Q: How do you understand the relationship between patriarchy and social development ?

Model Answer:

Patriarchy and Development

Sylvia Walby defines Patriarchy as a structural system of male dominance. Conversely, social development, per Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach, means expanding human freedoms. Patriarchy acts as systemic capability deprivation.

Patriarchy’s Dual Impact on Growth

Patriarchy Subsidizing Development:

• Marxist-Feminism: Maria Mies argues capitalism relies on patriarchy, utilizing women’s unpaid reproductive labor to subsidize growth.
• Marginalization: Ester Boserup, in Woman’s Role in Economic Development, proved early modernization marginalized women, deepening the Sexual Division of Labour.

Patriarchy Hindering Growth:

• Resource Exclusion: Bina Agarwal shows patriarchal norms restrict property rights, stifling economic autonomy.
• Demographic Deficit: Healthcare biases create extreme disparities, culminating in Amartya Sen’s concept of “Missing Women”.

Globalized development sustains patriarchy via the “Global Care Chain” (Arlie Hochschild), extracting care labor from the Global South while imposing a “Second Shift” on working women.

Conclusion

Authentic development requires transitioning from ‘Women in Development’ (WID) to ‘Gender and Development’ (GAD) frameworks, dismantling patriarchal structures rather than merely integrating women into flawed economic models.