Gender and development : evolutions and debates around a concept now become indicator of international development (2/3)

Temps de lecture : 5 minutes

Gender and development : evolutions and debates around a concept now become indicator of international development (2/3)

04.08.2020

Written by Jeanne Prin
Tranlsated by Bianca Wiles

 

Concurrently to the adoption of the “Gender and development” approach in the 1980s, a multitude of additional concepts were added to the lexical field of the notion. This new terminology seeks to establish methods intended to promote the consideration of women’s interests in development. Through the analysis of two of the most popular terms in the gender and development lexicon, empowerment and gender mainstreaming, we will see how international bodies have appropriated militant language in order to meet their objectives.

The concept of empowerment : women as active agents of development

The emergence of the term empowerment in the international development vocabulary stems from feminist ideas and social movements from global south countries in the 1980s. In 1987, two researchers from the Indian feminist network Development Alternatives with Women for a New era (DAWN), Gita Sen and Caren Grown, publish their work Development, crises and alternatives visions : Third World Women’s perspectives^[1]Sen (Gita) et Grown (Caren), Development Crises and Alternative Visions : Thrid Worlds Women’s Perspectives, New York, Monthly Review Press, 120p. Available at: … Continue reading, The attention created by this work participated in introducing the term to the field of international development. Their study bases itself on the critique of the method used by development projects that had, until then, been essentially focused on women’s economic autonomy. According to them, to achieve real female empowerment, the structures responsible for the perpetuation of domination relations must be radically reformed. Someone must not passively receive financial aid from international society, but rather become an actor of their own development, through the consolidation of their “power to act”. The empowerment approach is a “bottom up” process that focuses on enhancing individuals’ power thanks to collective action and raising awareness as to their oppression. In order to oppose women’s subordination we must focus on the “power to” achieve something rather than their “power over” another group^[2]For additional information on the multidimensional dimension of empowerment, see: Calvès (Anne-Emmanuèle), « 17. L’empowerment des femmes dans les politiques de développement : Histoire d’une … Continue reading.

Feminist NGO’s plea for international organisations to adopt the notion of empowerment was finally heard in the 1990s. This was reflected in the fourth UN world conference on women in Beijing in 1995 as discussions revolved around an “agenda for women’s empowerment”^[3]Ibid. p.311.. As the term became increasingly part of the UN discourse, it then thrived within politicies addressing poverty and seeking a reduction in inequalities so much so that it was used in the title of the third Millennium Development Goal. In July 2010, following the adoption of resolution 1325 by the UN Security Council addressing “Women, peace and security”, UN Women was created. This body came as a successor to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) of which the main missions included poverty reduction, women’s participation in politics, health (HIV / AIDS) and fighting violence against women. UN Women clearly displays its wish to integrate empowerment to its action program as is defines itself as “the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women”. Female empowerment appears to be a way to reduce poverty, notably in rural areas where “promoting women’s empowerment” would also “strengthen agriculture”^[4]FAO, « Favoriser l’autonomisation des femmes pour renforcer l’agriculture », 2019, 24 p. Available on : http://www.fao.org/3/ca2678fr/CA2678FR.pdf.This parallel between the reinforcement of women’s capacities and economic development of rural households comes to show their productive potential. This is substantiated by the fact that women represent around 75% of the agricultural workforce in sub-Saharan Africa^[5]Guétat-Bernard (Hélène) et Saussey (Magalie) (dir.), Genre et savoirs, Marseille, IRD, Collection A travers champs, 2014, p.15.. Female empowerment may therefore be considered, in the field of development, as a solution for food insecurity and favourable to the improvement of households’ well-being. In the context of the 1997 and 1998 financial crisis and the impacts of structural adjustment policies, empowerment became the “empowerment of the poor”^[6]Calvès (Anne-Emmanuèle), « Empowerment » : généalogie d’un concept clé du discours contemporain sur le développement », Revue Tiers Monde, vol. 200, no. 4, 2009, p.741. Available on: … Continue reading, a discourse quickly adopted by international institutions.

Gender mainstreaming, or the “integrated approach” of gender within international development: from rhetoric to practice

Gender mainstreaming (also called “integrate” or “transversal” approach^[7]Dauphin (Sandrine) et Sénac-Slawinski (Réjane), « Gender mainstreaming : analyse des enjeux d’un ‘concept-méthode’. Introduction », Cahiers du Genre, vol. 44, no. 1, 2008, pp. 5-16. … Continue readingof gender) calls for the integration and inclusion of the concept of gender at all levels of a development project as well as in the structure and internal functioning of organisations. Accordingly, gender becomes a « concept-method » from which new public policies and pieces of legislations emanate. The integrated approach to gender therefore consists of a “cross-cutting” approach of the concept within all public and political mechanisms of national and international bodies. The inclusion of  gender-related ambitions in the agendas of NGOs that do not specialise in gender issues is helpful in raising awareness as to gender inequalities on all development levels. To integrate activities that promote gender equality to their action plans allows these NGOs to align themselves with the general current adopted by international development institution and the increasingly gendered rhetoric of governmental and political discourse.

Gender’s « cross-cutting » ambition^[8]Check the sections « Boite à outils genre ». Available on the AFD website: https://www.afd.fr/fr has pushed the notion of gender up in funding bodies’ priorities. Proving this new interest in an integrated approach to gender, the sphere of international solidary, for the past ten years in France, has set up various training and guiding programs. The latter have been made available by some major development agencies such as the Agence Française pour le Développement (AFD)^[9]Check the section “Boite à outils genre” Available on the AFD website: https://www.afd.fr/fr partnerships with Coordinations Sud, or the F3E^[10]Coordination Sud et FE3, « Pour une transversalis ation du genre au sein des organisations de solidarité internationale. Rapport final d’évaluation. », 2018. Available on: … Continue reading.

Gender mainstreaming truly made its marks as it became widely recognised by European and UN institutions. The Fourth UN world conference on women in Beijing mentioned the necessity to include the notion of gender equality “in all policies and programmes so that before decisions are taken, an analysis is made of the effects on women and men, respectively^[11]ONU, Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted on the 15th September 1995, Strategic Objective G (189). Available on: … Continue reading. Through such statements, member states undertake to adopt an “integrated approach” of gender equality within political decision-making mechanisms. Following the Beijing Declaration, the European community actively committed itself to promote gender equality. This goal was particularly made clear in article 2 and 3 of the Treaty on the European Union^[12]TCE (revised version in 1997 by the Amsterdam Treaty), 7th February 1992, entry into force on the le 1st November 1993, art. 2 et 3.. During the 2014 Conference of the Parties (COP) the Lima work program on gender (decision 18/CP.20) was created, integrating the promotion of gender equality “in developing and implementing climate policy”^[13]ONU, « Progrès réalisés dans l’intégration des questions de genre dans les travaux des organes constitués – Rapport de synthèse du secrétariat », 2019. Available on: … Continue reading. Through these instances, gender mainstreaming becomes directly included within UN sustainable development policies. Be it as political instrument or as a tool for feminist activism, gender mainstreaming^[14]Biarritz Partnership for Gender Equality « Recommandations du Conseil consultatif pour l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes en vue de faire progresser l’égalité entre les femmes … Continue reading is cited as inspiration for future legislative reforms driven by G7 meetings.

In its progression towards its status of international development indicator, gender has developed its own mechanisms legitimised by the international community. The G7 report however, highlighted the limits of universalising strategies and adds that the adaptation of these measures is necessary as their “implementation is contingent upon conductive environment, financing, and a consideration of the root causes of inequality being addressed”^[15]Ibid.. The mention of the limitations of these mechanisms echoes the harsh criticism faced by gender and development. Criticism has been based both on the form, as the concept of gender became deradicalised as it came in contact with the field of development, and on the substance as the development indicators based on gender struggle with the heterogeneity of the areas of action.

To cite this article : Jeanne PRIN, “Gender and development : evolutions and debates around a concept now become indicator of international development (2/3)”, 04.08.2020, Gender in Geopolitics Institute.