{"id":3070,"key":"Gender_and_development","title":"Gender and development","latest":{"id":1209268,"timestamp":"2025-11-28T01:56:23Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"[[File:Combotrans.svg|thumb]]\n\nGender, and particularly the role of [[women]], is widely recognized as vitally important to [[international development]] issues. This often means a focus on gender-equality, ensuring [[Community participation|participation]], but includes an understanding of the different roles and expectation of the genders within the community.{{Verification needed}}\n\nAs well as directly addressing inequality, attention to gender issues is regarded as important to the success of development programs, for all participants.\n\n== Participation and differences between cultures ==\n\nIn many cultures it can be difficult for women to express themselves when men are present, including in public meetings.\n\nIn some cultures women may appear outspoken and \"liberated\" to an outsider. It is important not to make assumptions based only on such impressions, as behavior (of both genders but especially women) may still be very constrained.\n\nIt is also important not to assume that in every case and in every way the women are repressed by the men. Where generalizations are unavoidable (which may be the case in microfinance, if women are statistically better clients) it should not be forgotten that these are generalizations, and steps might be taken to minimize the negative impacts of these generalizations.\n\nThere are wide differences between cultures, e.g. the matriarchal Minang of Sumatra.\n\n== Strategies that empower women ==\n\n=== Microfinance ===\n\nIn [[microfinance]] it is common to target women, as besides the fact that women tend to be the over-represented in the poorest segments of the population, they are also regarded as more reliable at repaying the loans. Also, it is claimed that women are more likely to use the money for the benefit of their families.{{Verification needed}}\n\n=== Sanitation programs ===\n\nDevelopment consultant [[Kamal Kar]] has described the particular difficulties of women in poor Bangladeshi villages where [[open defecation]] is practised; women are expected to not practise open defecation during daylight hours and suffer discomfort and health problems{{Verification needed}} as a result. Access to safe, private toilets helps resolve this problem.\n\n=== Sanitary pads ===\n\nIt is also reported that in some countries, girls often do not have access to sanitary pads,{{W|sanitary pad}} and cannot attend school while menstruating. The papyrus sanitary pad{{W|papyrus sanitary pad}} is a way of helping these girls attend school.\n\n=== Suitable latrines in schools ===\n\nWhat do latrines have to do with education? Two of the [[Wikipedia:Millennium Development Goals|Millennium Development Goals]], one for universal primary education, and the other for [[gender]] equality, combine to generate the link to latrines. A web search for \"girls education latrines\" turns up numerous discussions that one of the barriers to girls attending primary school is a lack of safe and private latrines. For example:\n\nhttp://web.archive.org/web/20200108053850/http://www.ungei.org:80/news/index_688.html\n\nThe upshot is that school construction projects should include gender specific latrine facilities.\n\n''See also Papyrus sanitary pad{{W|Papyrus sanitary pad}}, which enables girls to attend school while they have their period.''\n\n== See also ==\n\n* [[Wikipedia:Gender#Gender and development]]\n* [[Wikipedia:Papyrus sanitary pad]]. Part of the value of this innovation is that it overcomes cultural barriers (in Uganda) to girls attending school while they have their period.\n\n== External links ==\n\n* [http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/five-innovations-that-are-working-to-empower-women/ Five Innovations that are Working to Empower Women], ''Worldwatch Institute''. 27 Dec 2011.\n* [http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sourcebook/sbhome.htm The World Bank Participation Sourcebook]. Refers to gender issues, esp in [http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sourcebook/sba209.htm Gender Issues in Participation]. (Do [http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=site%3Awww.worldbank.org%2Fwbi%2Fsourcebook+gender+OR+women&meta= this search] to find more references to gender in the Participation Sourcebook).\n* [http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/ Bridge - Mainstreaming Gender Equality] - it can give good results using the search box, if you know what you're looking for. But some of the articles are very dry, wordy, institutional documents on extremely specific topics.\n* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080516014107/http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender Gender, Poverty and Development]\n* [http://web.archive.org/web/20120204144748/http://www.undp.org/hiv/publications/gender/gendere.htm Gender, Development and the HIV Epidemic], at the UNDP site.\n\n<references />\n\n{{Page data\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| description = Empowered women change systems. Appropedia explores how gender equity improves development through microfinance, sanitation, and advocacy.\n}}\n\n[[Category:Principles of development]]\n[[Category:Culture and development]]\n[[Category:Gender]]"}