Gender and Development

Gender remains an identity that defines structures of opportunity and representation in markets, society, and importantly in politics. This course studies how gender conditions experiences in political, economic, and social institutions. This seminar will pay special attention to the ways that patterns and processes of development have shaped gender inequality and will draw largely on evidence from low and middle-income countries. Specifically, we will study questions such as: Why do women in much of the world remain relatively underrepresented in formal andinformal institutions? What social, cultural, economic, and institutional factors reduce such gender inequality? How does gender inclusion shape development patterns and political outcomes?