Male Bias in the Development Process

Book excerpt: This book argues that the development process is marked by male bias - ill-founded and unjustified asymmetries that operate in favour of men and against women. The contributors include some of the leading writers in the gender and development field - Diane Elson, Delia Davin, Susie Jacobs, Carolyne Dennis, Alison MacEwan Scott and Ruth Pearson. Together they analyze the variety of forms taken by male bias: its foundations and the way it changes over time; and the possibilities of overcoming it. The cases considered cover both urban and rural settings; agriculture, industry and services; self-employment and wage-employment; and Africa, Asia and Latin America.