Women In Development
WID approach was primarily introduced by the “ American Liberal feminist “ in 1970. I t
had become very clear that women were being left out of development. They were not
benefiting significantly from it and in some instances their existing status and position in
society was actually being made worse by development. The WID approach saw the problem
as the exclusion of women from development programmes and approaches. As a result, the
solution was seen as integrating women into such programmes.
The Women in Development (WID) approach is a method of development that focuses on the
role of women in economic and social development. It emphasizes the need to address gender
inequality and promote the participation of women in all aspects of development. The WID
approach was developed in response to concerns that traditional development efforts were
not adequately addressing the needs and challenges faced by women. WID saw women as a
group being treated as lacking opportunity to participate in
development.
The WID (Women in Development) approach emerged as a critique of the modernization
theory. While modernization theory focuses on economic growth as the key to development,
WID emphasizes the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment in
development processes.
Key Policies and Goals
• The WID approach recognizes that gender equality is essential for sustainable
development.
• It seeks to empower women by promoting their active participation in decision-
making processes and addressing social, economic, and political barriers that limit
their participation in development.
• The approach advocates for the recognition and protection of women’s rights,
including reproductive rights, education, employment, and public life participation.
Welfare oriented projects dealing with small income-generating Projects and activities
at women’s reproductive role, where nutrition education and family planning were a
main feature.
• The WID approach argued for the integration of women into development
programmes and planning. It emphasizes the importance of integrating a gender
perspective into development policies and programs to ensure that the needs and
priorities of both women and men are considered.
• The approach seeks to build the capacity of women through education, training, and
other forms of support to enable them to fully participate in development processes
and realize their full potential. Therefore , the main task , was to improve women’s
access to resources and their participation in development
• This approach argued to improve women’s position in society. There was, for
instance, a major emphasis on income-generating projects for women as a means of
integration.
• It has led to greater access to education and employment for women, which has
contributed to increased economic opportunities and independence.
• It has contributed to the enhancement of livelihoods for women through initiatives
such as microfinance programs and entrepreneurship support.
Challenges include
Resistance to Change: There has been resistance to the WID approach, particularly from
those who view it as a threat to traditional gender roles and power dynamics.
Limited Resources: The approach has often been underfunded, limiting its ability to achieve
its goals and scale up successful initiatives.
Lack of Gender-Disaggregated Data: There has often been a lack of accurate and
comprehensive data on the situation of women, making it difficult to measure the impact of
the WID approach and identify areas for improvement.
Limited Institutional Support: There has often been a lack of institutional support for the
WID approach within governments and international organizations, making it difficult to
mainstream a gender perspective into development policies and programs.
To monitor the implementation of policies , WID Unit was established in 1986 at the
National Commission for Development Planning, the central planning and coordinating body
of government. The WID unit was later elevated to a full department. Its focus was the
integration of women in development and to ensure that ministries and other implementing
bodies worked towards the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of women as the
way to ensure their total integration in development.
Criticism
• Although the WID approach made demands for women’s inclusion in development, it
did not call for changes in the overall social structure or economic system in which
women were to be included.
• As such, WID concentrated narrowly on the inequalities between men and women
and ignored the social, cultural, legal and economic factors that give rise to those
inequalities in society.
• WID tended to focus on women almost exclusively and assumed that women were
outside the mainstream of development.
• WID did not address the gender discrimination the root cause of gender .
