Can someone shed light on the background aim and strategies of Women in development (WID) approach? I know this approach focus on women involvement in development process but what were reasons or background that made certain feminist to introduce this approach? what strategies they used and what was the criticism on them?

Modernisation and Trickle-down Economics: The contemporary approach to development prior to WID was based on the belief that growth in a country's economy and macroeconomic indicators, supplemented by development programs have a trickle-down effect. Even the lowest denominator in the food-chain benefits proportionally. Hence, the modern, liberal economic model is gender blind. The needs and priorities of both men and women are encompassed as the economy grows. The UN Decade of Development(1961-70) regarded the women of the Third World as passive, rather than active, participants of economic development. Their primary role was of reproductive and care-giving nature and therefore, their status increases through the men.

Boserup's Study Challenges Modernisation Model and Gives birth to Women in Development:

Danish Economist Ester Boserup's phenominal study "Women's Role in Economic Development" challenged the notion that development brings equal opportunitues for both men and women.

Studying women in developing African nations, Boserup found that development, especially in the agricultural sector, has done more harm than good to women. The rapid mechanisation has meant the acquiring of these tools and methods by men, rendering women low-paid employees, and eventually unemployed.

The feminist Response:

These disparities in the outcomes of development for men and women led to an increased concern among feminists. Advocacy groups called for the integration of women specific development agendas in state policies and programs of instituitions.

The term "WID" was initially used by Womens Committee of the Washington,D.C chapter of Society for International Development, as part of the strategy to bring Boserup's findings to the attention of US Policy makers.

Hence, the Percy Ammendment to the Foreign Assitance Act mandated foreign aid to be utilized in programs that adhered to integrating women. The UN Decade for Women 1976-1985 aimed at integrating women in future development programs.


Approaches to WID:

In order to integrate women in the existing structure, but making them empowered through development, many methods were adopted that shaped subsequent development programs. Three of these approaches are:

1) Equity Approach
2)Anti-poverty Approach
3)Efficiency Approach
4)Empowerment Approach

The Equity Approach:

This was top-down method of integrating women in the existing structure. The difference between equality and equity is that equity calls for proportionate resources to be allocated for women to elicit the same development outcomes as men. Equal resources and focus would be inadequate to uplift women from the effect of years of neglect.

Therofore, the equity approach focused on laws and legislations in countries to be enacted that supported this vision of women in development. Anti-women laws were criticized or abolished, and legislations enabling increased participation of women in different spheres passed. Many countries changes their laws to become more pro-women.

Anti-poverty Approach:

The top-down equity approach was criticized of "bringing feminism" to the down-trodden, economically feeble, malnutritioned women of the Third World.

Hence poverty was separated as the cause for women sub-ordination. Their empowerment also called for enabling them economically. The anti-poverty approach to women development focused on income-generating activities for women through training and support.

Efficiency Approach:

With the world moving towards economic development, leading instituitions like World Bank and IMF, posited the necessity of bringing women into the labor force. Half of the worlds population comprised women, and a sizeable number, especially in the Third World did not contribute to the economy by joining the labor force.

Efficient restructuring of the economies and its dynamics was required that facilated women. This was done through the many Structural Adjustment Programs of donor organisations. As women join thr workforce, their integration will lead to independemce and emppwerment.

The efficiency approach is criticized for its capitalist objectives. What the efficiency approach created was an under-paid and overworked labor force dominated by women.

Empowerment Approach:

The empowerment method is very close to GAD. It aims to integrate women at the grass-roots level by provoding them with opportunities like microfinancing facilities.

The empowerment approach seeks to cater to womens strategic needs. By recognizing women's role as reproductive, productive and community-based, it raises awareness and women's consciousness regarding their rights and development issues. Although the equity approach aims to do the same, the empowerment approach follows a bottom-up methodology.

The Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era(DAWN) is the best known champion of this approach


Criticisms of WID:

Integrating women in the structure whereas the strucutre itself is a source of women sub-ordination. WID represents the liberal feminist way of solving women issues(Marxist Feminists)

The equity approach creates a new class for capitalists to exploit, this time low-paid women in the name of women empowerment. Therefore new sites of oppression open up.(Marxist Feminists)

Laws, Legislations and these develolment approaches are a one-size-fits-all solution to the numerous problems of women who are cut across many societies, races and socio-economic classes.



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