New Database Additions  Short Summary Title Getting Institutions Right for Women in Development Author Goetz, A. (ed.) Publication Date January 1997 Publisher Zed Books Summary How can we make gender equity routine in development organisations and challenge the legitimacy of forms of social organisation which discriminate against women? The authors in this edited collection offer a range of reflections and propose a range of solutions including: • Theoretical frameworks help us understand problems of organisational and institutional accountability to women, including the negative impact of a lack of women staff and a lack of awareness of gender issues. • Institutionalising gender equity at the state level by setting minimum quotas for women's representation will not be successful unless women are represented in all state structures. • We need to challenge our assumptions that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are more receptive to gender equity. • A closer look at the interface between organisations and their clients tells us that even in the absence of a gender policy, women can use their agency to appropriate project resources and address their own issues. • An exploration of women's organisations demonstrates how they can be constrained by internal power differences and cultural gender differences. The final conclusion of this book is that the social relations embedded in social institutions and development organisations that disadvantage women can only be changed through political struggle. This book can be purchased from Zed Books: http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/book.asp?bookdetail=3710