Letter from India: "The Problem of Working With Men"

Article here. Excerpt:

'In the 1990s, it became popular to talk about “engendering development.” The stated goal was to include more women in the development process, to right historical gender inequalities and make sure that aid money flowed equally to both sexes.

These are laudable goals. But what often goes unspoken in the practice of engendered development is that aid agencies want to work with women not just because they have traditionally been excluded, but also because men are harder to work with.

Indeed, in many ways, and in striking contrast to women, men often represent something of an impediment to development. As Jerald Moris, who has been working in rural development for more than 20 years, said to me: “Working with women’s groups is more efficient.” He added that a rupee spent on women goes further than on men.
...
He laughed when he told me all this; the irony wasn’t lost on him. Still, he said that in his view development was a “holistic” process. You couldn’t have real progress without including men.

It is perhaps hard to feel sorry for men: they drink, beat their wives, neglect their families.

But if the goal of development is to overcome obstacles to progress, then, precisely because they are often difficult and obstructionist, it would seem that men have to be part of the process.'