Over the last few years, women have
contributed immensely in the development of their respective countries either
collectively or at an individual level. Any country that endeavours to achieve
sustainable development should utilize the great potential that lies in all its
citizens without discrimination on grounds of religion, gender, age, or race.
This means that every country should take issues that discriminate its citizens
on grounds of gender seriously. If a country takes issues that discriminate its
citizens on grounds of gender for granted, the consequences that follow are
both negative and costly and greatly detrimental to the development of any
nation.
Women
Impeding Factors in Development
It is important, therefore, that the role played by women in development should be taken seriously, and thus, all
factors that contribute to the development of women should be taken into
consideration in and during all aspects of the development of a nation. In order to
appreciate the fundamental role of women, it is important to be aware of the
factors that have for a long time acted as an impediment for the prosperity of
women as well as their contribution to the various social, economic, and
political aspects of a nation’s development (Meena, 2013). The first thing to
understand which is very important is the role of women, otherwise referred to
as the sex roles and occupations which affect the outcomes of development from
a socio-political perspective. The society has generally assumed a patriarchal
position whereby women are perceived to have a very inferior role which is
basically centred on family (Meena, 2013). These gender-based roles have, thus,
intimidated women, making her appear as a lesser being as compared to her male
counterpart.
The
Fundamental Role of Women in the Society
The second aspect that should be
considered for understanding is the fact that women play a fundamental role
just as men in the development of a nation. Yes, there may be some physical
differences here and there, but truly speaking, the role women play in a
nation’s development cannot be assumed and can actually be greater than that
played by men. For instance, women are the core participants in the building of
a family. A family is the foundation of a nation’s population. A single unit of
a family consists of a father, mother, and children. The mother, in this case, a
woman, plays a very significant role in making sure the family grows (Jain,
2005). She bears children and takes care of them right from the time of
inception to the time the child is able to live independently. In fact,
children who are left by their mothers at very tender stages of their lives
experience a very difficult beginning, and usually, the father is forced to
seek the help of a woman figure, maybe his mother, sister, relative, or a
helper in general. This is a perfect demonstration of the importance of a woman
in a family setting and by extension, the society.
Role
of Women in Food Production
Another very significant role of a
woman in society is food production. Right from the traditional society,
women contributed immensely to the production of food in the family and
society. They prepared the farms, planted crops, took care of the crops, and
even harvested them. This took place as the men went out in hunting missions or
to take part in battles and other relevant societal activities (Jain, 2005).
The man usually went back home in the evening to find that the woman had
already prepared food and also produced for the future. When it came to
activities in the farms, women and children, mostly female children provided
labour in the absence of the males (Meena, 2013). In contemporary society,
the role of women in food production has not died out. It is usually the role
of women to find out what the family will eat, and the men usually just provide
the means. In fact, women are responsible for the production of about 70 per cent of household food as well as being actively involved in the production
of cash crops (Meena, 2013).
Role
of Women in Education
Another fundamental role of a woman
is in terms of education. The basic or elementary education of a young child is
provided by the mother. The mother is the person who spends with the child most
of the time. Therefore, the basic things that the child has to learn are
provided by the mother (Jain, 2005). In fact, some societies have a saying
that, “he who is never taught by his mother, is taught by the society.” This is
translated to mean that the role of making a person responsible right from
birth belongs to the mother. She bears the responsibility to teach a child the
basic language and other morals of the society including the basic societal
expectations (Jain, 2005). In fact, this is the reason why the first language
of a child is usually known as the mother tongue. In addition, before even a
child goes to school, he/she usually receives elementary training from the
mother. This, therefore, is an indication that women play quite a significant
role in the education system of a child.
The
Contribution of Women in the Social Pillar of Development
Another aspect that we need to
understand is the fact that women constitute the highest part of the population
in many countries of the world as compared to men. What this means, therefore,
is that ignoring women is ignoring the largest part of human resource in society. Human resource is core to the development of a nation (Ahoojapatel,
2007). This means that women comprise the largest part of human resource,
and thus should contribute the greatest in the development of a nation. In
fact, women contribute very much in the three major pillars of development.
These are the social, the political, as well as the political pillars of
development. In the social pillar, women contribute by nurturing children and
passing on good values and teachings as well as behaviour (Jain, 2005).
Children are the development torchbearers of the next generation, and thus,
this nurturing by women is fundamental to societal continuity and growth.
The
Contribution of Women in the Political Pillar of Development
In the political pillar, women have
contributed greatly to the political development of different nations. Just as
their male counterparts, women have fought for justice, democracy, and good
governance (Ahoojapatel, 2007). In the first place, women are voters who
exercise their democratic rights in choosing the preferred bearers of political
offices. Owing to their numerical strength therefore, women make a contribution
in the choice of political leadership, and this is the basic form of political
stability (Jain, 2005). In addition, many women today have entered the
political field which was previously perceived to be male-dominated. The world
today actually boasts of several women political leaders with some being
presidents even in the most democratic nations. For instance, the German
chancellor, Angela Dorothea Merkel, is a woman and has held the office since
2005. Even in Africa which is believed to be highly patriarchal, women have
also held senior political offices. The president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf for instance is a woman.
The
Contribution of Women in the Ecological Pillar of Development
In the ecological pillar of
development, women have contributed to environmental protection and
conservation in various ways. Many trees worldwide are actually planted and
tendered by women and children. In addition, women are the providers of
domestic fuel, and therefore, their adoption of sustainable or renewable
sources of energy greatly contributes to the process of mitigating the vices of
environmental degradation (Ahoojapatel, 2007). In fact, the birth of
environmental movements, as well as the first conferences on environmental protection, is said to have originated from the book titled, The Silent Springs whose author was a
woman, Rachel Carson. In fact, the Stockholm Conference on Environment which was held in 1972 laid the foundations for global
environmental governance (Meena, 2013). The conference, which emerged from
previous concerns raised in the book published in 1962, considered the need for
a common outlook in the global guidance in environmental preservation. Since
then, women all over the world have contributed to environmental conservation
in many ways.
So
How Do We Intensify The Contribution Of Women In Development?
Considering the enormous fundamental
contribution made by women development globally, it can be concluded that women
ought to be developed if development has to take place all over the world. It
is evident that given an opportunity, women can perform marvellously in the
development of a nation. There is a need, therefore, to recognise that fact to
prioritise girls’ education and the education of women in general. This will in
a great way remove women the cocoon of a traditional role to a more productive
woman globally. Education of women plays a great role in the society including
reducing the population, enhancing healthcare education, delaying the age of childbirth hence ensuring planned families, increasing the number of women in the
middle class, and broadening income right from family level to the country level.
Education further enables a vertical movement of women from a private to the
public sphere. The Millennium Development Goals have provided for women
empowerment and equity, and this is believed to bear enormous fruits in terms
of development globally by 2015.
Ahoojapatel, K. (2007) Development
Has a Woman's Face: Insights from Within the U.N. New Delhi: A.P.H
Publishing Corporation.
Jain, D. (2005) Women,
Development, and the UN: A Sixty-Year Quest for Equality and Justice. Bloomington: Indiana University
Press.
Meena, R. (2013) Women and
sustainable development. Voices from Africa, [online], Available from: http://www.un-ngls.org/orf/documents/publications.en/voices.africa/number5/vfa5.07.htm].
By Said M Gelle
saacidiin@hotmail.com
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