Glossary Term
Gender discrimination
Based on the belief that one sex is superior to the other and that the superior sex has endowments, rights, prerogatives, and status greater than those of the inferior sex. Gender discrimination results from a complex set of interacting causes. Women’s rights are often violated because of some religious texts and teachings, cultural and traditional practices, and because of the differences in education (in certain contexts, women and girls are less educated than men and boys). Gender discrimination against women can also be legitimized through national laws such as rights to inherit land and needing permission from male relatives to travel, for example.