarce resources for collective consumption, water, health care and education; this is voluntary work, often unpaid and performed in their free time.
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The political-community role: these are activities carried out mainly by men at the community level, often within the framework of national policies. This officially recognized leadership role may be directly remunerated or lead to an increase in power or status.
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The triple role: this refers to the fact that women tend to work longer and more fragmented schedules than men, as they tend to assume different roles: reproductive, productive and even community work.
Final thought
Do you identify with or have you played any of these roles? Have you observed them in your immediate environment? I invite you to identify which of the roles of the division of labor documented by UN women you notice most frequently in your immediate environment. Share in the comments and open the debate.
The idea in the search for a better world for all is to foster empowerment, which refers to the process by which both men and women take control of their lives, set their own agendas and acquire skills or are recognized for their own skills and knowledge.
By increasing their self-esteem, solving problems and developing self-esteem, this is a process and a result and you can be part of this process of change with daily actions.
Finally, take into account that the empowerment of women is key to the economies of countries, because gender equality in the economy refers to the full and equal enjoyment by women and men of their economic rights and prerogatives facilitated by policies and institutional environments and that much needed economic empowerment is also a pillar of gender equality and refers to both the ability to succeed and advance economically and the power to make economic decisions and act accordingly.
So empowering women economically is an essential right to achieve gender equality and broader development goals such as economic growth, poverty reduction, and improvements in health, education, and social welfare.
Contribution created by: Karla Lorena Cordón Trejo
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