Post-Tsunami Reconstruction in Indonesia

1 Becoming better men and women

Gender mainstreaming as a technique of governmentality

 

Since the formal endorsement by the United Nations (UN) member states in Beijing in 1995, gender mainstreaming has become the dominant mode for promoting gender equality, equality between men and women, globally (Squires 2007: 1–3). A strong aspiration of transformation lies at the heart of the gender mainstreaming agenda: transformation of social and institutional structures, and lives of both men and women, towards better futures: ‘so that women and men can have equal access, participation, control and benefits on resources and opportunities’ (Minister for Women's Affairs), and so that they ‘benefit from development itself’ (MOWE 2002a: 62).

Consequently, ...