GENDER APPROACHES IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: LESSONS FROM EASTERN TURKEY

This article analyses a regional development program implemented in Eastern Turkey to explore whether its grant scheme projects helped or hindered the transformation of gender inequalities. The article emphasizes that capabilities of transformation within micro-projects are limited due to structural limitations coming from society, culture and politics. Drawing on the gender and development literature, the projects are assessed by the social welfare, empowerment, and equality approaches. The findings indicate that the project success increases when the labour, relations, and identities of women are considered together. In order to initiate a structural change in women’s position, the project designs should explicitly address issues, such as gender equality, poverty alleviation, organized action, and full participation. These issues should also be reflected on implementation and monitoring carefully. Therefore, an integrated empowerment-equality approach supported by social welfare issues is required. Capacity building on such critical issues enhances effectiveness. Merely result-oriented (versus process-oriented) approaches in development overlook the fact that a project is a learning process for all its participants, including its sponsors and experts.