Glossary Term
Gender needs
The roles of men and women in existing societies and institutions are generally different. Thus, their needs vary accordingly. Two types of needs are usually identified practical needs and strategic needs. Practical needs arise from the actual conditions which women and men experience because of the gender roles assigned to them in society. Strategic needs are the needs required to overcome the subordinate position of women to men in society, and relate to the empowerment of women. They vary according to the particular social, economic, and political context in which they are formulated.