8 Gender and Developmental States: Botswana and Uganda Pamela Mbabazi, Godisang Mookodi & Jane Parpart This chapter asks the crucial question: are the benefits of developmental states gendered? Is there more gender equality, are women more able to access political and economic opportunities and institutions, are relations between the sexes more tolerant and flexible in developmental states? These are the questions that this chapter seeks to address. Each case (Botswana and Uganda) is interesting in its own right. However, a comparison is equally important, as it offers a means of thinking about the different ways that economic development may play out in regard to gender. The comparison reminds us of the importance of contextualising our analysis, and of restraining tendencies to anticipate general patterns without paying sufficient attention to the impact of history, culture and other factors that impinge on attitudes and practices regarding gender. Both Uganda and Botswana joined many other African states at the end of the first United Nations Decade for Women (1975–1985), when they formally declared the importance of seeking avenues for the full integration of women in the development process. The establishment of state-sponsored women’s ministries, the promulgation of laws addressing gender equality, and the rise of civil society activism in pursuit of gender equality, occurred in both Uganda and Botswana. The differences and similarities between these two cases raise important questions about how to understand existing gender practices, with all their limitations, as well as how advocates for gender equality can best effect meaningful change. First, we turn to the case of Botswana. 8. Mbabazi Moo.p65 06/09/2005, 12:54 104