Missing Women
From Dickinson College Wiki
Gender Inequality
The core characteristic of the capability approach is the focus on what people are effectively able to do and to be (their capabilities). Sen argues that the most important aspect is that people have the freedoms or opportunities to “lead the kinds of lives they want to lead” (Robeyns, 2005). Sen’s work regarding gender inequality relates to the capabilities approach as it uncovers the effects of the absence of equal capability sets and offers solutions to such disparities.
Types of Inequality
- Mortality Inequality- Mostly observed in North Africa and Asia due to gender bias in health care and nutrition. This causes unusually high rates in mortality leading to a much higher presence of males in the total population.
- Natality Inequality- Observed in East Asia, South Asia, and India. In male-dominated societies, parents prefer newborn boys over girls. With technological advancements and the ability to determine the sex of the child during pregnancy, sex-selective abortions are prevalent.
- Basic Facility Inequality- Prevalent in Asia, Africa, and Latin America where girls are granted less opportunities for schooling than boys.
- Special Opportunity Inequality- Differences in the opportunities of higher education and professional training available to boys and girls, even if basic facility inequality is not shown.
- Professional Inequality- Occurs as women are not given equal opportunities for employment or promotions to higher levels.
- Ownership Inequality- Experienced as men are given ownership rights to assets such as homes and land more than women. Due to their lack of property rights, women experience hardships in both economic and social activities.
- Household Inequality- Experienced as men are viewed as the breadwinners and work outside of the house, leaving women to handle all household duties. When this occurs, women are only allowed to perform other work if and only if they can still manage all of their household tasks.
Missing Women
Sen's Capabilities Approach | The Capabilities Approach | Critiques | Famine Analysis | Missing Women | Human Development Report
