This post explains “Women In Development WID Approach. Role of women’s in economic, political and social development of a nation. Women In Development – WID notes”
Women In Development – WID Approach
Introduction
Women in Development (WID) is a movement that began in the early 1970s with the goal of making sure women’s needs and contributions are fully considered in development projects around the world. Instead of treating women as passive recipients of aid, WID emphasizes their active role in economies, aiming to improve their status in society.
Historical Background
In Washington, D.C., a group of female professionals realized that most development and modernization programs were designed without looking at how differently they affect men and women. From their own experiences working overseas, they saw that these projects often made women’s lives harder rather than better. This insight sparked the call for a new approach—one that would integrate women from the very start of planning and implementation.
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The Percy Amendment
One concrete achievement of the WID advocates was the Percy Amendment of 1973. Through persistent lobbying, women’s rights workers in the United States convinced Congress to require that USAID-funded projects include strategies to integrate women into national economies. This meant that any foreign assistance from the U.S. had to consider women’s participation as a key condition for funding.
Research and Boserup’s Contribution
A pivotal moment for WID came with Ester Boserup’s 1970 book Women’s Role in Economic Development. Boserup challenged the prevailing “welfare approach,” which saw women only as mothers and dependents. She demonstrated how vital women were to agriculture and broader economic growth. Her work provided the academic foundation for treating women as economic agents rather than welfare cases.
Goals and Strategies
- Challenge stereotypes that confine women to domestic roles
- Ensure women have equal access to education, training, and employment
- Mainstream gender considerations into all stages of project planning
- Advocate for legal and policy changes that support women’s economic rights
Impact of WID
On the research front, WID led to a surge of studies examining women’s roles in economies worldwide. Development agencies began collecting gender-disaggregated data and commissioning gender impact assessments. At the same time, funding guidelines evolved to require gender-sensitive components, helping women gain access to credit, land ownership, and technical training.
Additional Points
- Gender budgeting: Allocating public funds in ways that directly benefit women’s priorities
- Capacity building: Training local women leaders to influence development policies
- Partnership models: Involving women’s organizations as equal partners in project design
- Monitoring & Evaluation: Tracking gender-specific indicators to measure impact
Conclusion
By spotlighting women as key contributors rather than sidelined beneficiaries, the WID movement reshaped development thinking. Its legacy lives on in today’s gender-mainstreamed policies and programs, proving that truly sustainable progress must include everyone.
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