Gender and Development

It is now widely recognised that pervasive gender inequalities mean that development processes have differential effects on women and men. Early feminist critiques emphasised the `marginal` position of women in development and advocated their `integration`. Later critiques have argued that women`s `marginality` reflects the systematic gender bias in official statistics and development planning in general, and that women are already affected by and involved in development in locally variable and class specific ways. More recently, there have been attempts to `mainstream` gender in development, and to acknowledge the importance of involving men and queering gender and development initiatives - opening up, in the process, a set of debates on the normalising and/or depoliticising of gender. There has also been a recognition of the need for an intersectional approach. In this course, we will critically and contextually think, understand and articulate about the aforementioned issues and perspectives in gender and development. This course aims to deepen student understanding of the fruitfulness of studying diverse issues affecting the lives of poor people in relation to one another, rather than being limited by disciplinary boundaries. Students will gain knowledge of the main theoretical approaches used in gender analysis of development issues, awareness of the significance of locally-specific contexts, and understanding of the differential impacts of development interventions on women and men. The course thus aims to equip students with knowledge and practical skills vital for careers in development research and practice   Credit Level: 11 Year taken: Postgraduate