Vital capabilities: a development framework for sexual and gender minorities

Andrew S. Park

Oxford Development Studies, 2020, vol. 48, issue 1, 18-32

Abstract: Recent empirical research has revealed that sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) in all parts of the world face discrimination and disparities in important dimensions of development such as employment, income, education, violence and health. Yet, global human development policy largely overlooks SGMs. This paper seeks to advance the inclusion of SGMs in development discussions by formulating a capabilities approach applicable to SGMs. The paper first proposes a definitional scheme to identify precisely the population at stake, it then reviews psychological frameworks used to understand how sexuality and gender develop in ways that are positive and healthy, as well frameworks used to understand how law and culture restrict the choices and opportunities available to SGMs. Three themes emerge from each of these discussions, each of which underpin a capability vital to freedoms and positive development for SGMs: the capability to form one’s own identity, to engage in expression and expressive activity and to form and participate in relationships.

Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/13600818.2019.1599336 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:oxdevs:v:48:y:2020:i:1:p:18-32

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/CODS20

DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2019.1599336

Access Statistics for this article

Oxford Development Studies is currently edited by Jo Boyce and Frances Stewart

More articles in Oxford Development Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().