It is widely regarded that, as well as a human rights, gender equality is integral to all development efforts, demonstrated by a close correlation between gender disparity and experiences of poverty.
However, when we talk about gender equality, what are we talking about?
Traditionally, certainly in a development context, gender equality has been concerned with an equal number of men and women engaged in different sectors, an equal number entering education, for example, and gaining the same number of exams. Indeed, in the Millennium Development Goals, the target of promoting gender equality and empowering women prioritises eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education.
However, the emphasis is changing towards a focus on the empowerment of women, enabling them to express their opinions and make informed choices, rather than focussing solely on quotas and economic gain.
The partnerships between Malawi and Scotland have interesting contributions to make to this debate. They offer the chance to reflect on successful policies in Scotland and to assist Malawi to develop their own voice, and empower all Malawians to participate in the development of their country.
TV Presenter, Alexa Chung travelled to Malawi to take on female empowerment for Oxfam's gender equality campaign. Watch the video to see how she got on.