SPECIAL EVENTS
Irene Tinker Lecture Series
Oct. 11, 2006
The Gender Perspective:
What Difference Does It Make?
Gender inequalities must be understood as complex interlinked problems, says Amartya Sen — Nobel Laureate, economist and philosopher — who addressed a packed auditorium at the Brookings Institution for ICRW's annual Irene Tinker Lecture, which was co-hosted by Brooking's Wolfensohn Center for Development.
Gender inequality is a central concern to social and economic analysis because of its effect not only on girls and women, but also boys and men. "Expanding women's freedoms will contribute to the well-being of all," Sen says.
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ICRW President Geeta Rao Gupta (left) looks on as Sen answers a question from the audience. |
Renowned for his ability to seamlessly combine ethics and economics, Sen drew from his life's work on gender inequality for a lively lecture and discussion of the gradual progress toward gender equality. He opened by defining the gender perspective as the societal relations between women and men and their accompanying divisions and inequalities. These long-standing inequities are born from disparate sources and take on varied, interconnected forms that cannot be overcome with uniform remedies, he says.
Furthermore, gender imbalances evolve as a society changes. He cited as a new "high-tech" manifestation of gender inequality the frequent use of sex-selective abortions in countries such as South Korea. These exist despite sharply increased rates of girls' education and women's employment.
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Irene Tinker (left) with Amartya Sen |
Gender inequality remains widespread and persistent, but Sen believes incremental progress inspires hope and perseverance. What's more, "An understanding of the interlinked inequalities between women and men leads to a fuller understanding of all inequalities."
The Irene Tinker Lecture series each year features an eminent scholar-activist doing groundbreaking work on emerging issues affecting the lives and well-being of women and men throughout the developing world.