The Future is Female

Debunking myths: Does the contemporary focus on improving women’s position in economic production deliver ‘empowerment’?

In-Depth Analysis By Francesca Giuliano on May 7, 2021 | Reading time 9 min

Growing concern about the correlation between women and poverty in developing countries has expanded in the last decades within the field of international development. Studies to investigate the effectiveness of the ‘investing in girls and women’ narrative have shown that economic empowerment is not enough to confer women and girls a just and equitable position in society – quite the contrary. This analysis explores why economically investing in women and girls in developing countries is not an effective strategy to eradicate gender inequalities.

Rwandan Women

Post-Flag African Nation and State Building and the Question of Gender: Why Independence Does Not Equal Women’s Liberation

Brief Analysis By Francesca Giuliano on January 25, 2021 | Reading time 6 min

This analysis draws on the arguments of feminist scholars to explore the complex role of women in African post-flag societies, and in particular the strategic use of hetero-patriarchal narratives by different African governments for the purpose of nation and state-building. The article shows how African ethno-nationalisms and militarised practices of state-building heavily benefit from the oppression of women and the control of women’s bodies.