Gender relations is a term used to describe the relationships between men and women in a particular society at the level of society, organisations, groups and individuals.
Gender relations reflect the normative understandings of the statuses and roles of women and men and their characteristics and behavioural differences that have developed in the society. For example, women are more likely to be in jobs of small importance and men in jobs of high responsibility, etc. The division of work that is important to society into paid and unpaid work, work done in the public and private spheres, and gender-based job allocation is one of the most important mechanisms shaping the relations of men and women today.
Gender relations in society are treated as normal and predetermined in almost all social institutions – the family, educational institutions, businesses and organisations, the media and entertainment and politics. Most societies have a hierarchical gender system – men and masculinity are valued more highly than women and femininity. This difference in valuation is reflected in the structure of society, language and mindsets. For example, the use of gender-specific words such as “chairman”, “fisherman”, “postman”, etc. implies that only men are suited to these roles and jobs.
If you feel that you’ve been treated unequally, please contact the Equality Commissioner by e-mail at avaldus@volinik.ee or telephone +372 626 9059. The anonymity of the person is guaranteed when contacting the Commissioner.
