The current evolution of development programmes has a more
determining sustainability and equity perspective. This leads
to an integral approach of actions where people are placed at
the core of processes and their life quality is regarded as
the ultimate development goal.
This cannot possibly be achieved without the systematic inclusion
of the gender dimension. Indeed, gender is a core element of
social relationships because it expresses a set of psychological
and cultural characteristics and the functions and roles that
a given society assigns to men and women according to which
their activities are valued and appreciated.
This means that gender is an instrument of analysis that shows
people as conditioned by society; it reveals relationships and
the distribution of power and resources among men and women.
Therefore, it is a foundation dimension on which other dimensions
- generators of differences - act: ethnic origin, educational
level, income, rural or urban condition, etc. By this, it is
meant that the pauses and transformations in gender influence
other social conditions and vice versa.
Thus, the mainstreaming of the gender perspective is a condition
to improve the relevance and equity of policies. Gender mainstreaming
implies visualising and considering, in all dimensions and factors
of the development process, the singularities, hurdles and limitations
to the participation and appreciation of contributions made
by women and men. That consideration leads to the design and
implementation of actions to overcome the inequity and discrimination
that from the very start affect women.
Incorporating the gender perspective in rural development is
particularly crucial since it is a setting that is traditionally
more intensely affected by contrasts and inequity between men
and women. These contrasts are particularly seen in the access
to and the distribution of resources and benefits of development
and because the degree of isolation suffered by women is very
high, given the conditions and organisation of production and
domestic life.
Among its objectives, gender equity seeks to enable women to
express their needs and develop their potential at home and
in the entire community. Additionally, rural development is
a progress perspective that becomes more and more involved in
local development. This requires a collective plan of social
change at a medium and long term and the promotion of links
and networks between all stakeholders with the aim of creating
an endogenous dynamics, integrating the social and the economic
components in a global approach. In that scenario, for instance,
promoting further female participation and representation in
rural organisations, in a powerful and independent way, might
be an efficient means of ensuring sustainable and socially equitable
development.
To sum up, it does not seem possible today to think of an efficient
rural development and the fight against poverty and exclusion
without a more equitable and just appreciation of the contributions
and roles of men and women; without eliminating inequality in
the access and decisions concerning resources as well as the
benefits achieved, and, therefore, without reinforcing the possibilities
and rights of rural women.
The following documents
and links to other web pages have the purpose of going
deeper into the reasons and benefits of a gender-sensitive approach
to the problems of rural areas.
