...THE ROLE OF WOMEN by: Saiful007 The role of women in development is vital. However, it has changed somewhat over the years:Women are farmers and food providers - In some parts of the world, 80% of basic food is produced by women. In doing this, women contribute to national agricultural output, general environmental maintenance and, most importantly, family food security. They achieve this despite the unequal access to land, machinery, fertilisers etc. It has been claimed that if men and women had equal access to these resources, there would be substantial gains in agricultural output for both men and women, their families and their communities (ifpri.org). Women are business people and traders - Up to 40% of the world's labour force are women and this does not include the informal work carried out by women. More often than not, workers in factories, in the home, on the land and in the market place are women. Despite this fact, the majority of these women remain dependent on men due to lack of access to necessary resources such as capital or credit, household resources and due also to patriarchal practices and traditions (link to definition in HIV and AIDS glossary) including those that relate to the economic position of women. Women are heads of households - In both developed and developing countries there has been an increase in female-headed households due to male migration, high death rates due to conflict or illness and abandonment or separation. Although female heads...
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...Assignment: Role of Women in Fostering Development Research topic: Role of women in fostering development Introduction Women play a central role in the moral, physical and emotional development of any institution or individual. They play a key role in the eradication of socio-economic challenges such as hunger and poverty that hinder development in the society. Their contribution towards issues that concerning the family and the community at large have positively influenced the growth of development in the society. Women in the rural areas, for example, perform tasks that are not economically active but have great significance to the household at large. They play an important role in the translation of the agricultural produce from the farms into food and nutritional security for their families and the society. The World Bank forum of 2008 researched and concluded that if a woman had a stable income, she would use it on food and nutritional requirement for her family (World Bank, 2008). Women face many challenges that hinder their efforts of becoming champions of development, For example, they lack access to decent work that could assist them in improving their socio-economic circumstances and welfare. Most women are self-employed which means that they earn low wages. The society, therefore, suffers huge economic and social costs due to the inefficiency of the women caused by lack of income that in turn causes slow rural development (Lois and Annette...
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...Women’s Role in Economic Development: Overcoming the Constraints BACKGROUND RESEARCH PAPER Sarah Bradshaw, Joshua Castellino and Bineta Diop Submitted to the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda This paper reflects the views of the author and does not represent the views of the Panel. It is provided as background research for the HLP Report, one of many inputs to the process. May 2013 Women’s role in economic development: Overcoming the constraints Background paper for the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Prepared by Dr. Sarah Bradshaw, Principal Lecturer, Middlesex University with Dr. Joshua Castellino and Ms. Bineta Diop, Co-Chairs of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Thematic Group on the “Challenges of Social Inclusion: Gender, Inequalities and Human Rights” 20 May 2013 1 1. Introduction This short paper aims to highlight the important role women have and can play in economic development. It addresses three questions: what is the evidence base to support investing in women? What are the current constraints on realising the full potential of women in the process of economic development? What are the priority areas of intervention necessary to unblock these constraints? It is focussed on women and on economic development, rather than on the wider issue of gender and development. However, before looking at the evidence base, constraints, and interventions, it will provide a brief context...
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...What is the role of women in fostering development? Discuss the influence of gender on household expenditure, human capital and policymaking. (word limit : 1500) Women paly an immense role in development, be it physical, moral or emotional development. Their role in eradicating hunger and poverty and development and current challenges is becoming very crucial (EGM, 2011) as is evident from the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2012, who prioritized their theme on these key areas. They contribute in a multitude of ways to ensure their family and society is brought out of poverty. Many of the activities performed by the rural women are not identified as “economically active employment” in the national accounts but are important and essential for their households (FAO, 2011). They constitute a major share of labor on the family farms (UNIFEM, 2005). Prominent gender inequalities often keep then from enjoying their social and economic rights. Access to decent work, which they could use in turn to leverage upon to improve their socio-economic condition, is limited too for them (FAO/IFAD/ILO, 2010b). As a result of this a huge social and economic cost is imposed on the society and it also tends to impede the process of rural development with problems that include lags in agricultural produce (EGM, 2011). They play an important role in translating the agricultural produce into food and nutrition security and also for the well being of their families...
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...Women in Development (WID) Theoretical Approach The term “women and development” was originally coined by a Washington-based network of female development professionals in the early 1970s[3] who sought to put in question the trickle down theories of development by contesting that modernization had identical impact on men and women.[4] The Women in Development movement (WID) gained momentum in the 1970s, driven by the resurgence of women's movement in northern countries, whereby liberal feminists were striving for equal rights and labour opportunities in the United States.[5] Liberal feminism, postulating that women's disadvantages in society may be eliminated by breaking down stereotyped customary expectations of women by offering better education to women and introducing equal opportunity programmes,[6] had a notable influence on the formulation of the WID approaches, whereby little attention was given to men and to power relations between genders.[5] The translation of the 1970s feminist movements and their repeated calls for employment opportunities in the development agenda meant that particular attention was given to the productive labour of women, leaving aside reproductive concerns and social welfare.[5]Yet this focus was part of the approach pushed forward by advocates of the WID movement, reacting to the general policy environment maintained by early colonial authorities and post-war development authorities, wherein inadequate reference to the work undertook by women...
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...the view that Gender and Development (GAD) initiatives are more desirable than Women in Development (WID) endeavours. The Gender and Development (GAD) approach was developed as a response to the failure of WID projects to effect qualitative and long-lasting changes in women’s social status. GAD focuses on social, economic, political and cultural forces that determine how men and women participate in, benefit from, and control project resources and activities differently. This approach shifts the focus from women as a group to the socially determined relations between women and men. The GAD approach promotes a development process that transforms gender relations in order to enable women to participate on an equal basis with men in determining their common future. The emphasis has shifted to the more strategic needs of women, leading to a sharpening of the gender focus of preparatory analysis. Although the approach emphasizes the importance of women’s collective organization for self empowerment, the target groups are still primarily women. Unlike the GAD initiatives, WID policies and interventions have, in the main, concentrated on women’s productive work. The failure to make an explicit link to women’s reproductive work has often added to women’s workload. Gradually, it was recognized that an approach that focused on women in isolation was inadequate and not sustainable because it did not take into account the overall project objectives or integrate women fully into their implementation...
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...Gender and development- historical background ‹ Definitions up Mainstreaming gender throughout the Project Cycle Management (PCM) › Gender and development- historical background The United Nations Charter of 1945 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 established the first official worldwide recognition of women’s equality and non-discrimination on the basis on sex. However up until the late 1960’s the focus was on women’s reproductive roles, as women were seen as wives and mothers and their main issues were supposed to be obtaining access to food, contraceptives, nutrition and health care. The 70’s and 80’s marked a new phase in which the debate moved beyond women’s equality and the domestic sphere of women’s role as wives and mothers onto the global stage where the role of women was promoted as an aid for economic development. The important events such as the First World Conference for Women held in Mexico 1974, the UN decade for women “76-85” and the promotion of the Women In Development (WID) approach emphasised women’s right to development, recognition of women’s economic role in national economies and, most significantly, gave a voice to women in developing countries. Some of the shortcoming of the approaches such as the WID applied in the 70’s were that they fell short of improving unequal relationships, and a significant number of projects were unsustainable as development projects failed to consider the multiple roles carried out by women, leading...
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...Women in development (WID)[edit] Theoretical approach The term “women and development” was originally coined by a Washington-based network of female development professionals in the early 1970s[3] who sought to put in question the trickle down theories of development by contesting that modernization had identical impact on men and women.[4] The Women in Development movement (WID) gained momentum in the 1970s, driven by the resurgence of women's movement in northern countries, whereby liberal feminists were striving for equal rights and labour opportunities in the United States.[5] Liberal feminism, postulating that women's disadvantages in society may be eliminated by breaking down stereotyped customary expectations of women by offering better education to women and introducing equal opportunity programmes,[6] had a notable influence on the formulation of the WID approaches, whereby little attention was given to men and to power relations between genders.[5] The translation of the 1970s feminist movements and their repeated calls for employment opportunities in the development agenda meant that particular attention was given to the productive labour of women, leaving aside reproductive concerns and social welfare.[5] Yet this focus was part of the approach pushed forward by advocates of the WID movement, reacting to the general policy environment maintained by early colonial authorities and post-war development authorities, wherein inadequate reference to the work undertook by...
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...ATHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT [HANTH 107] INTRODUCTION Defining Key Concepts Gender is not about women as most people think. Gender is about both men and women. Gender is a set of characteristics distinguishing between male and female, and is a result socio – cultural construction, it describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. Thus the term gender has social, cultural and attitudinal connotations. Gender is a set of characteristics distinguishing between male and female, and is a result socio – cultural construction, it describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. Thus the term gender has social, cultural and attitudinal connotations. Sex on the other hand refers to the biological differences in chromosomes, hormonal profiles as well as internal and external sexual organs or genitalia.The term sex since classical times has been used to designate matters related to biological and anatomical makeup of a person. Thus while ones’ sex as male or female is a biological and universal fact that is however not the same with gender since sex is tends to be similar across all cultures while gender varies one society to another. Sex relates to the biological characteristics that categorise someone as either female or male; whereas gender refers to the socially determined ideas and practices of what it is to be female or male. Patriarchy - Systemic societal structures that institutionalise...
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...Theories of Development-Empowerment a)WID,b)WAD,c)GAD Ever since the formation of the United Nations Commission on the Status for Women in 1946, it had been proposing a U. N. Women’s Conference with little success. Gradually with pressure from the American Women‟s Movement, the U.N. General Assembly declared 1975 as the International Women’s Year and 1975-1985 as the International Decade for Women. This declaration led to a growing awareness of women‟s issues and an acceptance of their demands as legitimate issues for policy making, both at the national and international level. The major themes of the International Women’s Year and Conference were-- Equality, Development and Peace. Equality, however, had been a dominant issue for the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and it came primarily from the feminist movement of the Western industrialized nations. Peace was increasingly considered to be a women issue by the countries of the Eastern block. Development, on the other hand, was a recent issue put forward mainly by the newly independent “Third World” nations as a key to improving women’s lives. During the Decade, the important but previously invisible role of women in the social and economic development of the poorer countries was highlighted. The declaration of the International Decade for Women (1975-85) signified the new visibility of Women in Development (WID) in international forums. During the past few years, the term "women in development" has become...
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...Women in development (WID) is an approach to development projects that emerged in the 1970s, calling for treatment of women's issues in development projects. Later, the Gender and development (GAD) approach proposed more emphasis on gender relations rather than seeing women's issues in isolation.[1] Ever since the First World Conference on Women in Mexico City in 1975, approaches to «women's issues» have changed considerably. Development agencies, including FAO, first advocated the Women in Development (WID) approach, which was useful in making the importance of women's productive work more clearly visible, as well as in recognizing women's essential role in development. This approach focused on using development resources to improve women's conditions, for example through projects for women. However, the WID approach tended to focus solely on women as a separate, homogeneous entity and to ignore the basic structure of the unequal relations between women and men. Because it failed to take into account the wider social and economic context, WID often ignored the issues of how men might be affected and how important gender interactions are. | Over time, WID evolved into Gender and Development (GAD), which focuses on analysing the roles and responsibilities that are socially assigned to women and men, the social relations and interactions between women and men, and the opportunities offered to one and the other. The GAD approach defines gender and the unequal power relations between...
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...business organizations and public administration has received increasing attention in both the academic literature and the popular press. The question has been whether greater participation of women in boards, top management and even in the political arena can be directly associated to better financial performance in an organization and on a macro level that participation at all levels impact positively on the economy. The mandate to coordinate policy formulation and integration in Kenya in regards to gender has been given to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development. Various policy documents have been prepared towards finding a lasting solution to the issue of gender disparities in the work place. The National Commission on Gender and Development (NCGD) has been operational since 2004 and was formulated to enable the Ministry to carry out its mandate. Its mandate includes legal reform, advocacy, providing advice on gender issues to government and coordinating the various government agencies’ efforts on gender issues. A survey carried out by Business Woman Magazine (2008) shows that the public sector has a higher number of women in executive level positions than the private sector. Although the public sector has very few senior level female employees, there are more women at the executive level positions than in the...
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...Report No 55 Gender and Development: Concepts and Definitions Prepared for the Department for International Development (DFID) for its gender mainstreaming intranet resource by Hazel Reeves and Sally Baden February 2000 BRIDGE (development - gender) Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex Brighton BN1 9RE, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1273 606261 Fax: +44 (0) 1273 621202 Email: bridge@ids.ac.uk Website: http://www.ids.ac.uk/bridge/ © Institute of Development Studies ISBN 1 85864 381 3 Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 2. Quick Definitions ................................................................................................... 2 3. Detailed Explanations and Further Reading ....................................................... 4 Culture ..................................................................................................................... 4 Gender Analysis ...................................................................................................... 6 Gender Discrimination ............................................................................................. 7 Gender Division of Labour....................................................................................... 8 Gender Equality and Equity................................................................................... 10 Gender Mainstreaming ................
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...DISCUSS THE WOMEN’S ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIETY YOU LIVE IN. INTRODUCTION Women are the inherent part of our society and it cannot be neglected due to their less power and authority .They are created as a companion for men and men have to make her walk with them in their course of life. In my society ,women play the role as a mother ,a sister ,and a wife. They play the roles with great responsibilities in upbringing of a healthy solid society ,but she is in our so-called modern world ,still living in chains. This essay will discuss ways in which a role of women in the development is very important in the society that we live in. To begin with,the basic unit of society is a woman .As a woman makes a family, family makes a home and home makes a society. We all know that without education, no development is possible .Therefore we have forgotten that the very first and best school of a child is its mother’s lap. A good healthy society doesn’t automatically emerge on its own or stands firm but it need to emerge and for its emergence, women play a pivotal role. From behavioral to health education women have their hands in, it’s a woman who teaches how to speak and how to deal with different kinds of people .These are the basic of a good society and women are the contribution in building a good society in the development. To add on, women are an important element in our society .As a woman and as a mother, her role in the development of the emotional...
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...Gender is defined by FAO as ‘the relations between men and women, both perceptual and material. Gender is not determined biologically, as a result of sexual characteristics of either women or men, but is constructed socially. It is a central organizing principle of societies, and often governs the processes of production and reproduction, consumption and distribution’ (FAO, 1997). Development is a process of structural societal change. Thomas (2000, 2004) refers to this meaning of development as a process of historical change. The essay shall look at Women in Development, Women And Development and Gender And Development and give their contributions to development as well as their strengths and limitations. The term "women in development" came into use in the early 1970s, after the publication of Ester Boserup's Women's Role in Economic Development (1970). Boserup was the first to systematically delineate on a global level the sexual division of labour that existed in agrarian economies. The Women in Development concept is based on a recognition of the importance of the roles and status of women in development process. It is meant to give special attention to the women's role, while extending development assistance. For the effective and efficient implementation of assistance, it is essential to ensure that the women should have the opportunities to participate positively as important players in development process. Such enlargement of opportunities will also pave the way for...
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