ERIC ED372238: Women Are "The Key to Progress." The Situation of Women in Developing Countries and German Efforts To Improve Their Situation. IN Visitors' Information Special Report, SO 5.

22 Pages·1994·0.31 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CE 066 849
ED 372 238
Krugmann-Randolf, Inga
AUTHOR
Women Are "The Key to Progress." The Situation of
TITLE
Women in Developing Countries and German Efforts To
Improve Their Situation. IN Visitors' Information
Special Report, SO 5.
Inter Nationes, Bonn (Germany).
INSTITUTION
PUB DATE
94
NOTE
22p.
Descriptive (141)
Reports
PUB TYPE
MFO1/PC01 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Affirmative Action; Developed Nations; Developing
DESCRIPTORS
Nations; *Economic Development; *Females; Foreign
Countries; *International Cooperation; International
Programs; *Nondiscriminatory Education; *Sex
Discrimination; Sex Fairness; Tfaining; Womens
Education
*Germany
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
Women in developing countries carry out
three-quarters of all work in rural areas, are often exposed to great
health risks through frequent childbirth, and are disadvantaged
compared with men in education and training. Modernization has
burdened women with new responsibilities and more work but has
improved health care. The economic and social changes caused by
development and development assistance can sometimes worsen the
status and life situation of women. A targeted promotion of women is
the only way to sarisfy basic needs and reduce poverty. Almost all
organizations of German development cooperation participate in the
complex task of promoting women in developing countries. Promotion is
implemented in the following ways: access for women to training and
advice, credits, and work-relieving technologies; participation of
women themselves; and an integrated approach that aims at the joint
promotion of men and women. Germany attempts in many different areas
and with different means to contribute to the promotion of women in
developing countries: relief in household work, primary health
services, family planning services, agriculture, and education. The
effectiveness of development cooperation can be increased with the
capabilities to solve problems
strengthening of self-help groups
themselves and models that bring about development processes beyond
projects and programs. (Three projects in Burkina Faso, Colombia, and
Indonesia are described.) (YLB)
***********************************************************************
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
*
from the original document.
**********************************************************************
Irter Ncncne-s
91-103
Y.enned-fo:1/.
D- 53175 Br.:
PRESS
"e'e=c-,,7 02 28/88 00
Tele, 8 869 904 ,nd
Te'eCox. 88 04 57
INTER NATIONES BONN
IN Visitors' Information
Sonderthema
Special Report
Code No. 740 Q 2216
SO 5 - 1994
WOKEN ARE "THE KEY TO PROGRESS"
of women in developing countries
- The situation
their situation -
and German efforts to improve
by
Inga Krugmann-Randolf
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATX/N.
U
in,cc",arynt
()ace
Eclucatuna, almemcn
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
CENTER 4ERICI
ocx ...tom nes OW ,00,0Clu Cecl as
inset! Inyn the Wien
astanaatton
UL)T4s
0.9mafiNa
tsl.nco changes has* Men mac* to opdove
C
ftwoduct.on Guam,
Ponts . a o-nots staNto
trtd Oa,
,4101 do not necessents resoesent ofk,al
TO -HE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
OE RI (30S,I.on o, policy
AATION CENTER (ER:CI
IN
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
2
Verciffentlichung frei
Belege erbeten. Free of charge
repnnts requested.
Publication fibre
Priere d'envoyer des exemplaires justificatds. Publicacion fibre
se agradecen comprobantes
Information
IN Visitors'
Editor: Sigrid Born
.3
Translator: John England
May 1994
CONTENTS
Page
1
Introduction
1
developing countries
The situation of women in
I.
the situation of
The impacts of modernisations on
4
and strengths
women: their burdens
6
cooperation
Women in German development
III.
7
WHO promotes?
8
HOW is promotion implemented?
9
WHERE and WHAT is promoted?
12
Outlook
13
Project examples
IV.
13
Rural women in Burkina Faso
14
in Colombia
Woman adviser for promoting women
15
in Indonesia
Credits for very small businesses
17
Address list
Introduction
participate with equal rights
"Women should be able to
social and
economic,
and self-determination in the
countries and draw bene-
society development of their
fits from it."
be taken into consid-
"The interests of women are to
implementation of all dev-
eration in the planning and
elopment cooperation projects."
of the Federal Republic
These principles of the government
knowledge that yomen bear the
of Germany are based on the
and at the same time play
main burden of under-development,
economic and social areas of their
a key role in many
countries.
from recognition of the "key
It took decades to move on
systematic promotion.
to their targeted,
role of women"
make an effective con-
Development cooperation can only
basic needs, such
tribution to the satisfying of people's
development in the
as-alleviating poverty, and- thereby to
also given the possi-.
respective countries, when women are
in social and political
bility to participate actively
to
wants
cooperation
development
German
development.
and men, and
contribute to creating equal chances for women
that
specific potentials, ,so
to the promotion of their
contribute to the development of
women and men together can
countries and equally draw
their familes, communities and
benefits from it.
developing countries
The situation of women in
I.
account for two-
"Women make up half of
humanity,
receive one-tenth of
all working hours,
of
thirds
one-hundredth of the
world income, and own less than
property."
United Nations Report 1980
5
1
worldwide
sentence brings the
This probably most-quoted
succinct denominator, whereby women
"women's problem" to a
Latin'America, apart from a few excep-
in Africa, Asia and
indust-
tougher than women in the
tions, have it much much
relig-
different cultural, social,
rial societies. Despite
in the developing countries, the
ious and ethnic conditions
domestic area,
is: disadvantages in the
common denominator
well as overwork. This applies
in training and in jobs, as
classes.
especially to the lower social
countries as a rule carry out three-
Women in developing
They produce more than
quarters of all work in rural areas.
traditionally are responsible for the
half of all food, and
feeding of their families.
in developing
"Sixty per cent of the poor/population
of the family
countries are women, who produce most
national food," the
income and up to 80.per cent of
Development (IFAD)
International Fund for Agricultural
noted.
sector, e.g. street trading, es-
In the so-called informal
according to the country
timates put the share of women,
Their diverse activities
and work area, at 25-60 per cent.
children, supplying energy
in home management and raising
well as in crafts,
(firewood), water and health care, as
production, are often under-
trades and modern industrial
valued.
important tasks for their
Although women carry out these
key
which characterize their
and communities,
families
hindered because of their low
role, they are not seldom
even though the
in developing countries,
status
social
anchored in many State
formal equality of men and women is
constitutions.
6
2
through fre-
exposed to great health risks
Women are often
500,000 women in developing coun-
quent births. More than
pregnancy-related complications,
tries die every year from
the victims of abortions
of which at least 200,000 are
due to frequent births are
which go wrong. The health risks
nutrition, medical care and en-
worsened by deficiencies in
increasing destruction of the en-
vironmental hygiene. The
particularly heavily: the fields
vironment affects women
ever-increasing distances to
yield less, and they must walk
human rights violations,
reach firewood and water. Wars,
environment also con-
corruption, droughts and a destroyed
arable land 'and villages in
tribute to people leaving their
death. It is estimated that
flight from hunger, chaos and
currently in flight.
100 million people worldwide are
afito in urban slum areas, the number of
In the country, but
alone due, inter alia, to
households which are run by women
is growing. Estimates reckon
the outmigration of their men,
one-third of the social disinte-
that worldwide more than
and
crime
juvenile
unemployment,
families,
of
gration
from which women
prostitution is due to this development,
in particular suffer.
compared with men in education
Women are also disadvantaged
status makes it difficult
and training. Their lower social
training and to many occupa-
for them to gain access ,to
income and social ad-
tions, and thereby to an appropriate
the illiterates are female,
vancement. More than half of
much more often than boys
and girls must drop out of school
and helpers for their
because they are needed as workers
believe that the curric-
mothers at home. As their parents
not adapted to the
ula of the schools are preponderantly
girls should learn
realities of life, they feel that the
in
home. Girls have fewer chances,
more useful things at
differences are in
vocational training, and the greatest
technical training.
of
modernizations on the situation
11. The impacts of
and strengths
women: their burdens
are
women
of
conditions
and working
living
"The
tailored for
improvements are
shameful. Almost all
of
State
of
Head
longtime
Nyerere,
(Julius
men."
Tanzania, Geneva 1992)
de-
in the first three to four
Women were simply forgotten
plans
Men designed development
cades of development policy.
of
seldom to the disadvantage
for men. And that was not
tradition-
either loaded with more work or
women. They were
were.taken away from them.
al sources of income
ACny agricultural projects a self-contri-
An example: in
benefiting village inhabitants
bution is asked for from the
in the building of protective
in the form of work, e.a.
erosion in the fields, afforestation,
walls against earth
is
and wells. What is important
and the building of roads
it
in this" community work. If
whether the men participate
this will be to the
loaded upon the women alone,
is
production of food. When
disadvantage of their health and
and more work
with new responsibilities
women are burdened
other
at
they must be
relieved
through modernization,
places.
worldwide. Doctors
Modernization has improved health care
accessible than they were 50 years
and medicines are more
dying, and people
resulted in fewer children
ago. That has
according to esti-
The world population,
living longer.
all
by 97 million people. Almost
mateS, is growing yearly
and
takes place in Africa, Asia
of the population growth
is accounted for by South Asia
Latin America, of which half
and
the pregnancies are unwanted
and Africa alone. Many of
That is why self-determining
harm the health of the women.
possible for all women and
family planning should be made
given access to contraceptives.
men in that they are
4
or those shaken by power
In deeply-indebted countries,
have to absorb the
struggles, women first and foremost
Structural adjustments to reduce State
economic crisis.
prices of basic foodstuffs,
debts lead to increases in the
services,
of State health and school
as well as the ending
with even
agriculture and transport. That burdens women
responsibility.
more work and
strong and self-confident
On the other hand, there are many
think
of,the South; one has only to
women in the countries
other African countries or
of the market women of Ghana and
Haiti.
which are very well
The traditional women's associations,
levels
government
or
communities
to make village
able
Their
also deserve respect.
listen to their interests,
have grown in the last 10
numbers and strength of assertion
in international discussions have
years. Knowledge gained
also contributed to that.
accept everything can
The impulse for women no longer to
an old tradition in
sometimes come from a puppet show,
tailored to the daily
Rajasthan, in India. The shows are
them some years ago
problems of their public, and one of
of the puppets asked
had undreamed-of consequences. One
actually paid for
the women in the audience: "What are you
The women re-
eight hours work a day on road-building?"
bit thick," commen-
plied: "One or two Rupees." "That's a
the minimum wage for
ted the puppet, "because the law says
didn't know that,"
eight hours work-is eight Rupees." "We
"And what should we do now?" The puppet
said the women.
Block
"Draw attention to your problem.
had the answer:
later occupied the na-
the road." And in fact 200 women
subsequent peti-
tional road to the main road of Jaipur. A
,
trail-blazing ruling
tion from the women was met with a
Indian Supreme Court: women have the
on principles by the
minimum wage as men. An historic
same right to the legal
judgement for India.
9
5
oration
lignan-inClusinn-simasalstat_g9Qr
Definition:
increase the capabil-
"Technical cooperation should
partner
the
in
and organizations
people
of
ities
and mobilizes knowledge
countries, in that it imparts
the preconditions for
and capabilities, or improves
the self-
It wants to strengthen
their application.
countries so that
initiative of the people in these
conditions by their own
they can improve their living
has the task of improv-
efforts. Financial cooperation
the economic and so-
ing product potential as well as
the
GTZ,
of
report
(Annual
infrastructure."
cial
Cooperation)
German Agency for Technical
development cooperation
While at the beginnings of German
and moth-
first and foremost as housewives
women were seen
in agriculture, trade and
ers, and their need to earn money
they were recognized as
the informal sector was overlooked,
from 1977 under the then
their own promotional target group
Schlei.
Development Aid Minister Marie
that the economic and social
It has since been understood
development assistance
changes caused by devel9pment and
the status and life-situation of wom-
can sometimes worsen
with a targeted promotion of women can an
en, and that only
basic needs
(food,
effective contribution to satisfying
and
drinking water, health, education
clothing,
shelter,
be achieved.
transport), and a reduction of poverty,
in
the "Promotion of the woman
In the first policy paper on
develo6ing countries", it was laid down that "all projects
for their influence on
and programmes are to be examined
should be substan-
the situation of women, whereby women
implementation of pro-
tially involved in the planning and
element was thus intro-
jects and programmes". An important
cooperation. Promotion concepts
duced to German development
and refined on the
and methods are reviewed repeatedly
non-
of
experience
valuable
The
experience.
basis
of
0
6