Dependency theory and feminism
CORES
These are rich, First-World, developed, industrialised countries. They are also referred to as the metropoles, colonisers, and ‘the North’.
PERIPHERY
These are the developing and underdeveloped countries that were once colonised and have not yet been fully industrialised. They are sometimes called ‘the South’.
OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
■ Define and explain the dependency theory in relation to the Caribbean.
■ Outline the basis of the feminism ideology and how it affects development.
Secondi (2008) enunciated that the dependency theory was developed in the late 1950s under the guidance of the director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America, Raul Prebisch. Prebisch and his colleagues were troubled by the fact that economic growth in the advanced industrialised countries did not necessarily lead to growth in the poorer countries. Indeed, their studies suggested that economic activity in the richer countries often led to serious economic problems in underdeveloped states. Such a possibility was not predicted by neoclassical theory, which had assumed that economic growth was beneficial to all, even if the benefits were not always equally shared. Essentially, the dependency theory states that global poverty can be attributed to the fact that the low-income countries have been exploited by the high-income countries.
Alluding to this notion, Prebisch’s initial explanation for the phenomenon was very straightforward: poor countries exported primary commodities to the rich countries, which then manufactured products out of those commodities and sold them back to the poorer countries. The ‘value added’ by manufacturing a usable product always costs more than the primary products used to create those products. Therefore, poorer countries would never be earning enough from their export earnings to pay for their imports. Suffice it to say that many sociologists, economists, and historians are in strong support of this argument. Analysing events as part of a particular historical process – the expansion of global capitalism – dependency theorists see the greed of the rich countries as a source of increasing the impoverishment of the poorer nations and their people. As aforementioned, they believe that the poorer nations are trapped in a cycle of structural dependency on the richer nations due to their need for infusion of foreign capital and external markets for their raw materials, making it impossible for the poorer nations to pursue their own economic and human development agenda (Kendall, 2010, p. 269). The wealthier nations, according to the dependency theory, are classified as the core, while the poorer countries are called the periphery.
Succinctly, it may be concluded that the dependency theory faults the powerful countries for causing poverty in the poorer countries through colonisation, neocolonialism, or the works of multinationals – who have built factories to exploit cheap labour (Anderson & Taylor, 2008). This theory works well in explaining much of the poverty created in low-income countries in Africa and Latin America, as well as the Caribbean.
CARIBBEAN FEMINIST THOUGHT
Beasley (1999), in his book, lucidly opined that ‘feminism’ is a troublesome term. It may conjure up images of lively discussions, gesticulating hands, and, perhaps, the occasional thumping of fists on tables. This, therefore, begs the million-dollar question, what exactly is feminism? By means of definition, feminism is a social movement and ideology that fights for the political, economic, and social rights of women. Feminists believe that men and women are equal and that women deserve the same rights as men in society. The feminist movement has fought for many different causes, such as the right for women to vote, to work, and to live free from violence. Some popular Caribbean feminist writers are Elsa Leo-Rhynie, who was the first appointed professor in gender and development studies at The University of the West Indies in 1992; Professor Patricia Mohammed; Dr Leith Dunn; Professor Verene Shepherd; and Rhoda Reddock. Prior to the emersion of feminist ideologies, there was a glass-ceiling effect that kept women subjugated and ‘barred’ from certain positions in society, mainly because of the concept of patriarchy, in which men wield all the power and are the sole leaders. Both men and women are integral agents in the development process. I strongly believe that if women are continually undermined in any given society, the pillars of human development will not be achieved, which include equity, empowerment, and cooperation.
That’s all for this week, students. Happy reading!
Essay question (2005): Describe how discrimination against women impacts development in the Caribbean.