GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

FMS II Arlene Gabayno Focal Person

The gender approach

views gender relations and the inequitable development process as the essential problem areas to be tackled. (It fifers from the Women in Development (WID) approach, which regarded women as the problem area focused primarily on womens integration in the development process)

The gender approach

seeks to empower disadvantaged and vulnerable groups including women and to transform unequal relations. The ultimate goal is to attain equitable and sustainable development with both men and women involved in decision-making processors.

The focus
is on the relations between men and women.

The problem
is the unequal relations of power between men and women on the same socioeconomic level. This results in the unequal distribution of the benefits of development and hinders womens full participation in the development process.

The solution
is to empower the disadvantaged and women, and to transform unequal relations.

The aim
is to attain equitable and sustainable development with both men and women in decision-making and leadership positions.

How?
Enhance the democratization and deofficialization process of organizations Identify the (practical and strategic) needs and interests of men and women which can improve their condition. Enhance womens access resources including credit and education and training facilities etc. Involve women in decision making Enhance womens access to leadership positions e.g through quotas or affirmative action, which is action taken to correct the already existing imbalances.

The Benefits of Gender Integration

It is essential because:
It is a matter of social equity. As human beings, women have equal rights with men to use and control the resources of the world and the benefits. Women represent fifty per cent of the worlds human resources. By enhancing womens productive capabilities and developing their capacities, organizations, communities and the whole society will benefit from this hitherto under-utilized human resource. Many women have special skills in, for instance, marketing and trading, while others have special knowledge and capabilities which have been acknowledged.

The Benefits of Gender Integration

It is essential because:
Men and women often tackle and solve problems differently. In todays fast changing socio-economic and political climate the need for innovative thinking and creative ideas is becoming exceedingly important. Involving more women will broaden the scope of organizations, programs and projects and will improve their social role. Women are, for example, often more concerned with social development issues such as employment, health, the environment and children than men.

Thank you