Gender & Development: History of WID, WAD, GAD, and GED (PDF)

COURSE TITLE: GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA (GPDG 122Ba) History of Gender and Development – Theoretical Perspectives: WID, WAD, GAD, and GED. Ayine Akolgo [email protected]  THE HISTORY OF GENDER ISSUES v The history o...

COURSE TITLE: GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA (GPDG 122Ba) History of Gender and Development – Theoretical Perspectives: WID, WAD, GAD, and GED. Ayine Akolgo [email protected]  THE HISTORY OF GENDER ISSUES v The history of Gender issues can be categorized under three main phases: Phase I: - The Welfare Approaches – 1945 – 1970 Phase II: - The UN Decade and Anti-Poverty Approaches – 1975 – 1995 Phase III: - The Gender and Development Approach – 1995 – Current v Under these 3 phases, which came immediately after the Second World War are the 3 main approaches taken to improving women’s status: 1. WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT (WID) 2. WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT (WAD) 3. GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT (GAD)  Phase I: The Welfare Approaches – 1945 – 1970 v Under the welfare approaches, the assumption were that: v 1. Over 27% out of the 40% of the World’s poorest countries were in Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa (World Bank Report 1993). v 2. Uneducated, ignorant and incompetent women were the cause of poverty and malnutrition v 3. To solve the problem, give women contraceptives and family planning, food hand- outs to boost their nutrition, and basic training of women as food venders and weavers. v This approach failed because: (1) Most African countries were still colonized; (2) it targeted only women instead of the couples; (3) they ignored the African belief systems and its top-down patriarchy; (4) women were seen as passive recipients of development; (5) natural disasters, droughts and famine across Africa.  Phase II: The UN Decade & Anti-Poverty Approaches (1975-1995) _ 1 v A lot of precursors gave rise to this approach: v In 1972, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the year 1975 as the International Women's Year. v The First World Conference on Women occurred in June 1975 in Mexico City. UN Decade for Women Establishment of National Machineries Adoption of Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) v In 1975, the UN General Assembly endorsed the proposals of the Mexico conference and proclaimed the period 1976–85 as the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development, and Peace.  Phase II: The UN Decade & Anti-Poverty Approaches (1975-1995) _ 2 v The UN Decade for Women, therefore, called on governments to promote the integration of women in national development. v In Ghana, the National Council on Women and Development was set up in response to these calls. v This is how the Women in Development (WID) approach came about: v The focus was on reducing inequality between men and women, especially economically. v As an anti-poverty approach, it highlighted the need for small-scale projects to help women earn money (Longwe 2001). v Research and information collected throughout the UN Decade for Women (1975-85) highlighted the existing poverty and disadvantage of women and their invisibility in the development process.  WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT (WID) _ 1 v For example, in the early 1970s, Ester Boserup, a Danish feminist economist, wrote a book titled, Women’s Role in Economic Development’in the 1970s. v This book highlighted the fact that women are not only users of basic services, bearers and socialisers of children and keepers of the home, but they also represent a productive potential which was not being tapped. v WID focused on women as a separate group resulting in women’s concerns being “added on” and peripheral to mainstream development efforts. v The aim of WID was to integrate women into economic development by focusing on women’s productive work in two ways: 1 - providing women money and other resources for income-generating activities 2 - developing appropriate technologies to lighten women’s loads v WID is grounded in modernizing theory or the belief that economic development can be achieved through industrialization.  CRITICISM OF WID _1 v WID is criticized for viewing women in isolation and ignoring their relative position to men. v Emphasis on women’s productive capacity was criticized for failing to recognize women’s reproductive responsibilities and the subsequent miscalculations about the responsibilities and elasticity of women’s time and labor. v Women are treated as a homogeneous group, regardless of class, ethnicity, or intrahousehold gender differences. v Activities are developed for women (based on situation analysis) without engaging men in understanding their needs or allowing them to participate.  CRITICISM OF WID _2 v It focused on the integration of women without questioning the existing development paradigms and the power relations that put women at a disadvantage. v The WID approach was firmly grounded in modernization theory, it assumed that adopting Western strategies would lead to solutions to the problem therefore, it did not recognize the contribution of indigenous knowledge. v The WID approach tends to see development as an activity of government. Thus, it viewed the state as a solution rather than a potential obstacle to the advancement of women.  PHASE II: WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT (WAD) v Women and development (WAD) as a theoretical and practical approach to development was introduced into gender studies scholarship in the second half of the 1970s. v Its origins can be traced to the First UN World Conference on Women in Mexico City in 1975. v WAD was advocated by women from the South, who felt that the ’bigger’ issues of colonialism and unequal global relationships had not been considered in the WID perspective. v WAD argues that women have always been a part of the development processes but that their work has been exploited to profit others in the global North. v The WAD paradigm focused on the distinctive roles, responsibilities, work, and knowledge of women and called for these to be acknowledged and valued. v WAD advocated increasing women’s share in resources, land, employment and income. v The WAD perspective, therefore, was more concerned about the relationship between women and development rather than integration of women into development.  CRITICISM OF WAD v The WAD approach downplays the class, racial and ethnic differences among women. v WAD focused on international relations of power and neglected relations between genders and classes. v The WAD position equally downplays the role of patriarchy and does not adequately explain gender power relations and their impact on development. v Furthermore, the advocacy for separate projects for women, as well as, women’s only organizations did not produce the desired transformational impact v The WAD model has therefore, tended to focus its intervention strategies on the promotion of income-generating activities without taking into consideration the competing time demands such strategies place on women who also have a reproductive role to perform  PHASE III: The Gender and Development (GAD) Approach _1 v In the 1980s, the Gender and Development approach was developed. v Alternative to modernizing theory. Women are recognized as a diverse group with interests which vary by sex, class, age and ethnicity. v GAD recognizes men and women as partners in development. Consideration of both of them in economic and political relations. v The GAD approach concentrated on the unequal relations between men and women and seeks to transform this. GAD focuses not only on women (as WID and WAD did) but on the social relations between men and women. v This perspective emphasizes the equal access of women and men to the control of resources, as well as, benefits, which accrue from development. v This perspective analyzes the contributions of women in terms of work done both within (reproductive) including unpaid domestic work and outside the household (productive work). In other words, it recognises the gender division of labour.  PHASE III: The Gender and Development (GAD) Approach _2 v GAD also puts the responsibility on the state to provide social services to support women’s social reproduction role (e.g. caring and nurturing children and taking care of the old and sick). The GAD paradigm argues that this would help in promoting the emancipation of women. v It recognizes women as agents of change rather than mere recipients of development and emphasizes the need for women to mobilize in order to achieve greater political impact. v It asserts that women experience oppression differently based on their race, class, culture, colonial history, and position in the global economic system (Moser 1993 [as cited in Parpart et al., 2000]). v GAD advocates are interested in Gender Law and Development (GLAD). The GLAD is a right-based approach to development aimed at strengthening women’s legal rights and reform laws that discriminate against women such inheritance and land laws. v The GAD perspective is interested in pursuing the strategic gender needs of women.  International Protocols on Gender and Development _1 v In 1972, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the year 1975 as the International Women's Year. v The First World Conference on Women took place in June, 1975 in Mexico City. UN Decade for Women Establishment of National Machineries Adoption of Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW v In 1975, the UN General Assembly endorsed the proposals of the Mexico conference and proclaimed the period 1976–85 as the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development, and Peace. v The UN Decade for Women, therefore, called on governments to promote the integration of women in national development. v In Ghana, the National Council on Women and Development was set up in response to  International Protocols on Gender and Development _2 v In Ghana, the National Council on Women and Development was set up in response to these calls. v An important milestone during the UN Decade for Women was the adoption of the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Dec 1979. v Key issues of CEDAW 1. states parties are to adopt all appropriate measures to abolish existing laws, regulations, customs, and practices that are discriminatory against women; and 2. establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men. 3. equal rights for women in voting and holding public office and in education, employment, and health care. 4. elimination of discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations.  International Protocols on Gender and Development _3 v 2nd International World Conference on Women, (Copenhagen, 1980). v 3rd World Conference on Women, Nairobi, 1985. - Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the Year 2000 The Forward-Looking Strategies called for: i. Sexual Equality ii. Women’s Autonomy and Power iii. Recognition of Women’s Unpaid Work iv. Advances in Women’s Paid Work  International Protocols on Gender and Development _4 v The 4th World Conference on Women, Beijing, China, 1995. “Action for Equality, Development and Peace”. v Highlighted 12 Critical Areas of Women: The Beijing Platform of Action 1. The persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women. 2. Unequal access to education and training. 3. Unequal access to health care and related services. 4. Violence against women. 5. The effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women. 6. Inequality in economic structures and policies, in all productive activities and in access to resources.  International Protocols on Gender and Development _5 7. Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels. 8. Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women. 9. Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women 10. Stereotyping of women and inequality in women's access to and participation in communication systems, especially in the media 11. Gender inequalities in natural resource management 12. Persistent discrimination against girls and violation of their rights  International Protocols on Gender and Development _5 v Beijing + 5 Conference “Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century” – June 2000, New York. v 5th World Conference on Women (Beijing +10, 2005) ◦ Special session to review progress made since the Fourth World Conference (gains and challenges) v UN Millennium Summit (2000), New York. 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – 3 of which focuses on women v African Women’s Decade- AWD 2010-2020 The African Union (AU) in 2010, officially declared year 2010-2020, as the African Woman’s Decade (AWD). The theme is “Grassroots Approach to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.” The aim of the AWD is to promote gender equality by speeding up the implementation of global and regional decisions and obligations on gender equality and women’s empowerment.  FORM GROUPS – for Presentations v GROUP 1: Education v GROUP 2: Health v GROUP 3: Economics/employment v GROUP 4: Politics/leadership v GROUP 5: Sports, v GROUP 6: Religion v GROUP 7: Gender Based Violence (originally Groups 1 - 4, North campus) v GROUP 8: Gender and the Media space (originally Groups 5 - 8, North) v GROUP 9: Gender and the entertainment industry (Groups 9 - 12, North) Approximately 20 in each group  FORMAT for Presentations v Introduction and statement of purpose – what do you want us to know? What do you want to tell us? v What is the nature of the problem? How serious is it? Statistics? Cases, examples, pictures, scenarios? v What do you think are the causes of the problem? v How do you propose that this problem is addressed? EACH PRESENTATION WILL BE FOR 10 minutes