Whenever there is growth, whether it is in a person, a community, or a system, there are usually growth pains, problems that need to be sorted out, or values that need to be re-evaluated. The process of global development is one of these instances of growth. This paper will discuss how global development and the modernization process have some of these problems and are inherently sexist by examining the areas of religion and culture, economy, and politics.
As Bayes and Tohidi point out, modernity is based on "industry, technology, free markets and capitalism, science, a largely secular culture, liberal democracy, individualism, rationalism, and humanism" (2001, p. 31). In Europe, these traits developed over a period of several centuries, from the time of the Renaissance in the fourteenth century, up through the Enlightenment and revolutions of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Throughout this period, Western culture moved from cottage industries and monarchies to democracies, republics, and corporations. Yet, even as individuals were gaining choices in many areas of their lives, some individuals, such as women, were losing some of the power they traditionally held in society. While some of that power has been regained in Western society, this is now the problem faced by women in lesser developed countries (LDCs) as these countries struggle to transform into new economic and political orders (Bayes & Tohidi, 2001).
In the process of transforming, LDCs that have been colonies have also had to deal with the mistaken understanding that in order to embrace progress and a healthy economy, they had to embrace the Western culture and its religion (Christianity) (Scheck & Haggis, 2000). In an effort to break the "vicious cycle of poverty, ignorance, and low productivity" (p. 8) developed countries attempted to remake LDCs in their own image. This effectively squashe
...