Development as Freedom by Sen Amartya

Author:Sen, Amartya [Sen, Amartya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Non Fiction, Economics, Politics, Democracy
ISBN: 9780307874290
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2011-05-25T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

WOMEN’S AGENCY AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Mary Wollstonecraft’s classic book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792, had various distinct claims within the general program of “vindication” that she outlined. The rights she spoke about included not only some that particularly related to the well-being of women (and the entitlements that were directly geared to promote that well-being), but also rights that were aimed mainly at the free agency of women.

Both these features figure in the agenda of women’s movements today, but it is, I think, fair to say that the agency aspects are beginning to receive some attention at last, in contrast to the earlier exclusive concentration on well-being aspects. Not long ago, the tasks these movements faced primarily involved working to achieve better treatment for women—a squarer deal. The concentration was mainly on women’s well-being—and it was a much needed corrective. The objectives have, however, gradually evolved and broadened from this “welfarist” focus to incorporate—and emphasize—the active role of women’s agency. No longer the passive recipients of welfare-enhancing help, women are increasingly seen, by men as well as women, as active agents of change: the dynamic promoters of social transformations that can alter the lives of both women and men.1

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