Gender Equality – Rethinking projects pairing Women and Sustainable Development

Nov 16, 2025

Gender Equality – Rethinking projects pairing Women and Sustainable Development

Gender Equality – Rethinking projects pairing Women and Sustainable Development

Gender Equality – Rethinking projects pairing Women and Sustainable Development

by Sophie Fiesoli, Nienke de Rijk, Boxiang Zhang, Vera Ferrera Rodrigues de Oliveira, Lucas Switsers De Roeck

 

TREASER & SHORT DESCRIPTION & SDG INSPIRING THE PODCAST:

Immerse yourself in the world of “Gendered Development Projects“. You will be taken on a critical journey to Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and China, in an effort to provide you more tools to look at Gender Equality in the framework of Sustainable Development.

The podcast talks about Goal 5: Gender Equality of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. This episode presents a critical analysis which uses a theoretical lens to examine case studies in, (1) Sub-Saharan Africa, (2) India and (3) China. The aim is exploring if and how gender developing projects fall short in their design and implementation, and to look at the potential male backlash resulting from such projects. The conclusion of the analysis is that top-down approaches might fail to address structural problems such as patriarchy, instead limiting their interventions to short-term technical fixes.

CREDITS TO THE MATERIALS USED:

References

Baliamoune-Lutz, M., & McGillivray, M. (2009). Does Gender Inequality Reduce Growth in Sub-Saharan African and Arab Countries? African Development Review, 21(2), 224–242. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8268.2009.00209.x

Barefoot College InternationalBarefoot College International. (2017, March 23). https://www.barefootcollege.org/

Benstead, L. J., Muriaas, R., & Wang, V. (2023). Explaining Backlash: Social Hierarchy and Men’s Rejection of Women’s Rights Reforms. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society, 30(2), 496–524.

Bhowmick, N. (2011, June 24). The women of India’s Barefoot College bring light to remote villages. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/jun/24/india-barefoot-college-solar-power-training

Bradshaw, S. (2013). Gender, Development and Disasters. In Gender, Development and Disasters (p. 256). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782548232

Clancy, J., Oparaocha, S., & Roehr, U. (2004). Gender Equity and Renewable Energies: Thematic Background Paper.

Elmhirst, R. (2015). Feminist political ecology. In A. Coles, L. Gray, & J. Momsen (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of gender and development (pp. 58–66). Routledge.

Female Empowerment and Male Backlash: Experimental Evidence from India. (n.d.). Retrieved 15 December 2024, from https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/17450/female-empowerment-and-male-backlash-experimental-evidence-from-india

Goal 5 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved 15 December 2024, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal5

Guarnieri, E., & Rainer, H. (2018). Female Empowerment and Male Backlash.

Home. (n.d.). Solar Sister. Retrieved 15 December 2024, from https://solarsister.org/

Kilby, P. (2010). NGOs in India: The challenges of women’s empowerment and accountability. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203842720

Leach, M. (2007). Earth Mother Myths and Other Ecofeminist Fables: How a Strategic Notion Rose and Fell. Development and Change, 38, 67–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.2007.00403.x

Mininni, G. (2022). The Barefoot College ‘eco-village’ approach to women’s entrepreneurship in energy. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 42, 112–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2021.12.002

Murray, T. L. (2007). The Will to Improve: Governmentality, Development, and the Practice of Politics. Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv11smt9s

SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. (n.d.). UN Women – Headquarters. Retrieved 15 December 2024, from https://www.unwomen.org/en/node/36060

THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development. (n.d.). Retrieved 15 December 2024, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals

关注我们—@她创业计划. (n.d.). Retrieved 16 December 2024, from https://www.cwdf.org.cn/mqcy/lists/2.html#about

Song list

Smokey’s Lounge – TrackTribe

Icelandic Arpeggios – DivKi

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DIVISION OF LABOUR:

Who did what during the group work (writing scenario, production/editing, contacting speakers, hosting, etc.)?

Sophie Fiesoli:

  • Writing scenario (Section 1)
  • Hosting and taking on role of leader
  • Background academic research
  • Booking rooms
  • Production and Editing

Nienke de Rijk

  • Writing scenario (Section 1)
  • Background academic research
  • Behind the scenes support during recordings
  • Production and Editing

Vera Ferrera Rodrigues de Oliveira

  • Writing scenario (Section 2)
  • Background academic research
  • Speaking
  • Final written document

Boxiang Zhang

  • Writing scenario (Section 2)
  • Background academic research
  • Behind the scenes support during recordings
  • Production and Editing

Lucas Switsers De Roeck

  • Writing scenario (Introduction)
  • Background academic research
  • Speaking
  • Final written document

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