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WA5. Development and Globalization

Statement

Based on the reading in this unit, please answer the following questions:

  • What is the concept of Womenomics about?
  • How does Womenomics apply to your country? Please provide examples (it can be from personal experience)
  • Find one reliable short (2-3 pages) academic article related to multiple development projects in your country, summarize the article, and explain why you chose this article.
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of these development projects in your country?

Answer

The concept of Womenomics

Womenomics is Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic policy that aims to make social and economic reforms to empower women in professional life as a means to boost economic growth. The policy succeeded in increasing the percentage of female workers in Japan’s workforce to 64.7% by 2015 (Setiawaty et al., 2019).

The main objectives of the Womenomics policy are to provide a favorable working environment for working women whether caring for children or not, improve the role of women in professional life, and increase the number of women in leadership positions. The patriarchal nature of Japanese society has been a significant obstacle to women’s career advancement, however, Womenomics aims to change this by implementing a strategy that will change society’s mindset.

Womenomics strategy includes increasing women’s participation in the workforce, achieving 30% women in leadership positions by 2020, increasing the number of women returning to work after childbirth, accelerating the construction of childcare facilities, increasing the number of fathers taking paternity leave, and promoting flexible working hours (Setiawaty et al., 2019).

Womenomics in my country

In my original country, Syria, the structure of society is patriarchal just like in Japan; with male dominance in the workforce and women’s roles centered around the home and raising children. The government implemented policies to empower women with the help of international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the number of women in the workforce has increased significantly in the past few decades reaching a peak of 20.4% in 2001 to decline later (Syria, Situation of Women, 2020, p.36).

There was no explicit Womenomics policy in Syria, but reducing illiteracy rates and including women in education programs eventually led to them entering the workforce. The community response was mixed, mostly positive due to the economic benefits of a second income in the family; however, as opposed to Japan, the birth rate in Syria is high which means that more children need to be cared for along with the missing infrastructure for childcare facilities has made the other perspective of opposing women working more appealing.

There is also the problem of early marriages, that is, women get married around the age of 18-20 before finishing the first higher education stage which limits their chances of entering the workforce later even if they want to. The situation of women in Syria is way behind Japan’s, and the country has a long way to make Womenomics a reality.

Development projects in my country

Shalaby (2018) in his study titled “The role of international development projects in supporting the most vulnerable during the conflict in Syria” discusses development projects in supporting displaced Syrians within the country and in neighboring countries. The study states that most of the development projects are humanitarian in nature focusing on providing basic needs to those affected by the conflict, and it is hard to build sustainable development or economic growth-centered projects in a conflict zone.

The study highlights the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in conflict and post-conflict zones. SDGs in conflict zones focus on providing basic needs such as water, food, and education; while in post-conflict zones, the focus shifts to rebuilding infrastructure and helping the country stand up on its feet again. UN agencies such as the UNCHR, UNICEF and World Food Program have played a vital role in funding and implementing these projects.

I chose this article because it is relevant to the topic of development projects, recent, and from a reliable source. The literature on topics related to Syria is usually biased, and it is hard to find unbiased sources, however, the author of the article from Cornell University used proper sources and unbiased language.

Advantages and disadvantages of development projects in my country

In the past decade, the development projects in Syria focused on humanitarian aid due to the armed conflict which provides food, water, and shelter to the displaced population. These projects also mitigate natural disasters such as droughts and the earthquake of 2023 (Syria Earthquake, 2023). The projects also help in response to diseases such as COVID-19 and vaccination campaigns. All of these are advantages of development projects as they helped in saving lives, provide basic needs to the population, and keep people relatively safe and alive.

The disadvantages of these projects include their focus on day-to-day needs instead of building sustainable projects that can turn profitable in the future and boost economic growth. The projects also had to compromise with armed groups running the area, where they may benefit from it and not just civilians. These projects also needed to adapt to different rules in the neighboring countries where the refugees are located as opposed to one unified plan for all areas.

Word count: 790.

References

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