Global Perspectives on Gender Sensitivity and Economic Benefits

Abstract

According to Sharma (2014), the word gender sensitivity, also synonymous with gender sensitisation is the modification of behaviour through awareness of gender equality concerns. Such an approach seems to have made topical headline in the global community, which is said to be achieved through various sensitisation endeavours like campaigns, training and workshops led by both national and international institutions across the world. Kutateladze (2015) provided a linguistic approach to the concept to mean the examination of the language and selection of forms, which are unbiased and neutral. This has thrown a more sensitive approach to the political correctness of the word, particularly in the public domain, where the presence of left-wingers / heterodox thinkers like feminists have sought to make their presence in ensuring empowerment towards gender equality is made a global concern. Reeves and Baden (2000: pp. 2 and 10) on the other hand, provided a dichotomy between the two synonymously used words "Gender Equity and Gender Equality"; in their definitions, 'gender equity' signify the equivalence in life outcomes for women and men, recognizing their different needs and interests, and requiring a redistribution of power and resources. While on the other hand, "gender equality" mean women availing equal opportunities in life as men, including the ability to participate in public fora. In these definitions, a dichotomy seems to have been drawn between the two concepts, thereby reflecting differing contemplation of gender issues, which thereby makes it possible for the addressing appropriate strategies as a way of addressing issues associated with SDG16.

Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI): An Approach to Global Economic Sustainability

“…As witnessed in the Asian and Latin American model, promotion of ISI as a means of supporting self-sustaining economies in the global community can also manifest itself through improved quality of education, which is linked to SDG4 (Jackson and Jackson, 2020;Saffa and Jabbie, 2020). Given the focus of ISI to address food self-sufficiency, efforts in making education an allinclusive venture in the global economy have made it possible to expand curriculum provision like Agriculture to as early as in primary education sector (Jackson, Jackson and Jackson, 2020). Equally, training in the subject area is continuously been innovated to accommodate high level of technology transformation and supported by its combination with subjects like Economics and Business to improve management and the marketing of finished products.…”

“…Such policies should be backed by government support through subsidies, tied with the condition of improving competitive production and affordable pricing of finished produce, while also addressing capacity for inclusive employment (Jabbie, Barrie and Tamuke, 2020). There is also high scope for specific targets to be addressed in nurturing shortages of vocational skills-set (that which is connected with modern and renewable technologies) in a bid to ensuring countries lagging behind in the region are capable of building capacity in reducing their reliance on the importation of essential commodities from the developed economies (Jackson, Jackson and Jackson, 2020).…”

“…In fact as identified above, the dominance of supply-side driven factors, which is based on high dependence on imports (notably, Crude Oil products and staple items like rice), attributable to weak domestic institutional setup is certainly to be blamed for the uncontrolled state of high inflation and continued depreciation of domestic currencies experienced in many of these economies (Jabbie and Jackson, forthcoming;Jackson, 2020;Jackson, Tamuke and Jabbie, 2019). Critics' voices will continue to be dominant about the failure of ISI, given the fact that experiences from protectionist measure implemented in many of the African and Latin American economies in particular have demonstrated poor outcomesnotably on account of the dominance of political patronization, which seem to have over-shadowed many of the economies in Africa, certainly in complete contrast to the experience of the Asian Tiger and some of the Latin American economies (Akyuz and Gore, 2001;Akyuz et al, 1998).…”

“…There is also scope for improving employment opportunities for nationals, while creating an enabling inclusive society that empower citizens, irrespective of gender or other forms of human characterizationa possible hope in the direction of achieving several of the SDG goals, for example, SDG1, SDG2, SDG5, SDG8 and SDG9. (Jackson and Jackson, 2020;Jackson and Jabbie, 2020a).…”

Exploring Intersectionality Through Artful Critical Qualitative Methodologies

“…In pursuit of promoting equality, the subject matter of intersectionality seems to have created a platform through which academics and practicing scholars have championed their efforts. Jackson and Jackson (2020) highlighted the relevance of gender equality, in which intersectionality can be thought of as a subset in the direction of championing the way of minimizing issues around oppression for all in society.…”