Planning development with women

de Kate Young

This book is intended both for practitioners of development and as an introductory text for social science students, particularly those in developing countries. It traces the way perceptions of women in development have been affected by development thinking over the last three decades and argues the need for a gender perspective in development planning, in order to support and enhance women's participation and empowerment. Initially women were largely seen as recipients of welfare and as mothers, but were otherwise invisible. Increasingly their productive contribution has been recognized. Separate chapters analyze their contribution in agriculture, industry and the informal sector. The problems involved in gathering gender-sensitive data are examined in relation to women's economic activity and the household, and the balance of power between the sexes. Finally, the argument is made that sustainable change in women's material conditions will never come about without women's collective empowerment so that the underlying structures which produce imbalance between the genders are dismantled.