The main argument of the WAD was that women had always been part of the development processes. Women and Development asserts that women were always important economic actors, they work, they do both inside and outside the household is critical to the maintenance of society.

The emergence of WID approach is divided into two approaches. the first one is the Welfare approach which is assumed  that social and economic development would bring change for women. Women were seen as passive beneficiaries of development under this approach. The second approach is the Equity approach where full integration of women was emphasized. here women were seen as active participants of development. WID tended to focus on women almost exclusively and assumed that women were outside the mainstream of development.

The GAD represents the coming together of many feminist ideas, it sort to bring together both the lessons learned from and the limitations of the WID and WAD approaches. it seeks to ensure that both women and men participate in and benefit equally from development and so emphasis equality of benefit and control.