IDENTITY APPROACH IN WOMEN AND MINORITY RIGHTS: THE ECONOMIC IMPLICATION

Abstract

The identity approach focuses on the definition of male and female and whether these are natural, biological, or psychological or social, also whether discrimination against transgender persons discrimination is because of sex. The approach also addresses masculinity and what attention it demands from women and the interrelationship of a person's multiple identities in other words whether characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, disability, or sexual orientation interact with gender in ways that make discrimination more difficult to recognize than when only one characteristic is at issue. Thus, the approach focused on who speaks for women's interest, and to what extent claims on behalf of a group marginalize some of its members and differences among women. It focused on the special cases of transgender and intersex, masculinities, the primacy of gender, the challenges in implementation of the identity approach and the solution to these challenges. These culminated to the aim of this article which was to examine identity approach in women and minority rights with its economic implications. The research methodology was doctrinal approach, using expository and analytical research design. The main sources of data collection were various legal literatures, both from the physical library and the e-library. It was found that despite some reforms, barriers to women’s economic empowerment remain. Thus, while recognizing that the nature of legal reform is very specific to an individual country context, examples of best practices from different states could serve as a useful roadmap for states looking to enhance women’s economic empowerment through law reform. It was recommended that the government should develop a policy that should be treated based on one's individual capacity and not putting different characteristics in issue and that legal reform to remove barriers to women’s economic empowerment can be used as a very powerful instrument to promote women’s economic participation and help countries achieve higher growth and a range of other macroeconomic benefits.