Has the Wheel Rolled Past Women in the South?

Citation:

Woolfrey, Joy and Marie Benoit. 1993. “Has the Wheel Rolled Past Women in the South?” Women & Environments 13 (3): 12-16.

Authors: Joy Woolfrey, Marie Benoit

Abstract:

The role of women in the local goods transport systems of developing countries seems to remain invisible to national planners, policy makers and the international development experts who advise them. A study documents women's transportation roles in Africa. Recognizing women's role in the rural transport system is a key to effective transportation policies in developing countries. Strategies to respond to climate change are currently not about reducing production and economic growth, but aimed toward the adoption of clean, green, and renewable energy technology. Historically, households, farms and communities in rural areas have experienced that advances in technology have uncoupled production from employment (Reed) and increased women's domestic workload (Riney-Kehrberg). Gender imbalances related to technology had "clearly done more to alleviate the workload in the barn than in the farm" (Fleming 32) confirming that "technology merely served as a tangible, countable symbol of women's secondary status on the family farm" (Jellison 183). This trend continues today where technology development is still aimed toward men, as they are considered the decision-makers and users of the technology (Skutsch). Women's role in technology is largely overlooked resulting in many technological innovations that are inappropriate for women's lives (Cecelski). Working toward gender-sensitive policies in technology development have the potential to include women as active participants and promoters of sustainable technologies and challenge dominant technological practices (Milne 2003b).

Topics: Development, Environment, Climate Change, Gender, Women, Infrastructure, Transportation

Year: 1993