Recognising that women are not a single homogeneous group, it stands to reason that their interests and needs are also diverse. This section therefore presents some of the debates about women’s needs, interests and choices that have been argued over the past three decades. They represent three schools of thought, which have expressed their understanding of women in a similar manner, but using different terminologies (Table 2.1).
Rowlands (1997) and Molyneux (1985) discuss strategic and practical gender interests, Momsen (2004, 1993) and Reeves and Baden (2000) address strategic gender needs and practical gender needs, and lastly, Kabeer (2005b) refers to strategic interests and strategic life choices. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the practical interests of one group of women could actually be the strategic interests of another group on the basis of their class, race, situation and the political climate (Kabeer, 1999b; Visvanathan
et al., 1997; Molyneux, 1985). This is illustrated by Mohanty (1997), who notes that
women in urban Africa do not have the same needs and interests as women in rural Africa, and that for that matter, women in South Asia cannot represent women in Africa. Placing emphasis on the need to understand the subtleties of different geographical locations, classes, races and ethnicities, Molyneux (1985:232) suggests that it is “difficult, if not impossible, to generalize about the interests of women” and goes on to argue that women’s strategic and practical perspectives are different and need to be understood. She continues that “we need to specify how the various categories of women might be affected differently and act differently on account of the particularities of their social positions and their chosen identities” (Molyneux, 1985:232). Furthermore, she suggests that women may have certain common general interests, which she
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describes as “gender interests to differentiate them from the false homogeneity imposed by the notion of ‘women’s interests’”.
S/N Terminology Definition Author
1
Strategic Gender Interests
Strategic gender interests “are those that women and men may develop by virtue of their social positioning through gender attributes” (Molyneux, 1985:232).
Molyneux (1985)
Practical Gender Interests
Practical gender interests are “usually a response to an immediate perceived need and they do not generally entail a strategic goal such as women’s emancipation or gender equality” (Molyneux, 1985:233). Molyneux, (1985) 2 Women’s Practical Needs
“Women’s practical needs result from their position in
society” (Rowlands, 1997:7). Rowlands (1997) Women’s
Strategic Needs
“Strategic needs that challenge gender hierarchies and other mechanisms of subordination” (Rowlands, 1997:7). Rowlands (1997) 3 Practical Gender Needs
“Practical Gender Needs (PGNs) according to Moser (1989) are the immediate needs identified by women to assist their survival in their socially accepted roles, within existing power structures” (Reeves and Baden, 2000:14).
Reeves and Baden
(2000) “Items that would improve women’s lives within their
existing roles” (Momsen, 2004:13). Momsen (2004)
Strategic Gender Needs
“Strategic gender needs (SGNs), are those needs identified by women that require strategies for challenging male dominance and privilege. These needs may relate to inequalities in the gender division of labour, in ownership and control of resources, in participation in decision-making, or to experiences of domestic and other sexual violence” (Reeves and Baden, 2000:14).
Reeves and Baden
(2000)
“That seek to improve women’s ability to take on new roles and to empower them” (Momsen, 2004:13).
Momsen (2004)
4
Strategic Interests
“There are other strategic interests that do not have this self-evident nature because they derive from a deeper level of reality not evident in everyday life because it is inscribed in the taken-for-granted rules, norms and customs within which everyday life is conducted” (Kabeer, 1999b:9).
Kabeer (1999b)
Strategic Life Choices
“Strategic life choices include where to live, whether and whom to marry, whether to have children, how many children to have, who has custody over children, freedom of movement and association, and so on”(Kabeer, 2005a:14).
Kabeer, (2005a)
Table 2.1
Diverse Terminologies Used to Define Women’s Needs and Interests (Source: Author)
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However, there is some homogeneity among women’s practical needs, as these tend to focus on employment, healthcare, childcare and education (see Kabeer, 1999b; Rowlands, 1997; Visvanathan et al., 1997). These typically require immediate attention to improve women’s lives within existing roles and social structures (see Pearson, 2006; Momsen, 2004), supporting the idea that all development initiatives will impact women differently depending on their cultural environment, social situations, chosen role and cultural and social constraints (Pearson, 2006; Momsen, 2004, 1993; Molyneux, 1985).
The notion of women’s strategic needs embodies strategic social structures and focuses on fundamental inequalities, such as male dominance, the division of labour, decision- making and the control of resources (Pearson, 2006; Reeves and Baden, 2000). Kabeer (2005a:14) expands on this by further defining strategic life choices to include where to live, whether and whom to marry, whether to have children, how many children to have, who has custody of the children, freedom of movement and association, and so on. Furthermore, Kabeer (1999a) suggests that some of these strategic interests may challenge local cultural and social norms and therefore need to be addressed at the societal level, arguing that these “cannot be addressed by individuals alone” (Kabeer 1999a:457). Malhotra et al. (2002:18) reinforces this, underlining the point that initiatives to address strategic needs “which empower women, tend to be idiosyncratic rather than universal”.
However, Molyneux (1985:232) notes that the concept of ‘women’s interests’ is “highly contentious” because “women are positioned within their societies through a variety of different means, among which are class, ethnicity, and gender”. Hence, the “interests that they have as a group are similarly shaped in complex and sometimes conflicting ways and it is therefore difficult if not impossible to generalize about the interests of women” (Molyneux, 1985:232). She continues that strategic gender interests “can be either strategic or practical, each being derived in a different way and each involving differing implications for women’s subjectivity”. However, she also notes that practical interests “cannot be assumed to be innocent of the class effect” (Molyneux, 1985:233). To date, there has been little detailed research addressing the influence of class towards women’s access to ICTs in Muslim countries and thus my research has taken account of this, which will contribute to the further refinement and design of ICT initiatives to understand and overcome the constraints for access that occur due to class differences. Additionally, this will also provide ‘grounded’ recommendations in the local context of Pakistan that will enable ICT access for marginalised women, specifically in rural areas.
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