Under Development Gender

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development demytsifies the theory of gender and development and shows how it plays an important role in everyday life. It explores the evolution of gender and development theory, introduces competing theoretical frameworks, and examines new and emerging debates. The focus is on the implications of theory for policy and practice, and the need to theorize gender and development to create a more egalitarian society. This book is intended for classroom and workshop use in the fields ofdevelopment studies, development theory, gender and development, and women's studies. Its clear and straightforward prose will be appreciated by undergraduate and seasoned professional, alike. Classroom exercises, study questions, activities, and case studies are included. It is designed for use in both formal and nonformal educational settings.

Human Capital in Gender and Development addresses timely feminist debates about the relationship between feminism, neoliberalism, and international development. The book engages with human capital theory, a labour economics theory associated with the Chicago School that now animates a wide range of political and economic governance. The book argues that human capital theory has been instrumental in constructing an economistic vision of gender equality as a tool for economic growth, and girls and women of the global South as the quintessential entrepreneurs of the post-global financial crisis era. The book’s critique of human capital theory and its role in Gender and Development gives insights into the kinds of development interventions that typify the ‘Gender Equality as Smart Economics’ agenda of the World Bank and other international development institutions. From the World Bank, to NGOs, and private businesses, discourses about the economic benefits of gender equality and women’s empowerment underpin a range of development interventions that aim to unlock the ‘untapped’ potential of the world’s women. Its implications are both conceptual and material, producing more interventionist forms of development governance, increased power by private sector actors in development, and de-politicization of gender equality issues. Human Capital in Gender and Development will be of particular interest to feminist scholars in Politics, International Relations, Development Studies, and Human Geography. It will also be a useful resource for teaching key debates about feminism, neoliberalism, and international development.

As a result of widespread mistreatment and overt discrimination, women in the developing world often lack autonomy. This book explores key sources of female empowerment and discusses the current challenges and opportunities for the future.

Despite various decades of research and claim-making by feminist scholars and movements, gender remains an overlooked area in development studies. Looking at key issues in development studies through the prisms of gender and feminism, the authors demonstrate that gender is an indispensable tool for social change.

With original and engaging contributions, this Handbook confirms feminist scholarship in development studies as a vibrant research field. It reveals the diverse ways that feminist theory and practice inform and shape gender analysis and development policies, bridging generations of feminists from different institutions, disciplines and regions.

* Shows how development agencies have responded to the need for gender equality at all levels of operation * Scrutinizes the efficacy of gender mainstreaming’s thirty-year history Gender mainstreaming emerged in early gender and development work and gained strength following the 1975 Conference on Women in Mexico City. After three decades of gender and development approaches, and a more recent emphasis on gender mainstreaming, Everywhere/Nowhere presents a timely reflection on the challenges and opportunities development agencies have faced as they attempt to translate gender mainstreaming policies into practice. Reports on gender mainstreaming within development agencies tend to concentrate on technical solutions with little attention to the political changes necessary for transforming the mainstream. Technical solutions (such as quantitative information about the number of female staff members hired or the allocation of a certain amount of resources to gender-related activities) are more frequently reported and more easily measured. An emphasis on technical solutions has resulted in limited impact within organizations and minimal changes to gender inequitable relations. Development agencies and their staff members are, however, finding innovative - or subtle - strategies to transform the mainstream through networking, coalition-building, and leadership initiatives. This book examines these approaches and analyses their contributions to gender mainstreaming.

This book is an attempt to bring the gender and development debate full circle-from a much-needed focus on empowering women to a more comprehensive gender framework that considers gender as a system that affects both women and men. The chapters in this book explore definitions of masculinity and male identities in a variety of social contexts, drawing from experiences in Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. It draws on a slowly emerging realization that attaining the vision of gender equality will be difficult, if not impossible, without changing the ways in which masculinities are defined and acted upon. Although changing male gender norms will be a difficult and slow process, we must begin by understanding how versions of masculinities are defined and acted upon.

Kevane explores gender issues in Africa in the context of the continent's poor economic performance.