WOMEN, GENDER & DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE

WOMEN, GENDER & DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE 10.04.2012 Dr Riffat Haque

Women triple roles • Reproductive: child bearing/rearing & domestic tasks and maintenance of the labor force. • Productive: work which bring cash and subsistence/ home production, farm or wage work. • Community: community work which is an extension of their reproductive role. Which is voluntary & unpaid such as education, health, water. (men’s contribution has status, wages, and power)

Concepts of Gender analysis for planning • 1. Practical gender needs: related with women’s socially accepted roles. - Identified by women themselves & or government • It does not challenge the gender division of labor or women’s subordinate positions. • PGN are related with immediate perceived necessity often concerned with inadequacies such as water, health care, employment, housing…

2. Strategic gender needs related with women’s subordinate position in the society. - Related with particular social, cultural context & nature of woman and man relationship • It can vary according to particular context i.e. related to gender division of labour, power and control__ legal rights, domestic violence, equal wages ... • SGN changes existing roles, challenges women’s subordination, helps women to gain equality. • Feminists concern for bottom up struggle- the ‘women’s real interests’.

THREE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT • WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT • WOMEN & DEVELOPMENT • GENDER &DEVELOPMENT

POLICY APPROACHES IN DEVELOPMENT • Since 1950’s – shifts in policy approaches M. Buvinic (1980’s)-----Caroline Moser (1995) • WELFARE APPROACH • EQUITY APPROACH • ANTI-POVERTY APPROACH • EFFICIENCY APPROACH • EMPOWERMENT APPROACH

WELFARE APPROACH • 1950-1970 • Social Welfare continued from the colonizers. • Pre WID Approach • Accelerated economic growth/Moderanization • To bring women in development so that they are better mothers- the most important role of child rearing. • To meet PGN of mothers reproductive role such as; food, malnutrition, family planning • Women seen as passive beneficiaries. • Short term- relief activity

WELFARE APPROACH continued… • Colonization- Welfare concern of voluntary charities as govt concerned with law and order+ trade and agriculture. • Post independence- margenalized ministries of welfare & mostly private relief agencies especially targeted vulnerable groups-women, disabled etc. • Two pronged approach a) Hard-edged: Financial aid for economic growth- targeting men. b) Soft-edged: Relief Aid- targeting women. • Non- challenging---widely popular in govt and NGO sector, UNICEF,UNHHCR • Top- down approach ( Food, MCH, population planning) • Critique: Dev projects were negatively affecting women, Failure of modernization theory. • Resulted in UN 1975 International women’s year Conference- women were put in development agendas

WID • Women should be made part of development. • To improve women’s education, employment, political representation, participation in social welfare. • Funds for women activities. • WID offices in USAID etc offices. • Modernization will have trickle down effect in favor of poor and also women. • And women’s families will also benefit. • It did not touched the existing social structures • It emphasized women’s productive role and ignored the reproductive role

EQUITY APPROACH • 1976-1985 UN Women Decade • Recognition women are active participants in development- so to gain EQUITY for women in the dev process by recognizing her triple roles. • SGN by involvement of state by giving political and economic autonomy to women thus challenged her subordinate position • Ministries and Bureau created. • It was considered western feminist agenda and not popular with govt’s.

EQUITY APPROACH Continued… • In Third World WID approach of modernization created inequalities because: a) Productive role not recognized b) Women restricted to reproductive role c) Application of western values. • USAID projects emphasized to bring women into national economies and dev: process. • Women access to employment & market. • By focusing on gender division of labor the equity approach tried to meet SGN. • The policies prepared top-down legislation but adopted consultation and participatory approach

EQUITY APPROACH Continued… • Equity approach had methodological difficulties due to lack of: • Baseline data eco, social, political • Ambiguity in indicators • Dev agencies hostile to the approach in meeting both PGN & SGN. They found it difficult to tamper the traditions/cultural fabric of the local society. • 1975 W Conference labeled WID as ethnocentric feminism

WAD • Women are already part of development. • Dependency theory—that third world depends on the capitalist world--which is based on exploitation and inequality . • Women only projects initiated. • To remove Inequalities existing structures need to be challenged

ANTI-POVERTY APPROACH • 1970’s onward. • A toned down approach to increase the productivity of poor women. • Poverty of Woman was considered due to underdevelopment and not subordination. • Woman’s productive role recognized. • To meet PGN to earn income- Small scale projects. • NGO income generating projects.

ANTI-POVERTY APPROACH continued • ILO –employment & income generation for women became a policy objective • World bank wanted to eradicate poverty and redistribution with growth. To meet basic needs (food, clothing, shelter..) and social needs (edu, health, human rights..) • It disturbed the balance of power in family and else where still men were in control. • Women were not introduced to new traits. • The whole process was not participatory. The govts were reluctant to share the resources. NGO depended on grants rather than loans from international agencies. • Financial benefits had not trickled down

GAD • Holistic approach on gender • Shifted focus from women to gender • Re-examine all social, political and economic structures from gender perspective. • Redistribution of power relations • Re-conceptualize development process taking gender and global inequalities • Transformative change-gender mainstreaming

GAD focuses on: • Gender Division of Labour • Intervention in women triple role • Access to and control over resources and benefits. • Influencing factors such as; culture, financial, religious, politcal… • Condition and positions of men and women in the society. • Practical and Strategic interests of women and men. • Levels of participation. • Gender analysis of the women’s struggle/ movement

EFFICIENCY APPROACH • Post 1980’s • Deterioration in world economy • Policies of eco stabilization depend on women’s eco contribution in dev • Low income women were targeted. • Dev can be ensured more efficient and effective if women participate equally • To meet PGN –relying on women 3 roles • Women’s working day was extended • It was a popular approach with govt & multilateral agencies

EFFICIENCY APPROACH CONTINUED… • USAID, WB etc proposed that women eco participation in dev will increase efficiency and equity together because we are wasting 50% human resources. • Lack of edu and under productive technologies were identified as constraints. • IMF & WB introduced structural adjustment policies to combat the eco down turn. - By relocation of resources, exports, restoration of balance of payments. • SAP’s was a top down approach , did increase efficiency but exploited the women’s unpaid time- male bias. • SAP resulted in govts social expenditure which meant effecting women’s PGN, food subsidies, edu, health … • SAP were at the cost of women productive as well as reproductive role- elasticity in time allocated to diff activities --men won’t take unpaid domestic work • UNICEF highlighted how SAP has damaged women roles and dev as such

EMPOWERMENT APPROACH • 1975, 80’s onwards • To improve women through greater self reliance • To reach SGN in terms of triple roles-through bottom up approach, mobilize around PGN as a means to confront oppression. • Un supported by state govts • Growth of under financed voluntary organizations. • Western feminist agenda – colonial and neo-colonial agenda. • Though the whole idea of EA was derived from third world feminist writing and their grassroots work experiences. • Empowerment does not mean power over others but self-reliance and internal strength of women

Equity had less emphasis but more on women’s status vs men • Jayawardene argue that women subordination is with in the family and due to race, class, colonial history & now IMF govt policies has aggravated it. • So women have to challenge multiple oppressive structures and situations at different levels • It is not necessary that PGN will lead to SGN. • National liberation was emphasized and participatory planning, NGO role, Institutional changes in legal codes, political mobilization, consciousness raising and education. • More over legal status of women in marriage, benefit rights, property rights. Employment, excess to credit and skill training. Gender and environment planning, housing and human settlement etc • Empowering ourselves through organization- Involving women from movements, networks, organizations alliances with an aim to empower women by rejecting bureaucratic structures in favour of non-hierarchical structures DAWN (Dev alternative with women for a new era) SEWA

WOMEN, GENDER & DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE