Development , in a nation, is the process of growth which includes:

a. Emphasis on larger-scale economic growth

b. Focus on small-scale community development projects aimed at increasing individuals’
self-reliance
c. Creation or improvement of national infrastructure such as roads
d. Provisions for credit, training, or services that enable people to participate more fully in
the economic, political, and social lives of their communities
e. Improvement in access to health care
f. Mechanisms for increasing agricultural yield
g. Increased access education to women and children
h. Expanded opportunities for political development. (Burn, 134)

Development is needed more in third world developing nations which suffer not only from
income poverty but also from human poverty- a denial of choices and opportunities for living a
tolerable life. Women in developing nations are lower in status and power than men. In the
past, women were dependent upon men for their livelihoods because offices and factories hire
fewer women than men and females are restricted to domestic jobs which is paid less or no
pay.

Feminist critiques of traditional development programs

Programs fail to acknowledge that women’s work both inside and outside the home is vital to
development. The absence of women’s role as homemakers and child-bearers brings down the
productive role of the women in the society. Since women were not paid for their work and
only the paid force were viewed as working force, women were not targeted for development
assistance.