DIPLOMARBEIT - ÖH Uni Wien - Universität Wien

2.2.1. Women in Development (WID)After Ester Boserup`s study the liberal-feminist approach `Women in Development` (WID)was established which focussed on the non-existence of women in development plans andstrategies in development cooperation (Weber 2004: 20). It also criticized the assumption thatmodernization automatically leads to gender equality (Connelly et al. 2000: 5). The feministswere convinced that only women-oriented policies could efficiently integrate women andenhance equality. WID`s goal was to make women from the South visible, empower them andgive them the possibility to participate in male-dominated social and economic structures(Rathgeber 1995: 206). As a result many governments, non-governmental and internationalorganisations, like the World Bank, actually started setting up women`s affairs offices.Critics argued that the approaches to women in development were dominated by Westernfeminists and thus ignore indigenous knowledge (Connelly et al. 2000: 5f.). Nevertheless, theWID approach was still the most popular approach advocated by governments, reliefagencies, development organisations and international or bilateral donor agencies in the 1990s(Connelly et al. 2000: 10).Various approaches emerged from WID. The original one is the equity approach which wasformed during the Women`s Decade 1976-1985. It demands the equal distribution of thebenefits of development for women and men. The approach acknowledges the reproductive aswell as the productive role of women and thus their crucial contribution to development andeconomic growth. The aim is to challenge the inequality between women and men in terms ofdivision of labour and to redistribute resources and power from men of all classes to womenof all classes. In order for this approach to work certain policies of positive discrimination ofwomen are necessary. Projects relating to the equality approach demand political, social andcultural changes and restructuring which is often uncomfortable for organisations who want touphold social traditions (Moser/Levy 1986: 5f.). Women should be seen as active participantsin development and their triple role should be acknowledged. Institutional changes togetherwith political and economical autonomy of women should reduce inequality (Moser 1993:62f.).Similiar to that is the Women and Development approach (WAD) which has its roots in thedependency theory and in Marxist feminist ideas. It demands `women only` projects becausethe integration of women in the patriarchal world is considered as difficult. Women`s17