The United Nations’ report World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics identifies progress–especially in women’s
access to education and health-care–but points out that women are still a long way from achieving full equality with
men, especially in developing countries. According to the report, women are excluded from jobs with status and
power; they lack access to positions of authority in government and the private sector; they are disproportionately
affected by poor housing, poor infrastructure and natural disasters; they face restrictions in access to land and
property in most African countries and nearly half of the countries in Asia; they suffer ongoing domestic violence
(See http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/Worldswomen/WW2010pub.htm). Do you think that the Women in
Development (WID) perspective provides a useful approach to a) explain the durability of gender inequalities in
developing countries, b) in providing concrete solutions to close the gap between men and women? Why or why
not?
TOPIC 2:
Class readings argue that “development” has produced an unprecedented global environmental crisis. Describe the
scope of this environmental crisis and explain how development (affluence) and underdevelopment (poverty) create
their own distinct pressures on the environment. In your opinion, which of the perspectives on the environment that
were discussed in class materials offers the best insight to a) explain the current environmental crisis, and b) propose
long-lasting solutions to address both environmental and social justice concerns? Why?
INSTRUCTIONS:
♦ The essay must be organized around a clear argument (thesis statement) answering the essay question. The use
of quotations must be kept to a minimum. It must include proper academic references and bibliography.
♦ The essay must draw primarily on course materials and use examples from the readings to illustrate the
arguments. You may use one extra source, although this is not required.
♦ The essay must be clearly organized and should contain an introduction, a thesis statement (in bold), a main
body, and a concluding paragraph. Each paragraph must be clearly structured around a topic sentence (in bold