Human rights

Thoughts about gender inequality in the developing world

Inequality between genders is by my opinion one of the most important issues of injustice the world is facing. Not only does inequality between genders occur in the developing world, but as well in the developed world.
In the following the different approached to over come injustice between gendesr in the developing world.
The approach to solve the problems of gender inequality in the developing world has changed over time. Different paradigms mean different approaches. Starting with the pre modern, inactive approach of handling out basic needs, such as clothes, food and shelter to the modern top down approach of making conditions for men and women equal and attempting to fit the women into a male world with male values, ending with the post modern bottom up approach of empowering women in the developing world and thus make them selves decide and construct the role they will play in the society and future of the developing world. Well, “ending” in that sense the science of international development no has moved on from post modernism.
Each approach has shown its limitations and errors. The pre modern approach returned only inactive and demotivated women (and men as well) and no development took place. This resulted in change of approach to the modern, where women where given exact the same possibilities and tools as men. Thus making women and men equal in the words true meaning, another issue arose. Women and men are different and equality will not be established if women are squeezed in to the male world and male traditions. It is imperative to acknowledge and appreciate the difference between the genders and let women be women and men be men. These issues are the focus point of the post modern approach, where empowering and independence of women are sought. Thus making the women (and men) decides and constructs their own individual role in the development of their society.
So far this approach is sound in theory. The big question mark derives in the epistemology and practice of the approach. For how can any one be told to make their own mind with out being influenced by the messenger? Already by given the message of empowerment it can be argued the process of a top down approach has started. And this is what the post modern approach is all about to avoid.