Doing+Gender+And+Development

=
Sharp, J. Briggs, J. Yacoub, H. & Hamed. N. Doing Gender and Development: Understanding Empowerment and Local Gender Relations. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, New Series, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Sep.,2003), pp. 281-295======

=
This article discusses a phenomenon that is troublesome for those involved in gender and development work; women who choose to conform to existing gender structures rather than seeking approaches that will allow them to be empowered and break free of subordination. The article argues that women make strategic choices depending upon their realized economy and status, but cultural and personal issues are also involved. Therefore, the authors attest that imposing Western values (equal rights/empowerment) upon African women will not be successful unless women themselves believe they are as compatible with other roles as men. The issues that this article raises provide interesting perspective in relation to our work in partnership with CARE Canada and the “I Am Powerful” campaign. If we assume that the argument that “projects can succeed with their practical aims of strengthening women's roles in household production, but the strategic aims will only emerge as women themselves see them as compatible with their other roles” is true, than it gives us, as students, insight into why methods employed by CARE Canada in Africa for facilitating equality have been taken. ======