ABSTRACT
Can we plan for the needs of low-income households generally or is it necessary to plan for the needs of women in their own right? This very simple question provides the basis for the development of gender planning, as a new planning discipline with a specific focus on the issue of gender. It also allows us to recognize that because women and men have different positions within the household and different control over resources, they not only play different and changing roles in society, but also often have different needs. It is this role and needs differentiation that provides the underlying conceptual rationale for gender planning and defines its long-term goal as the emancipation of women. The fundamental planning principles, therefore, derive from the need to disaggregate households and families on the basis of gender, when identifying planning needs.
