Women in Development approach (WID)

Since the modernisation era, supervised by colonial officials imbued with Western concepts of the sexual division of labour, had placed new technologies in the hands of men, WID "gave a voice to women" and brought gender problems to the foreground of the international development regime. As a result of this process, women are marginalised, lowering their status, influence, and wages. Women were excluded from development practice, research, and policy. They were not entirely gaining, and in some situations, growth worsened their situation. Women were often viewed as though they lacked opportunities to engage in development.

The WID approach argued for women's inclusion in development programs in order to boost women's status in society. There was a focus on welfare-oriented projects aimed at generating revenue as well as services aimed at improving their reproductive roles. In order to increase their economic freedom, women should have fair access to resources and basic needs, including more balanced educational and job opportunities.

Women and Development approach (WAD)

Women, according to the WID strategy, should be included in the modernisation process. According to the WAD viewpoint, it was exactly their association with modernization that had made them poorer. The WAD approach is based on the belief that equity is critical to changing women's status, but it also defines reform in terms of supplying women with access to the productive sector. It focused on the social relationships that exist between women and men, with women always playing productive and reproductive roles in their societies. They argued that the emphasis WID put forward on integrating women into developed was not correct.

The main focus of WAD is on the interaction of women and development processes, rather than on integration in development, as is the case with (WID). WAD argued that the integration of women into development only made their inequality worse.

The WAD approach is particularly useful in the context of South Africa, where women are already perceived as having little value and are looked down upon. In South Africa, there is already a significant gender gap, which must be bridged.

Modernization is a technological, economic, and cultural transition through which a nation "evolves" from a pre-industrial or underdeveloped status to modern society by adopting the prescriptions of More Developed Countries (MDCs) such as Western Europe and North American countries. It is assumed that in order for Less Developed Countries (LDCs) to progress, they must abandon tradition-oriented cultures, which are seen as backward by modernization theorists as hindering the process of modernization. The modernization theory holds that poor countries are poor because they are yet to develop into modern economies and that their failure to do so is largely because of internal factors such as the countries resistance to free-market principles or the absence of western values (adapted from the Western countries) that drive material success.

While the Dependency theory focuses on the causes and consequences of underdevelopment. According to the theory, all modern economies are united into a single capitalist world economic structure. They also argue that Third World countries are poor because they have been and continue to be exploited by First World countries, which evolved from colonialism. Dependence occurs when certain countries (the dominant ones) grow at the expense of the less dominant ones.

• Growth and Structural Change

: Structural change is a term that describes a significant change in the way a region, economy, or market works, usually as a result of major economic developments.

South Africa has made no strides in changing the structure of its economy but has regressed in some ways. Despite possessing a surplus of products and natural resources and being listed as one of Africa's largest industrialised countries in terms of income and GDP (Bakari, 2017), South Africa is classified as a developed country with high unemployment and poverty rates.

• Distribution of income

: Development requires an income structure that is reasonably even, resulting in improved wages for everyone. Income distribution is critical for progress because it impacts societal stability, decides the level of poverty for any given total per capita income, and the poverty-reducing effects of prosperity.

South Africa's income gap has widened. According to the most recent World Inequality Database estimates, the top 1% of South African earners take home nearly 20% of all income in the region, while the top 10% take home 65%. The remaining 90% of South African earners receive just 35% of overall wages.

• Modernisation

: Economic development through industrial revolution can result in economic growth, enabling poorer countries to catch up to industrial countries.

The road to modernisation could be difficult for South Africa's mining industry, but it is the only option in a globalised world. Modernisation is a strategic goal for the Minerals Council since it is critical for the mining industry's development and potential to effectively contribute to society.

• Improvement of education and health

: Education and health have the ability to play a part in a country's growth as a gateway to human resource accumulation and the development process. As the Covi-19 pandemic demonstrated, our country's health system, like its education system, needs improvement.

• Depression

: can be seen as a social problem as it affects a large number of people and it is social in origin. Having depression is not a choice. Depression can be caused by social factors such as poverty, unemployment as well as social isolation. Many people were depressed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, mostly young people and those who were laid off or lost their source of income. It can cause significant long-term damage to those suffering from depression and their loved ones. It is too complicated and multicausal to overcome but it can be improved through medication.

• Smash-and-grab

: can be seen as a social problem. It is caused by social factors such as poverty, it also threatens our vision of what society should be and it should be changed as it is harmful to those affected. With the state our economy is currently in we will not be solving this issue soon.

• Rape

: is a Major social problem as it affects a large number of people and not only does it affect the victim but also the people around, loved once.

• Fast Food

: is not a social problem as it does not cause harm to a large number of people and the purchasing of these foods is by personal choice.

• HIV/AIDS

It can be seen as a social problem because it is a global epidemic, meaning it affects a large group of people and the risk of HIV transmission makes it impossible to successfully combat the global HIV outbreak.

Definition of Poverty as suggested by Experts 

According to Townsend(Townsend, 1979) "Individuals, families and groups in the population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the types of diet, participate in the activities and having the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged or approved, in the societies to which they belong". Their resources are so seriously below those commanded by the average individual or family they are, in effect, excluded from ordinary patterns. Customs and activities 

Expert-drived definitions of Poverty

1. Fractions of the income distribution

Poverty is often defined by reference to the bottom 20% or 40% of the expenditure distribution. The RDP study defines the 20% as "Ultra poor" and the 40% as "Poor".

2. The poverty Datum line

It defines Poverty by means of two Datum parts namely,  the Primary Poverty Datum Line which 
consisted solely of the cost of food, clothing, cleansing materials, fuel and light, and the 
Secondary Poverty Datum Line which in addition made provision for the cost of accommodation, 
transport for the breadwinner, and taxation.

3. Minimum living level and supplemental living level

This has been described as the lowest sum possible on which a specific size household can live.

4. Food insecurity measures of Poverty

Poverty is defined as the very low cost food ration scale used by the household.

Benefits of Poverty for the Individual

In spite of the fact that falling under the poverty spectrum is not a positive thing, there are a few benefits that those individuals have such as, Free health care, Free education as well as free resources such as water and sanitation and they do not get as high tax charges as an individual who does not fall under this spectrum. An individual living in poverty can also gain a skill in budgeting be cause they need to survive off of a low income/ budget. And other benefits can be social grants, as well being able to study free of cost if you qualify for student financial aid. And these are some of the not so many benefits of poverty. 

Benefits of Poverty on the Community

When it comes to the benefits of poverty on the community, some of the benefits are that members of the community might share close bonds because of the environment they are in and their shared experience. And a community might also experience low crime rate as everyone is living in the same unfortunate situation. 

The two theoretical approaches that I will be comparing and contrasting are Structural Functionalist Orientation and Conflict Orientation.

Structural Functionalist orientation.

• Tells use that every aspect or characteristic of society is dependent on the other in a stable condition where all the components of the society are working together to serve a function and, if one of these components changes prematurely, it will interfere with the whole system causing a disturbance in the dynamic equilibrium. Social ability is necessary for a strong society and adequate socialization and social integration.

Conflict orientation

• concentrates on society by permeating inequality based on social class, race, gender, and other factors. There is also class conflict in society due to the unequal distribution of resources among social classes.

Difference

• The main difference between the two theoretical approaches is that when it comes to structural-functionalist orientation, every component of the society work together to serve a function to maintain the stability of society while, when it comes to conflict orientation the focus is on the social inequality in the distribution of resources amongst different social classes.