Background

Jane’s lecture on Tuesday
A very complex relationship between population decline and economic development

Development

End of WWII when many former European colonies in Africa and Asia were becoming independent
Development theory created with the goal of easing the transition of these colonies to independent nations and helping them successfully join the world economy
Beginning development theory emphasized modernization

Industrialization and economic growth would increase wealth, which would "trickle down" through all socio-economic groups and slowly ease poverty and oppression.

Industrialized countries would provide support for modernisation in the form of capital inputs (investments) and technical assistance

Under modernisation plans, land was redistributed and farmers were encouraged through financial aid and technical assistance to focus on growing commodity crops that could be sold on the international market for cash

Beginning development theory assumed women’s main role was in reproduction and ignored their
role in production and providing for the family (basic, short-term needs – food, clothing)

A patriarchal model of the family was assumed (incorrectly in Africa especially)
Land was distributed to "head of household" (assumed to be men) to farm for cash crops
Women’s labor was assumed to be available for help in this production
It was assumed (wrongly) that this cash would be used to buy household food, necessities
Women in Africa continued to be expected to produce food for household consumptio

                                  Given the worst land (not allowed to own land)
                                  Not provided with technical and mechanical assistance in their farming
                                  Resources such as water and fuel for cooking were made scarce

Women in such families were given a triple role – housewife, provide family with bas needs through farming or paid labor, and expected to labor in husband’s field

Early development programs, therefore, CREATED gender inequity in many ways.

Decreased women’s land ownership
Decreased the value of women’s labor – westernized division of labor has emphasized male wages and "naturalized" women’s work, causing it to be either unpaid or underpaid
Development incentives and assistance were given to men

Background on First Population Conference

The problems with early development policies were beginning to be understood via Boserup’s Women’s Role in Economic Development (1970) and the WID movement
Countries had development assistant organizations such as USAID
Poverty was a huge problem, increasing rather than decreasing
Social development was beginning to be seen as an important factor in economic development
The development of the global economy, or the New International Economic Order was primary

                        * Concern for severe economic imbalance between developed and developing countries
                        * Emphasis on developed countries’ obligation to assist developing countries
                        * Called for: end to foreign occupation, domination and exploitation
                        * Equitable prices: fair pricing of imports to, and for raw materials out
                        * Access to developed country markets, preferences for exports of developing countries
                        * Elimination of tariff and nontariff barriers and restrictive business practices
                        * Promotion of foreign investment in developing countries
                        * Measures to alleviate burden of external debt
                        *Cold War still in effect

United Nations World Population Conference in Bucharest, Romania – August, 1974

A Draft Plan was created prior to the conference and debated during the conference
The World Population Plan of Action was approved by 136 member states

Emphasis

                        Social and economic development prioritized over population control and family planning
                        Women’s Status recognized as a key factor to development – this was viewed primarily as a Human rights issue and
                                            secondarily as a fertility issue
                        The family recognized as the "central unit, both of analysis and of decisions undertaken at th national level"
                        Sovereignty of Nations Affirmed

Differential positions on Population control and family planning

US – rapid population growth intensifies the effects of serious social and economic problems
Ultimately, development was emphasized, family planning/population de-emphasized

Arguments against population control and family planning

                        The major source of population problems that do hinder development is poverty: Poor health, high mortality, and lack of
                                        education
                        Thus, the solution to population problems is rapid economic development

The population problems are actually problems of inequality of world wealth and resources resulting from the present world
economic order and "super-consumption" in developed countries

People are the best defense against the super-powers

People are a resource needed for economic development

Population pressure stimulates the economy

It is developed countries consumption that is the problem

Consumption should be reduced, BUT in such a way as not to "affect adversely the ability of developing countries to promote their own development" Rich countries should take necessary action to conserve resources and reduce waste
(without doing so in such a way as to limit the ability to the poorer countries to develop their resources)

Questions

As "First" world consumers, what can we do?

Boycott? (encourage unionization, fair wages, pay higher prices, environmental controls)

What are good development programs?

Context specific – designed with an understanding of complex social relations
Emphasis on sustainable development

Why are development programs that target women important?

Women and children were adversely affected by original development policies which focused only on their
role as mothers and ignored their economic roles

There was no trickle down, in fact women were given a triple duty in many societies

                    Women represent a potential labor and production
                                    US has greatly depended on women’s labor since slavery
                                    US – women’s entry into the labor force, although influenced by feminism, has given the economy a
                                            needed productive     boost

Why has women’s status failed to significantly change in the last 30 years?

                     Education is expensive
                    Social norms go against gender equality
                    Economies depends on specialization and a certain division of labor
                    Global division of labor and inequality
                    Developed countries have a vested interest in maintaining cheap labor
                    The Western family model was applied to developing countries inappropriately

What are the limitations of the discourse on women’s empowerment

                    Although based on Third World feminist writing, it can be used in our interests:
                    It can overshadow larger concerns such as global social and economic inequality
                    It overlooks the amount of work women are already doing
                    It places a burden on women if they are not provided resources

Why has development come so slow for some countries even when fertility has decreased?

                    Complex relationship between population and development that Jane discussed
                    Development of developed countries depended on exploitaiton
                                    Slavery and colonialism played a large role
                                    Depleted resources of colonies which now are developing countries
                    Continuing economic prosperity has depended on similar relations, especially the cheap labor, land and
                                    resources of developing countries
                    Development initially focused on modernization and the creation of exports
                    Development programs ignored complex social relationships, emphasizing economic solutions
                                    Complex division of labor in the family by gender
                                    Social inequalities within developing countries
                                    Social and economic inequalities between countries

Successes of Bucharest
                    Extended population debate to the political arena, beyond confines of academia
                    Research more accessible to policy makers
                    Raises question of the balance between national concerns and global responsibility
                    Population problems and solutions should be seen in overall social context, in relation to social
                                        and economic growth as well as individual well-being

Omissions in Bucharest
                    Lack of recognition of the importance of the "population variable" in development
                    Absence of attention to the relationship between foreign policy and positions on population
                    Limited discussion of funding
                    No targets, few timelines were established

The Conference did not address itself to the questions of how quickly to increase education for women when overall education improvements are painfully slow and costly; of how to increase job opportunities especially for women when one of the major problems in many of the developing countries is the growing un- and underemployment of their labor force; of how to influence local leaders in the more conservative areas to encourage the development of different roles for women. Thus although an important consensus regarding improving the status of women was reached, no plan for moving in that direction was suggested (379).