Re-Thinking Gender, Equality and Development: Perspectives from Academia

Since birth, we have been ensnared in a gendered world. Gender is so deeply ingrained in various aspects of our lives, such as social, political, legal, and economic institutions and the related actions, ideas, and aspirations, that it appears natural. As a result of gender-defined roles and experiences, gendered hierarchies get established. It is crucial to re-examine the fundamental issues of gender, equality, and development from a new perspective. In doing so, this volume puts aside what we are accustomed to and challenges some of our most fundamental assumptions and understandings. It analyses gender not as a given but as a feat, not just as the cause but also as a result, and not only as a person but also as a society, in order to expose and critique the processes that create or reassert the inevitability and naturalness of a gendered reality.

The book sketches the basic understanding of gender, its construction, perception of gender, the process of identity formation and socialization, and the kind of influence gender has on society. This volume is a comprehensive resource that gives a new perspective on gender as a key organizing factor within society, it unpacks the social construction of knowledge, categories of difference, and structures of power and inequality, from the viewpoints of researchers and academicians. Researchers, teachers, students, and other groups interested in gender studies, sociology, law, history, and languages will find the book refreshingly handy in their inquiry. The book is a collection of narratives, empirical evidence, and opinion papers along with systematic literature reviews around gender, equality and development.

Dr. Anuradha R. Tiwary is a Professor of economics and Assistant Dean of Academic Planning & Monitoring at GD Goenka University, India. She is also the Chair of the Under Graduate Program in the School of Humanities and Social Science, GD Goenka University. She has two decades of teaching and research experience in various academic institutions. Prior to her appointment at GD Goenka University, she was associated with GD Goenka World Institute-Lancaster University, UK. Anuradha earned her Bachelor's and Master's in commerce from Jiwaji University; she also did her MBA from DAVV, Indore and Advance Certification in Gender Studies from Delhi University, India. Her research interests include Microfinance, Gender Studies, Social Entrepreneurship.

Tarakeshwar Gupta is a Visiting Faculty and Research Scholar at School of Management of GD Goenka University, India. He has a Masters in Business Administration from Pondicherry University (India) and has completed a course on Strategic Management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. He is Six Sigma Green Belt Certified, and has conducted communication and employability skills enhancement programs at postgraduate level in Management Institute (Noida - India). He has also acquired around 10 years of work experience in the Corporate sector; primarily in operations, training and development. His current research interests include organization behaviour, gender studies, training & development, business communication, and strategic management.