Uneven Development: Listening to the 'South', Listening to Vancouver

In this video founder and CEO of Women for Women, Zainab Salbi, speaks to the inequality in the distribution of humanitarian and development funds.  Using her knowledge and experience as a war survivor, social activist and philanthropic entrepreneur Salbi provides a voice to women who find themselves at the “core” of global developmental crises. Women make up 70% of the global poor, earning 10 % of the global economy while producing 60% of the planets food despite receiving less than 1 cent for every $1.00 of humanitarian funds.  To Salbi, issues of underdevelopment including poverty, hunger, health, and environmental concern cannot be addressed without first acknowledging the voices of women.

Gender equality implies a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities, outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres of life. Equality between men and women exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence; have equal opportunities for financial independence; enjoy equal access to education and the opportunity to develop personal ambitions. A critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and rectifying power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives. Women’s empowerment is vital to sustainable development and the realization of human rights for all.

Yet despite many international agreements affirming their human rights, women are still much more likely than men to be poor and illiterate. They usually have less access than men to medical care, property ownership, credit, training and employment. They are far less likely than men to be politically active. Humanitarian and development programmes are more effective when they address the educational opportunities, status and empowerment of women. When women are empowered, whole families benefit, and these benefits often have ripple effects to future generations.

Listening to the voices of women not only provides insight into the inequalities of our world, but also establishes a commonality within discourses of ‘development.’  Differences in cultural, social, economic and political structures are all necessary considerations when practicing and implementing development programs, yet the centrality of women’s roles are often ignored.  By listening to the voices of women we are not only learning of their struggles but are also being provided the most fundamental of sources in considering the state of development.