What is Gender Access and Control? Explained

Access and control can refer to a wide range of things, including but not limited to:

• Economic resources, such as income, property ownership, and access to credit
• Education: including access to schooling, quality of education, and access to higher education
• Political participation: including the ability to vote, run for office, and participate in decision-making processes
• Healthcare: including access to healthcare services and reproductive healthcare
• Social and cultural resources: such as social networks, cultural norms and values, and access to media and information

Gender access and control are often studied in relation to gender inequality, which refers to the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, and power between men and women. It is important to recognise that gender inequality is not just a women's issue but affects all genders, and that addressing it requires a commitment to social, cultural, and economic change.

The important characteristics of gender access and control include:

1. Gender-based power imbalances: Gender access and control are characterized by power imbalances that favor men over women and other marginalized genders. These power imbalances are rooted in patriarchal structures and beliefs that value masculine traits over feminine ones.

2. Intersectionality: Gender access and control are not experienced in isolation but rather intersect with other social identities such as race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality. Intersectionality recognizes that the experiences of gender access and control are different for individuals with different identities.

3. Historical and cultural context: Gender access and control are shaped by historical and cultural contexts that vary across time and place. For example, the roles and expectations of men and women in traditional societies are different from those in modern, industrialized societies.

4. Structural barriers: structural barriers such as discriminatory laws, policies, and practices limit the ability of marginalized genders to access resources and exercise control over their lives. These barriers are often deeply embedded in social and economic systems and can be difficult to overcome.

5. Agency and resistance: Despite facing structural barriers, individuals and communities can resist and challenge gender-based power imbalances through their agency and collective action. This resistance can take many forms, including social movements, advocacy, and community organizing.

6. Multiple forms of violence: Gender access and control are often accompanied by various forms of violence, including sexual violence, domestic violence, and harassment. These forms of violence serve to reinforce gender-based power imbalances and limit the ability of marginalized genders to access resources and exercise control over their lives.

There are several theories that explain gender access and control:

1. Feminist theory: feminist theory seeks to understand and dismantle gender-based power imbalances, including those related to access and control. It recognises the importance of gender as a social and cultural construct and highlights the ways in which gender intersects with other social identities such as race, class, and sexuality.

2. Intersectionality theory: Intersectionality theory recognizes that individuals experience gender access and control differently based on their intersecting social identities, such as race, class, and sexuality. It emphasises the importance of understanding and addressing multiple forms of oppression.

3. Social learning theory: Social learning theory posits that gender roles and expectations are learned through socialization processes. This theory suggests that individuals acquire gender-related beliefs and behaviors through observation, imitation, and reinforcement from others.

4. Human capital theory: Human capital theory suggests that individuals who invest in education and training are more likely to have access to higher-paying jobs and other resources, leading to greater control over their lives. However, this theory can overlook the ways in which structural barriers limit access to education and other resources.

5. Marxist theory: Marxist theory suggests that gender access and control are shaped by economic structures and class relations. This theory argues that capitalism reinforces gender-based power imbalances, as women and other marginalised genders are often relegated to lower-paying and lower-status jobs.

These theories provide different perspectives on gender access and control and highlight the complex ways in which gender intersects with other social and economic structures to shape individuals' lives.

There are many theorists who have contributed to our understanding of gender access and control. Here are a few of the most prominent:

1. Simone de Beauvoir: de Beauvoir was a French existentialist philosopher and author of the seminal work "The Second Sex" (1949). In this book, she argues that women are not born but rather made into a subordinate group through cultural and social practises that construct femininity as the "other" to masculinity.

2. Judith Butler: Butler is an American philosopher and author of "Gender Trouble" (1990). Her work challenges the idea that gender is a fixed, biological category and argues that gender is instead a social and cultural construct that is performed and repeated through language and other symbolic practices.

3. Patricia Hill Collins: Collins is an American sociologist and author of "Black Feminist Thought" (1990). Her work emphasises the importance of intersectionality in understanding gender access and control, arguing that because of their intersectional identities, Black women experience gender-based power imbalances differently.

4. Raewyn Connell: Connell is an Australian sociologist and author of "Masculinities" (1995). Her work emphasizes the importance of recognizing multiple masculinities rather than assuming that masculinity is a uniform category. She also emphasizes the need to challenge patriarchal structures that reinforce gender-based power imbalances.

5. Joan Acker: Acker was an American sociologist and author of "Gendered Organizations" (1990). Her work highlights the ways in which gender is embedded in organizational structures and practices and argues that organizations often reproduce gender-based power imbalances.

These theorists have made significant contributions to our understanding of gender access and control, and their work continues to be influential in contemporary scholarship and activism.

Here are some reading suggestions for further exploration of the topic of gender access and control:

1. "The Second Sex" by Simone de Beauvoir: This seminal work in feminist theory explores the cultural and social construction of femininity as the "other" to masculinity and argues for the importance of women's liberation from gender-based power imbalances.

2. "Gender Trouble" by Judith Butler: In this influential work, Butler challenges the idea of gender as a fixed, biological category and instead argues that gender is a social and cultural construct that is performed and repeated through language and other symbolic practices.

3. "Black Feminist Thought" by Patricia Hill Collins: This book highlights the importance of intersectionality in understanding gender access and control and argues that Black women experience gender-based power imbalances differently due to their intersectional identities.

4. "Masculinities" by Raewyn Connell: This book emphasizes the importance of recognizing multiple masculinities rather than assuming that masculinity is a uniform category. It also argues for the need to challenge patriarchal structures that reinforce gender-based power imbalances.

5. "Gendered Organizations" by Joan Acker: This book explores the ways in which gender is embedded in organizational structures and practices and argues that organizations often reproduce gender-based power imbalances.

These works are just a few examples of the vast scholarship available on the topic of gender access and control, and they provide a starting point for further exploration and analysis.