Introduction

This chapter builds on the background paper on ‘women's role in economic development’ produced for the High-Level Panel (HLP) on the post-2015 agenda, and also draws on the work of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network thematic group three (UNSDSN, 2013). It seeks to explain why women are important for bringing about economic development and what limits their engagement in income generating activities, highlighting the key areas that must be addressed if women are to engage equally with men. It begins by providing a brief context of the evolution of thinking around women and development, describing how and why women have been integrated into processes of ‘development’. It notes that to date gender equality has been understood in a relatively narrow sense and often seen as a means to achieve economic growth goals rather than as a goal in itself. It then presents the argument as to why women are key to economic development and the issues that must be addressed if they are to engage in the paid economy. It highlights that, while incorporating women into the paid economy is important for achieving economic growth, economic growth alone cannot improve the situation and position of women. To achieve gender equality demands projects and policies specifically aimed at achieving gender equality. The chapter concludes by highlighting those areas crucial for promoting gender equality that will also help bring economic growth.

The evolution of ‘Women in Development’ to ‘Gender and Development’

The interest in including women into the development process began in the 1970s when research on African farmers noted that, far from being gender neutral, development was gender blind and could harm women (Boserup, 1970). Boserup's work highlighted that with ‘modernisation’ came further labour specialisation and a hierarchy of occupations emerged that favoured men. Development workers furthered this gender bias by targeting only men in agricultural extension programmes, giving them privileged access to new farming technologies. The study also demonstrated that women's contributions, both domestic and in the paid workforce, contributed to national economies, something liberal feminists developed further in arguing that the costs of modern economic development were shouldered by women. Out of this the Women in Development (WID) approach emerged. In WID, women's subordination was seen as having its roots in their exclusion from the market sphere, and limited access to and control over resources.