What's Wrong with Empowerment:Critical perspectives on Development

Women’s “empowerment” is a means and ends to international development. From microfinance self-help groups that foster women’s businesses, to corporate social responsibility projects that promote girls’ education, to campaigns against domestic violence, developmental initiatives target women. These projects are motivated by the commonsense understanding that focusing on women will not only make women better off, but also their families, neighborhoods, and the entire nation. This course analyzes the evolution and effects of women as a global solution to poverty. How did women become the targets of development? Are women empowered by development schemes we find today in their names?