Development Discourse, Modernization Theory, and Gender (PDF)

Scientific Essay from the year 2013 in the subject Sociology - Gender Studies, , language: English, abstract: The contemporary world has experienced a focus on development as a core influence
on social, economic, and political spheres. Equating the preoccupation with development to a
discourse, Escobar (86-91) notes the interpretation of societal development as a technical
problem requiring rational decisionmaking and management entrusted to a group of people.
How such people conceptualize development has an impact on various groups in society. In
this case, a male-dominated outlook on development poses various effects on women,
explorable through exploring the various theoretical foundations on development (Lindio-
MacGovern and Isidor 35). Several important theories conceptualized over the past half a
century form the main ideas surrounding development, one of which is the modernization
theory. Through taking the perspective of gendered development in which development
affects men and women differently, the present study analyzes impacts of development based
on the modernization theory and global capitalism on women.
The study relies on scholarly works covering development, gendered development,
modernization theory, and global capitalism. The approach to the discussion entails an
overview of development and modernization theory with a focus on the first world-third
world divide. This discussion of development frameworks then ushers in an analysis of how
such development impacts women. The main theme under investigation is gendered
development dwelling on the fate of women, with the central argument being that
development and paradigmatic development theories create opportunities and hindrances for
the development of women. [...]