About Women, Law and Development
A concept, an approach and and organization
WLD as a concept
In the early 1980s, third world women seeking to improve women’s socio-legal status and participation in the development process saw how the law could be used in a strategic way as a tool for women’s empowerment. This was the origin of the “Women Law and Development” idea, and it put a different emphasis women in development work. Suddenly, the use of law could be supportive of women’s struggles. Awareness developed about how the law regulates access not only to economic and social resources (land, jobs, credit, and other goods and services) but to political power, that is, control over the allocation or administration of those resources through:
WLD as an Organization(s)
WLD has had various organizational iterations. In these pages, "WLD" sometimes refers to the concept and sometimes to the organizations. As the story unfolds, the different meanings should be clear. Here are the relevant organizational references in brief:
WLD as an approach
A methodology is imbedded in the work of the organization and the concept, including critical analysis of the law, cross cultural sharing of ideas and strategies and participatory action research that engages participants throughout.
In the early 1980s, third world women seeking to improve women’s socio-legal status and participation in the development process saw how the law could be used in a strategic way as a tool for women’s empowerment. This was the origin of the “Women Law and Development” idea, and it put a different emphasis women in development work. Suddenly, the use of law could be supportive of women’s struggles. Awareness developed about how the law regulates access not only to economic and social resources (land, jobs, credit, and other goods and services) but to political power, that is, control over the allocation or administration of those resources through:
- the formulation of laws and policies that are skewed toward the benefit of some and the burden of others;
- the arbitrary or selective application or enforcement of laws or policies;
- attitudes and behaviors that reinforce and condone the existence of inequitable laws and inconsistent application of the law.
WLD as an Organization(s)
WLD has had various organizational iterations. In these pages, "WLD" sometimes refers to the concept and sometimes to the organizations. As the story unfolds, the different meanings should be clear. Here are the relevant organizational references in brief:
- OEF 1979-1982. The Overseas Education Fund of the League of Women's Voters, later OEF International, a USA Washington DC-based organization, began a project with women in Central America 1979-1982. Out of this project emerged the general framework of " Women, Law and Development" WLD.
- WLD/OEF 1982-1991. After the Central American Project concluded, "WLD" became a program within OEF. It was WLD/OEF that organized the forum in Nairobi and subsequent work with Asian, African and Latin American participants to establish three independent, autonomous, regional organizations: The Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development APWLD (1986-present), The Latin American Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights CLADEM (1987-present), and Women in Law and Development in Africa WiLDAF (1990-present).
- WLDI 1990-2005. The WLD/OEF program became an organization in its own right formally in 1993. It was the only program within OEF from 1990 to 1993. First called the Institute for Women, Law and Development, it later became Women, Law and Development International WLDI. For simplicity sake from 1990 on I refer to the organization as WLDI.
WLD as an approach
A methodology is imbedded in the work of the organization and the concept, including critical analysis of the law, cross cultural sharing of ideas and strategies and participatory action research that engages participants throughout.
