“If development is not engendered, it is engendered.”

1. Interpretation & Key Theme

  • Central idea:
    • “Engendered” plays on two senses: (a) gender-sensitive (inclusive of women) and (b) “caused” or “generated.” The phrase suggests that if development fails to integrate women (gender), it becomes endangered—unsustainable, inequitable, and ultimately stalled.
  • Underlying message:
    • Sustainable development must be gender-responsive. Excluding women from education, employment, and decision-making undermines overall progress.

Revision Tip:
Emphasize the wordplay: “Engendered” → both “gendered” and “endangered.” Connect gender inclusion to development outcomes.

2. IBC-Style Outline

Introduction

  • Hook: “In India, female labour-force participation fell from 36% in 2000 to 23% in 2020—even as GDP doubled—highlighting that when women are excluded, growth is inherently compromised.”
  • Definitions:
    • Engendered development: inclusive growth that integrates women’s needs, rights, and contributions.
    • Endangered development: unsustainable, lopsided progress that collapses without gender equity.
  • Thesis: “Unless development deliberately empowers and integrates women, it becomes endangered—manifesting in slower growth, entrenched poverty, and social instability.”

Body

  1. Economic Rationale for Gender-Inclusive Development
    1. Productivity & GDP Gains:
      • McKinsey (2015): Closing gender gap in India could raise GDP by 16% by 2025.
      • Women’s share of “unpaid care work” (approx. 352 minutes/day) prevents many from formal employment—addressing this would boost labour supply.
    1. Human Capital & Education:
      • Increasing female secondary/tertiary enrolment (from 35% to 55% over 2010–2020) correlates with lower fertility (TFR: 2.2 in 2020) and higher per-capita income growth.
      • Societies with better female literacy (Kerala 96%) enjoy higher HDI (0.782).
    1. Dimension: Engendered development accelerates growth through expanded labour force and human-capital returns.
  2. Social & Health Outcomes of Gender-Blind Development
    1. Maternal & Child Health:
      • States with lower female health investment (UP, Bihar) record MMR ~145/100,000 vs. Kerala’s 43—demonstrating that ignoring women’s health endangers overall social progress.
    1. Poverty & Vulnerability:
      • Female-headed households (approx. 10%) are disproportionately poor—lack of targeted support traps them in intergenerational poverty.
      • Gender gap in asset ownership: only ~13% of rural women have land titles—reducing their economic resilience.
    1. Dimension: Ignoring women’s health and social needs endangers community well-being and human-development indices.
  3. Political & Institutional Dimensions
    1. Representation & Decision-Making:
      • With 33% reservation for women in panchayats (73rd Amendment), local governance outcomes have improved (e.g., higher immunization rates, better sanitation projects).
      • However, women’s representation in Parliament remains ~14% (Lok Sabha 2024), limiting policy focus on gender issues.
    1. Gender Budgeting:
      • Only 7% of Union and state budgets are tagged for women’s welfare (Gender Budget Statement 2023), leaving many schemes underfunded.
      • Effective gender budgeting in Maharashtra led to a 20% rise in assets owned by rural women.
    1. Dimension: Engendered institutions (quotas, budgets) safeguard sustainable development; their absence endangers inclusive governance.
  4. Cultural & Normative Constraints
    1. Patriarchal Norms & Mobility:
      • In rural India, ~35% of women report needing permission to travel for work—restricting their economic participation.
      • Early marriage (mean age 19.2 yr) and gendered social norms curtail educational attainment and perpetuate cycles of poverty.
    1. Violence & Security:
      • 30% of married women experience spousal violence—reducing labour participation and mental health.
      • Social mores that normalize domestic violence decrease overall productivity and increase social spending on health and policing.
    1. Dimension: Cultural entrenchment of gender inequality undermines engendered development—endangering social cohesion.
  5. Way Forward: Strategies for Engendered Development
    1. Education & Skill Building:
      • Scaling “Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao” to include vocational training linking rural girls to local value chains.
      • Scholarships for ST/SC girls raising completion rates from 60% to 78% over 2018–23.
    1. Economic Empowerment & Credit Access:
      • Promoting Women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in textiles, dairy, and digital services—over 75 lakh SHGs in India (2023), generating ₹5 lakh crore in annual turnover.
      • Priority credit through Jan Dhan bank accounts (241 million women account holders) enabling access to microcredit and business loans.
    1. Institutional Reforms:
      • Strengthening gender budgeting: aim for 10% allocation to women’s livelihoods schemes by 2025.
      • Reservation of 33% seats in urban local bodies (Maharashtra initiated 2022) to improve policy responsiveness.
    1. Dimension: A multifaceted policy push—education, finance, institutions—is critical to engendered, sustainable development.

Conclusion

  • Summarize: “Excluding women from economic, social, and political spheres undermines growth, health, and social stability—rendering development endangered.”
  • Synthesis: “Engendered development—rooted in education, empowerment, and institutional reform—not only uplifts women but secures broad-based, sustainable progress.”
  • Visionary Close: “When every girl and woman is an active stakeholder in development, India’s trajectory will shift from endangered to enduring prosperity.”

3. Core Dimensions & Examples

  • Economic:
    • McKinsey Report (2015): India’s GDP could increase by $770 bn by 2025 if women participate equally.
  • Health & Education:
    • Kerala vs. Bihar: Female literacy 96% vs. 66%; life expectancy gap of 4 years; HDI: 0.782 vs. 0.606.
  • Governance:
    • Madhya Pradesh’s Gender Budget (2022): Allocated ₹10,000 crore for women’s schemes; maternal mortality dropped by 15% in one year.
  • Cultural Norms:
    • NFHS-5 (2021): 30% of women report needing permission to seek healthcare; similar constraints on economic mobility.

4. Useful Quotes/Thinkers

  • Amartya Sen: “No country can flourish if half its population is left behind.”
  • Mahatma Gandhi: “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved.”
  • Michelle Bachelet: “Gender equality is more than a goal; it is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development, and building good governance.”

5. Revision Tips

  • Link one statistic (female LFP decline to 23%) to one policy (33% panchayat reservation) showing the gap and remedy.
  • Memorize McKinsey finding: “Closing gender gap → 16% GDP boost by 2025.”
  • Emphasize the dual meaning of “engendered” in introduction and conclusion to anchor your argument.