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GCO621S - GENDER COMMUNICATION - 1ST OPP - NOVEMBER 2023 |
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r
n Am I BI A u n IVER s ITY
OF SCIEnCE Ano TECHnOLOGY
FACULTY OF COMMERCE, HUMAN SCIENCESAND EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION
QUALIFICATION: BACHELOR OF COMMUNICATION
QUALIFICATION CODE: 07BCMM
LEVEL: 6
COURSE CODE: GCO6215
COURSE NAME: GENDER COMMUNICATION
SESSION: NOVEMBER 2023
PAPER: 1 OF 1
DURATION: 3 HOURS
MARKS: 80
EXAMINER(S}
FIRST OPPORTUNITY EXAM PAPER
DR. W. NJUGUNA
MODERATOR:
DR. M. MHENE
INSTRUCTIONS
ANSWER THREE (3) QUESTIONS ONLY INCLUDING QUESTION ONE (1) WHICH IS COMPULSORY
1. Write clearly and neatly
2. Read all questions carefully
3. Number the answers clearly
THIS PAPER CONSISTS OF~ PAGES
(Including this cover page)
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SECTION A: COMPULSORY
QUESTION 1
Story - Opinion
[30 marks]
Read the story below entitled, Opinion - The plight of the boy child is in jeopardy. In view of our
understanding of the world where previously the girl child has been in jeopardy:
a} Write a not more than 300-word summary of the story that highlights five (5) key points that stand
out for you from the story and why they stand out for you. [10 marks]
b} With at least five (5} examples from Namibia and elsewhere, in view of what was learnt in class,
Namibia Gender Policy and SADC Protocol Barometer (2022}, SDG #5 and #10, discuss how the
plight of the boy child can be reversed in Namibia. [20 marks]
Opinion - The plight of the boy child is in jeopardy
2022-10-21 Staff Reporter
Salomo Ndeyamunye yaNdeshimona
In 1848, the first-ever liberal-infested convention on women's rights
was convened at Seneca Falls in New York.
This became the mother of many other conferences on women's rights,
such as Mexico in 1975, Copenhagen in 1980, Nairobi in 1985 and
Beijing in 1995.
These conferences bore many advantages toward equalising women -
and many more schemes and projects were later on initiated to favour
women in a so-called men-dominated world.
Programmes such as DREAM, Window of Hope and STEM, as well as
policies such as the infamous pregnancy policy in Namibian schools
were initiated to aid women.
Affirmative action was also enacted into our Namibian constitution.
Ministries, such as that of Gender, Equality and Child Welfare, were
born out of these conventions and conferences, which aimed at
addressing the plight of women in the world and making the world
feminine.
The world has been redesigned to favour the girl child and at the
disbursement of sidelining the boy child almost into extinction.
The boy child has become an endangered species, which was once most feared, respected and cherished since the beginning
of days - even the holy Bible. Societies have high expectations of the boy child.
A man is regarded as the breadwinner and head of the house. A man must provide for his wife, family and relatives. A man
must perform in bed - so many expectations have become a burden on the boy child. This has turned out to be a threat to the
boy child's life and his welfare. All these high expectations have led to the boy child reacting in a manner that has threatened
our societies.
The boy child is filling our prison cells because of his evil deeds. The boy child is raping, stealing and killing the female gender
as a reaction. His deserted psychological needs have led the boy child into suicide. It has been reported recently in news media
that about 790 suicides have been reported in Namibia between 2020 and 2021 Out of that number, 649 were men, which is
about 82%. The Namibian population is said to be short of the male gender, according to the 2011 census statistics already. If
you go into our psychiatric wards, prison cells, school dropout and unemployment rate, the boy child still outnumbers the girl
child.
Yet, society still expects him to provide and be magical.
When will our society look at all these statistics and act to say maybe we are neglecting the plight of the boy child? In the
animal kingdom, animals are said to react with a defence mechanism against the threat.
When, for instance, a snake feels threatened, it strikes in retaliation and defence ofitselfthen we call it a snake bite. What if
the boy child is stealing, killing and raping in defence against a threat to their life? I am not writing to condone killing, raping
or stealing by the boy child, but my wishes are to open society's eyes to a blind spot that none care to look at.
It is, therefore, in my submission to say it is time we practise social care, love, and cherish the boy child the same way they do
the girl child. It is time we look at his needs and create programmes that will advance the boy child not to react in the way
they are doing at the moment.
Every thiet: killer and rapist came from home; it is time that each household gives love to them. When they feel loved, they
are less likely to commit these heinous acts of ferociousness as society has seen recently.
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We should, however, be prepared to take the blame ifwe are to sit idle and pretend all is fine with the boy child- whilst at the
same time we leave him under a mountain of expectations.
We should have conferences and conventions to listen to the boy child if we are to solve all these so-called passion killing,
raping and all sorts of evil acts associated with the boy child.
Prayer alone cannot solve these problems for us, but action will. It is time the boy child stops being a school dropout, alcoholic,
drug addict and barbaric as we have come to label them.
This can only come to fruition if we start showing them that we care and love them, plus put the measure to advance their
plight as well, or else endangered species will continue to strike in defence against the attack we have left the boy child alone
to fend for self.
We must hug the boy child similarly as we hug the girl child; let us show them that we care for them as we care for the girl
child.
We shall motivate the boy child, advice, counsel and cherish them so that they too can feel our love as a society.
A pet hardly strikes the one who feeds and pats them.
https:// newe ralive. na/posts/ opinion-the-plight-of-the-boy-child-is-in-jeopardy
SECTION B
CHOOSE TWO QUESTIONS ONLY FROM THIS SECTION
QUESTION 2 SDGs, Namibia Gender Policy & SADC Gender Protocol Barometer
(25 marks]
Sustainable Development Goals number 5 (gender equality) and 10 (reducing inequality), SADC
Gender Protocol Barometer (2022) and Namibia Gender Policy highlight the need to promote greater
equality and social inclusion. With examples, from your own perspective, is gender equality
achievable? Highlight some of the challenges hindering the efforts towards equality, and suggest
possible interventions.
QUESTION 3
Interpersonal Theories of Gender
(25 Marks]
Three theories focus on interpersonal influences on the development of masculinity and femininity.
Define the three theories, then pick one of the theories and discuss how understanding it better can
be used to reduce/curb inequality in Namibia.
QUESTION 4
Solutions to GBV
(25 Marks]
In attempting to prevent sexual assault, educators, organisations, and others have often targeted
women, focusing on teaching women how to police their own behaviour (e.g., don't go out alone,
don't dress too provocatively).
a) Why would feminists criticise this approach? [10 marks]
b) What might be a more effective approach and why? [15 marks]
END OF EXAM - BESTOF LUCK
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