...RESEARCH PAPER Sarah Bradshaw, Joshua Castellino and Bineta Diop Submitted to the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda This paper reflects the views of the author and does not represent the views of the Panel. It is provided as background research for the HLP Report, one of many inputs to the process. May 2013 Women’s role in economic development: Overcoming the constraints Background paper for the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Prepared by Dr. Sarah Bradshaw, Principal Lecturer, Middlesex University with Dr. Joshua Castellino and Ms. Bineta Diop, Co-Chairs of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Thematic Group on the “Challenges of Social Inclusion: Gender, Inequalities and Human Rights” 20 May 2013 1 1. Introduction This short paper aims to highlight the important role women have and can play in economic development. It addresses three questions: what is the evidence base to support investing in women? What are the current constraints on realising the full potential of women in the process of economic development? What are the priority areas of intervention necessary to unblock these constraints? It is focussed on women and on economic development, rather than on the wider issue of gender and development. However, before looking at the evidence base, constraints, and interventions, it will provide a brief context of the evolution of thinking around women and development.1 1. The Evolution...
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...bitter leaf Bitter leaf, scent leaf extract protects diabetics from heart, testicular damage Thursday, 19 July 2012 00:00 CHUKWUMA MUANYA Features - Natural Health Top of Form Bottom of Form [pic] Can increasing the intake of bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) and scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum) protect Nigerians from complications of diabetes? CHUKWUMA MUANYA writes. DIABETES is an age long, serious metabolic disorder with complications that results in significant morbidity and mortality. Chronic hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) during diabetes has been shown to cause glycation of body protein, which in turn leads to secondary complications that affect the eyes, kidneys, nerves and arteries. These complications may be delayed, lessened or prevented by maintaining blood glucose levels close to normal. Several studies have indicated that cardiovascular disease is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in modern societies, among the numerous complications of diabetes. Long standing diabetes has been documented to cause structural and functional cardiac impairment, which was found to lead to ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. Previous studies have also shown that diabetics have significantly reduced testicular weights and tubule diameters. The changes in seminiferous tubules ranged from premature sloughing of epithelium to total cessation of spermatogenesis. But recent studies suggest that a combination of bitter leaf (Vernonia...
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...Bookmark the permalink. · Over the years development programs have been criticized for ignoring gender roles and the impact it has on women in the global south. However we see a shift to integrate women into development programs in hopes of eradicating poverty and low social economical status. The six main theoretical approaches are: “(1) the welfare approach; (2) women in development (WID); (3) women and development (WAD); (4) gender and development (GAD); (5) the effectiveness approach (EA); and (6) mainstream gender equality (MGE). Martinez tries to understand the various outcomes and effectiveness of all 6 development theories. Despite the effort to reinforce gender mainstreaming into society we still see a vast number of gender inequality especially in the developing world. Women make up the 70% of individuals living in poverty and in sub-Saharan Africa 57% of HIV infected individuals are women. This also includes the disproportionate ratio of women to men in the job market and at leadership position, low level of education among women, and low socio-economic status among women. The term “Women, Gender and Development” could be seen a discipline much like ever other area of knowledge. However, what sets it apart from various disciplines is that, its major contributors are individuals that raise issues and concerns, concerning women, gender and development. These are academics, feminist activists and development practitioner. In 1972 Ann Oakley, was able to distinguish...
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...WORKING PAPER SERIES *The responsibility for opinions in these articles, studies and other contributions in this series rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the United Nations Development Programme or the institutions of the United Nations system. Table Of Contents Introduction I. Women And Poverty: Are Women Poorer? II. From Women and Poverty to Gender and Poverty A. Engendering Poverty Analysis B. New Conceptualizations of Poverty C. From Consumption/Income Poverty to Human Poverty D. Are Women Poorer?: Revisiting the Question from a Human Poverty Perspective E. Assessing Gender Differences in Poverty: Quantitative versus Qualitative Approaches F. Do Gender Inequalities Increase Overall Poverty? III. What Is To Be Done? What Is Being Done? A. Gender Mainstreaming at UNDP B. Engendering Anti-Poverty Projects and Programmes Figures Figure 1: A Pyramid of Poverty Concepts Boxes Box 1: Chile: Targeting Female Headship for Combating Poverty Box 2: Gender and Poverty in Guinea: Human Poverty versus Consumption Poverty and Participatory Approach to Poverty Assessment Box 3: South Asia Poverty Alleviation Program (SAPAP): The Case of India Social Mobilization through Self-Help Groups 1 “The causes and outcomes of poverty are heavily engendered and yet traditional conceptualizations consistently fail to delineate poverty’s gender dimension, resulting in policies and programmes which...
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...gender discrimination, even as sundry instances of the persistent issue is well sustained. The argument proposed here provides an anecdotal rather than theoretical overview of the way in which the use of information technology has come to dominate modern decision making in a variety of contexts. The dimension of women disparity and the need to correct such inequality is elaborated. Finally, the areas of applications of information technology in curbing gender differences and the probable outcome of such applications is well addressed. INTRODUCTION Women are key to the development challenge. Throughout the developing world, women are at a disadvantage at the household, community, and societal levels. Within the household, women have less access to and control over resources and limited influence over household decisions. Beyond the household, women have limited access to communal resources, are under-represented in public decision-making bodies; have limited bargaining power in markets (such as the labour market), and often lack opportunities to improve their socioeconomic position. Therefore, efforts to reduce gender inequality are required on multiple fronts. However, the feminization of poverty is not so much about more women than men being poor, but about the “severity of poverty and the greater hardship women face in lifting themselves and their children out of...
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...Sociological perspectives Sociological perspectives is a perspective on human behaviour and its connection to society as a whole. It invites us to look for the connections between the behaviour of individual people and the structures of the society in which they live. The structures are functionalism, Marxism, Feminist, Interactionism, Collectivism, Postmodernism and New right. Functionalism Functionalism is a perspective created by Emile Durkheim. He believed society was made up of inter-connected institutions for an example education, family and government which depended on each other to function. Functionalists see society as being similar to the human body. In the same way the body relies on the heart to pump blood round to other vital organs like the lungs and brain. Functionalists see society as being constructed of different inter-dependent components like the family and education system. So in the same way the human body would fail if the heart stopped, functionalists’ argue society would stop working properly if the family stopped functioning properly. Functionalists say this would happen because the family is an institution in which primary socialisation occurs. Primary socialisation is where younger members of a family are taught societies norms, values, roles and beliefs, By having the same values which we all share, a value consensus is establish. Therefore we can see the family has a function in the social system. This perspective of society differed...
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...infection. This devastating cycle must be broken, and the agricultural sector has a critical role to play. It is estimated that 42 million people in the world are infected with the HIV virus. Assuming that each HIV/AIDS case directly influences the lives of four other individuals, at least 168 million people are likely to be affected by the epidemic. And approximately 95 percent of them live in develping countries. Food security HIV/AIDS takes its toll on food security in a number of ways. For example: HIV increases fatigue and decreases work productivity, which means less food on the table. In households coping with sick family members, food consumption generally decreases. As adults fall ill, families face increasing medical and health care costs, thus reducing the possibility for them to purchase the food that they can no longer produce. While the number of productive family members decline, the number of dependants grows, as households lose adults and take in orphans of dead relatives, further threatening household food security. Rural communities face a greater burden of care as many sick urban dwellers and migrant labourers return to their village homes. As more household members die, families face declining productivity, loss of knowledge of indigenous farming methods and...
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...LDP616: GENDER ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT Gender Mainstreaming The role of the state in mainstreaming gender issues and concerns in development Nyabochwa, Mary Mamo 1st February 2011 Lecture: Dr. Isaac Were. Table of Contents ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................... 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 5 1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 6 1.1 Why gender issues .............................................................................................................................. 6 2.0 GENDER MAINSTREAMING .......................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Clarity on certain aspects of gender mainstreaming ......................................................................... 8 2.2 some key misconceptions................................................................................................................ 10 3.0 IMPLEMENTATION OF GENDER MAINSTREAMING ........................................................... 11 3.1 Definition of “gender mainstreaming” ............................................................................................. 11 3.2 Practical steps...
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...Bisht et al. Globalization and Health 2012, 8:32 http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/8/1/32 REVIEW Open Access Understanding India, globalisation and health care systems: a mapping of research in the social sciences Ramila Bisht1*, Emma Pitchforth2 and Susan F Murray3 Abstract National and transnational health care systems are rapidly evolving with current processes of globalisation. What is the contribution of the social sciences to an understanding of this field? A structured scoping exercise was conducted to identify relevant literature using the lens of India – a ‘rising power’ with a rapidly expanding healthcare economy. A five step search and analysis method was employed in order to capture as wide a range of material as possible. Documents published in English that met criteria for a social science contribution were included for review. Via electronic bibliographic databases, websites and hand searches conducted in India, 113 relevant articles, books and reports were identified. These were classified according to topic area, publication date, disciplinary perspective, genre, and theoretical and methodological approaches. Topic areas were identified initially through an inductive approach, then rationalised into seven broad themes. Transnational consumption of health services; the transnational healthcare workforce; the production, consumption and trade in specific health-related commodities, and transnational diffusion of ideas and knowledge...
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...HAVE YOU READ SECTION A? Gender and nutrition in emergencies Emergencies are often characterized by a high prevalence of acute malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency diseases, which in turn lead to increased risk of death among the affected population and in particular among vulnerable groups. Women, girls, boys and men face different risks in relation to a deterioration in their nutritional status in emergency contexts. These different vulnerabilities are related both to their differing nutritional requirements and to socio-cultural factors related to gender. Good nutrition programming must take due account of gender issues at all stages of the project cycle — from participatory assessment and analysis through to surveillance, implementation of interventions, monitoring and evaluation. How do gender issues affect nutritional status? * In crisis situations where food is in short supply, women and girls are more likely to reduce their food intake as a coping strategy in favour of other household members. This can contribute to under-nutrition among women and girls. Breastfeeding Challenges in Transition and Emergency Contexts Following the October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan, women frequently shared a shelter with distant male relatives and/or non-related men. The lack of privacy and support led many women to stop breastfeeding as they felt uncomfortable exposing their breasts in front of men. This emphasizes the urgent need for lactation corners in emergency...
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...10 Combination HIV Prevention: Tailoring and Coordinating Biomedical, Behavioural and Structural Strategies to Reduce New HIV Infections A UNAIDS Discussion Paper UNAIDS – JC2007 (English original, September 2010) © Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 2010. All rights reserved. Publications produced by UNAIDS can be obtained from the UNAIDS Content Management Team. Requests for permission to reproduce or translate UNAIDS publications—whether for sale or for noncommercial distribution— should also be addressed to the Content Management Team at the address below, or by fax, at +41 22 791 4835, or e-mail: publicationpermissions@unaids.org. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNAIDS concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers’ products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by UNAIDS in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNAIDS to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any...
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...Building Capacity for Gender Analysis in Policy Making, Programme Development, and Implementation: Research Seminar and Workshop, University of West Indies, Barbados, November 2007. Micro-Macro Linkages Between Gender, Development, and Growth: Implications for the Caribbean Region Abstract Over the last two decades, scholars have investigated the two-way relationship between gender inequality on the one hand, and economic development and growth on the other. Research in this area offers new ways to address the economic stagnation and crisis developing countries have experienced over the last two decades. This paper contributes to that literature, exploring the channels by which gender inequality affects, and in important ways, constrains economic development and growth in the Caribbean region. It further explores the endogeneity of gender inequality to the macroeconomic policy environment. The paper concludes with a discussion of economic policies that can promote a win-win outcome—greater gender equality and economic development and growth. Key Words: gender, inequality, development, household economics, macroeconomic policy, Caribbean. 1 Micro-Macro Linkages Between Gender, Development, and Growth: Implications for the Caribbean Region I. Introduction Since the 1970s, developing countries have faced substantial challenges to improving living standards. With the...
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...ATHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT [HANTH 107] INTRODUCTION Defining Key Concepts Gender is not about women as most people think. Gender is about both men and women. Gender is a set of characteristics distinguishing between male and female, and is a result socio – cultural construction, it describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. Thus the term gender has social, cultural and attitudinal connotations. Gender is a set of characteristics distinguishing between male and female, and is a result socio – cultural construction, it describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. Thus the term gender has social, cultural and attitudinal connotations. Sex on the other hand refers to the biological differences in chromosomes, hormonal profiles as well as internal and external sexual organs or genitalia.The term sex since classical times has been used to designate matters related to biological and anatomical makeup of a person. Thus while ones’ sex as male or female is a biological and universal fact that is however not the same with gender since sex is tends to be similar across all cultures while gender varies one society to another. Sex relates to the biological characteristics that categorise someone as either female or male; whereas gender refers to the socially determined ideas and practices of what it is to be female or male. Patriarchy - Systemic societal structures that institutionalise...
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...to discriminations, humiliations, exploitations, oppressions, control and violence. Women experience discrimination and unequal treatment in terms of basic right to food, health care, education, employment, control over productive resources, decision-making and livelihood not because of their biological differences or sex, which is natural but because of their gender differences which is a social construct. “Sex is considered a fact - one is born with either male or female genitalia. Gender is considered a social construction - it grants meaning to the fact of sex. Conversely, it could be said that only after specific meanings came to be attached to the sexes, did sex differences become pertinent” (Geetha, 2002: 10). Gender based discriminations and exploitations are widespread and the socio-culturally defined characteristics, aptitudes, abilities, desires, personality traits, roles, responsibilities and behavioral patterns of men and women contribute to the inequalities and hierarchies in society. Gender differences are man made and they get legitimised in a patriarchal society. This paper attempts to link the theoretical dimensions of patriarchy with its empirical experiences to engage in the ongoing debates and discussion on “patriarchy” which manifests itself in various forms of discriminations, inequalities, hierarchies, inferior status and position of women in society. Thus it is important to understand patriarchy in terms of its multiplicity, complexities and dynamics. ...
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...TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Dualism Theories 3. The Concept of Dualism in Economics 4. Does the concept of Dualism adequately portray the development picture in most developing countries? 5. Conclusion 6. Refrences INTRODUCTION Dualism is derived from the Latin word duo meaning "two" denotes the state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been more generalized in other usages to indicate a system which contains two essential parts. Dualism is a major characteristic of an underdeveloped economy. Dualism refers to that condition of a country when two sectors advanced of modern sector and the backward or traditional exist side by side. For instance we have modern industries and the old cottage industries medieval farming being practiced at the same time. In other words, in an under developed country, there is the bullock cart economy and modern transport operating at the same time. DUALISM THEORIES Dualism theories assume a split of economic and social structures of different sectors so that they differ in organization, level of development, and goal structures. Usually, the concept of economic dualism differentiates between two sectors of economy: * The traditional subsistence sector consists of small-scale agriculture * True, handicraft and petty trade, has a...
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