In India (and Elsewhere) | The Problem of Working With Men

Beyond the Veil | Men may be supremely difficult to work with in India, but it’s still women who commit suicide. In a distinctly non-politically correct ‘Letter from India’ Akash Kapur lays down the landscape in which men in developing countries are actually impediments to positive initiatives to move families forward. 

Money invested in women bring a higher rate of return. The economist Amartya Sen argues that women’s education and employment levels are among the best determinants of child mortality, fertility and other development indicators. With funds increasingly right and accountability demanded, increasing numbers of NGOs want to work only with women. 

Writer Kapur draws attention to the Auroville Village Action Group, which does try to work with men, even though their work records are poor, fighting and drinking constant challenges to responsible progress. 

In a rare honest glimpse into the challenges of global development, The Problem of Working With Men surely isn’t confined to India.