Learning objectives
<br />The course aims to offer a framework of the evolution of the policies of the United Nations and the European Union concerning womens rights and equality. It aims to study the importance of gender policies in the field of development policies and in particular the problems concerning the transformation of work linked to the processes of globalisation, flexibilisation and feminisation. The course aims to discuss the main theoretical issues related to women’s work and illustrate the main interpretative models of discrimination in the labour market and occupational segregation. The course also aims to discuss categories and theoretic models that guide the evolution of gender policies and their integration into the approach to economic and social development.
Course unit content
<br /> - Human rights of women, prohibition of gender-based discrimination, equal opportunities in international politics and law: From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the World Women’s Conference of Beijing in 1995.<br /> <br /> - Development policies: From the Women-in-Development approach based on specific programmes for women (1970s and 1980s) to the gender approach, to the gender mainstreaming strategies and gender integration in political programmes for development as a dimension of all economic and social policies (1990s, World Conference of Beijing).<br /> <br />- Human development, gender development and relative indices in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Utility and limits of the GDI (gender-related development index) and GEM (gender empowerment measure).<br /> <br />- Gender Mainstreaming and Development Objectives for the Millennium.<br /> <br />- The work of women. The theoretical debate on unpaid work, production and reproduction, the value of women’s work. The labour market, sex-based discrimination and occupational segregation: some interpretations.<br /> <br />- Globalisation and labour transformation in developing and developed countries. Flexibilisation and feminisation of work. The impact of gender in neo-liberal policies and the reduction of the role of the state in social policies. <br /> <br />- Rights of women and gender policies in the EU: The EU Charter of fundamental rights, equal opportunities legislation and policies. Equal opportunities in the European employment strategy and the modernisation of the European social model.<br /> <br />- The theoretical debate on the following topics: <br /><br />Gender category. <br />Equality, gender difference, diversity.<br />The capabilities approach. <br />The gender mainstreaming approach.<br />The notion of women’s empowerment.
Bibliography
The teacher will provide handouts
Teaching methods
The course mainly consists of lessons supplemented by discussion and workshops
