DVM 2106 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Unequal Exchange
20 Aug 2016
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Chapter 5 — Gender and Development: The Struggles of Women in the Global South
-of the 1.2 billion people living in poverty, 70% are women
-57% of the total number of children not attending school are girls
-dropout rates of girls tend to be higher in rural areas where values are more conservative
-women are relegated to unstable employment for which they are poorly compensated (as a
result of low levels of education and the lack gender equality values in the society)
-this situation increase their financial and material dependence on men while simultaneously
exposing them to violence and sexual harassment
-girls are more susceptible to health issues as they are less nourished or cared for than boys
-loss of this segment of the population burden surviving women with the social responsibility
of caring for those infected with disease and doing their work
- in many Southern country, women are repressed by family honour codes and customary
laws
-these render them second class citizens
-males seek to control women and their sexuality under pretexts of culture and religion,
justifying a range of repressive behaviours
-the emergence of the field “women, gender and development” came from academics,
feminists and development practitioners
-six strands of feminism followed
-1950s-60s: welfare approach (1)
-rooted in the context of decolonization and political independence
-international development was strongly influenced by theories of modernization
-achieving UN objectives demanded efforts to contain population increases in developing
countries (to make economic advancement easier)
-saw family structures as a great obstacle to development
-large families were responsible for overpopulation which was incompatible with
development
-social welfare programs based on training social workers, familial wellbeing and community
development worked to implement family planning
-women were closely monitored and their bodies became the focus of social control of
fertility (while their thoughts, experiences, etc were ignored and marginalized)
-early 1970s: women in development (WID) approach (2)
-rose from the mobilization of feminist organizations in the North, the UN declaration of the
decade of women, and the publication of a seminal book regarding the role of women in
development
-debate was taken up by women who refused to be objectified
-rejected the patriarchal system that placed women under the authority of men and reduced
them to the position of minors without rights
-second wave feminists demanded the right to work, study, divorce, control they own
property and to control their sexuality
-General Assembly adopted a World Action Plan, based on three objectives deemed
priorities in orienting future aid toward women:
•complete equality between men and women (elimination of sex-based discrimination)
•integration and full participation of women in development
•growing contribution by when to the quest for international peace
-WID addressed the oppression of women from the vantage point of transforming traditional
economic and social relationships in society
-improved female access to credit and advanced agricultural techniques
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Document Summary
Chapter 5 gender and development: the struggles of women in the global south. Of the 1. 2 billion people living in poverty, 70% are women. 57% of the total number of children not attending school are girls. Dropout rates of girls tend to be higher in rural areas where values are more conservative. Women are relegated to unstable employment for which they are poorly compensated (as a result of low levels of education and the lack gender equality values in the society) This situation increase their nancial and material dependence on men while simultaneously exposing them to violence and sexual harassment. Girls are more susceptible to health issues as they are less nourished or cared for than boys. Loss of this segment of the population burden surviving women with the social responsibility of caring for those infected with disease and doing their work. In many southern country, women are repressed by family honour codes and customary laws.
