Women and Human Development: The Capabilities Approach

"In this major book, the author, one of the most innovative and influential philosophical voices of our time, proposes a new kind of feminism that is genuinely international, argues for an ethical underpinning to all thought about development planning and public policy, and dramatically moves beyond the abstractions of economists and philosophers to embed thought about justice in the concrete reality of the struggles of poor women. In much of the world today women are less well nourished than men, less healthy and more vulnerable to physical violence and sexual abuse. Nussbaum argues that international political and economic thought must be sensitive to gender difference as a problem of justice, and that feminist thought must begin to focus on the problems of women in the Third World. Taking as her point of departure the predicament of poor women in India, she shows how philosophy should undergird basic constitutional principles that should be respected and implemented by all governments, and be used as a comparative measure of quality of life across nations. This vividly written book is rich in narrative examples. It offers a radically fresh account of how we should understand the "quality of life" in a nation, and think about the basic minimum that all governments should provide for their citizens."