Communicating Gender and Advocating Accountability in Global Development

221 Pages·2016·0.82 MB·English

by  Karin Gwinn Wilkins (auth.)

PalgraveStudiesinCommunicationforSocialChange
SeriesEditors:PradipNinanThomas,TheUniversityofQueensland,Australia,
andElskevandeFliert,TheUniversityofQueensland,Australia
Advisory Board: Silvio Waisbord, George Washington University, USA, Karin
G. Wilkins, University of Texas at Austin, USA, Thomas Tufte, Roskilde
University,Denmark,ZaharomNain,UniversityofNottingham,MalaysiaCam-
pus, Rico Lie, Wageningen University, The Netherlands, Claudia Mitchell,
McGill University, Canada, Jo Tacchi, RMIT University, Australia, Nicholas
Carah, The University of Queensland, Australia, Zala Volcic, Pomona College,
Claremont,USA
CommunicationforSocialChange(CSC)isadefinedfieldofacademicenquiry
thatisexplicitlytransdisciplinaryandthathasbeenshapedbyavarietyofthe-
oreticalinputsfromavarietyoftraditions,fromsociologyanddevelopmentto
social movement studies. The leveraging of communication, information, and
the media in social change is the basis for a global industry that is supported
bygovernments,developmentaidagencies,foundations,andinternationaland
local NGOs. It is also the basis for multiple interventions at grassroots levels,
with participatory communication processes and community media making a
difference through raising awareness, mobilizing communities, strengthening
empowerment,andcontributingtolocalchange.
This series on Communication for Social Change intentionally provides the
spaceforcriticalwritingsinCSCtheory,practice,policy,strategy,andmethods.
Itfillsagapinthefieldbyexploringnewthinking,institutionalcritiques,and
innovative methods. It offers the opportunity for scholars and practitioners to
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economyasmuchasbylocalculturalneeds.Theseriesexplicitlyintendstohigh-
light, critique, and explore the gaps between ideological promise, institutional
performance,andrealitiesofpractice.
Titlesinclude:
TinaAskaniusandLivStubbeØstergaard(editors)
RECLAIMINGTHEPUBLICSPHERE
Communication,PowerandSocialChange
SabaBebawi
INVESTIGATIVEJOURNALISMINTHEARABWORLD
IssuesandChallenges
LeviObijiofor
NEWTECHNOLOGIESINDEVELOPINGSOCIETIES
FromTheorytoPractice
PradipThomasandElskevandeFliert
INTERROGATING THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COMMUNICATION AND
SOCIALCHANGE
TheBasisforaRenewal
SonjaVivienne
DIGITALIDENTITYANDEVERYDAYACTIVISM
SharingPrivateStorieswithNetworkedPublics
ZalaVolcicandMarkAndrejevic(editors)
COMMERCIALNATIONALISM
SellingtheNationandNationalizingtheSell
KarinWilkins
COMMUNICATINGGENDERANDADVOCATINGACCOUNTABILITYIN
GLOBALDEVELOPMENT
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Communicating Gender
and Advocating
Accountability in Global
Development
Karin Gwinn Wilkins
UniversityofTexasatAustin,USA
©KarinGwinnWilkins2016
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2016 978-1-137-45047-0
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Communicatinggenderandadvocatingaccountability
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pages cm.—(Palgravestudiesincommunicationforsocialchange)
Summary:“Womenaremorecentralthaneverbeforeinvisionsofglobal
development.Sothenwhyhasthedevelopmentindustryfailedtoresolve
gendergapsonaglobalscale?Inthisbook,limitationsofdevelopment
areexploredthroughresearchonmicro-enterpriseprogramsin
SouthAsia,celebrityfundingofgirls’schoolsinAfricaandAfghanistan,
andpopulationprogramsandconferencesinEgypt.Concernsare
raisedwiththeoverlynarrowarticulationofwomen’sempowerment
attheexpenseofgenderdynamics,privilegingofcommunicationas
atechnologicaltoolratherthanasdiscourseorglobalindustry,and
assertionofneoliberaldevelopmentwithoutattentionto
political-economicglobalcontexts.Criticalinquirycancontribute
toadvocacybysubvertingaccountabilitytomeetthe
demandsofglobalsocialjustice”—Providedbypublisher.
1. Womenindevelopment. 2. Microfinance.
3. Women-ownedbusinessenterprises. I. Title.
HQ1240.W552015
305.42—dc23 2015023409
To Grace Way Knudsen, Marie Monroe Wilkins, and
Karel Knudsen Wilkins
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Contents
Acknowledgments viii
1 Communication,Gender,andDevelopment 1
2 CommunicatingGenderinMicroenterpriseDevelopment 43
3 CommunicatingGenderinPopulationDevelopment 85
4 CommunicatingGenderinEducationDevelopment 133
5 AdvocatingAccountabilityforGenderJustice 170
Notes 204
Index 205
vii
Acknowledgments
There is more to acknowledge than I can adequately convey in this
brief page. This project has been challenging, in part because I care so
muchaboutitspotentialcontributiontoourconversationonimproving
global conditions, not only for women but for all communities facing
oppression and marginalization. First, I want to thank Pradip Thomas
for his vision in initiating this publication series, which promises to
offer a significant contribution to our scholarship on communica-
tion and social change. I also appreciate support from Elske van de
Fliert, and guidance from Felicity Plester and Sneha Kamat Bhavnani
in working with me through Palgrave Macmillan in the production of
this book. This work has benefited from thoughtful discussions with
many great colleagues at events sponsored by Aarhus University, the
International Association for Media & Communication Research, the
International Communication Association, Karlstad University, Malmö
University, Roskilde University, Texas A&M, University of Oregon, and
UniversityofPennsylvania.IappreciateinsightsfromLeslieSteevesand
Radhika Gajjala into feminist contributions to development commu-
nication; Paula Chakravartty, Florencia Enghel, and Toby Miller into
the importance of political economy; John Downing, Dana Cloud,
JamesPamment,andJanServaesintopoliticsandadvocacy;andEmile
McAnany into integrity and significance. I am particularly thankful to
Kyung Sun Lee for her diligence and thoughtfulness as my research
assistant. I wish to thank the University of Texas at Austin’s Center
for Women’s and Gender Studies for a core faculty research grant. Spe-
cial thanks to Kari Siegenthaler for working on the index to this book.
My children, Katherine (Kari) and Alexander Siegenthaler, bring me
greatjoyandinspiration.Myhusband,PaulRubin,bringsmestrength
andsupport.Thankyou.
viii
1
Communication, Gender, and
Development
Women are more central than ever before to visions of global devel-
opment: so why then do gender inequities remain? More money is
being spent in development in the name of women’s empowerment.
More women are serving in roles of global leadership. More girls are
beingeducated.Butseriousgendergapsinemployment,inpay,inlegal
rights,andinleadershippositionschallengetheabilityofbothwomen
andmentoreachtheirpotential.Theoverarchingquestionguidingthis
projectconcernshowitisthatdevelopmenthasfailedtoresolvegender
disparitiesonaglobalscale.
Issues surrounding gender and women feature prominently in the
articulationoftheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs),whichrep-
resent a “blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the
world’s leading development institutions,” according to the United
Nations (UN) (2015a). Among other concerns, the MDGs focus on
reducingmaternalmortality,achievinguniversalaccesstoreproductive
health services, and improving rates of female participation in for-
maleducation,paidemployment,andelectedpoliticalpositions.While
attention to women in development is valuable, recognition of gender
dynamics highlights potential concerns with the ways in which pro-
gramsarticulateproblematicassumptionsaboutbothwomenandmen
insociety.
TheeightMDGs,focusingtheworkofthedevelopmentindustry,are
to:
1. Eradicateextremepovertyandhunger
2. Achieveuniversalprimaryeducation
3. Promotegenderequalityandempowerwomen
4. Reducechildmortality
1