African Unification Front
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ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF GENDER POLICY
BASIC INCOME MODEL
The ecomnomy of the African Union has to be remodelled on the basis of the need to preserve the positive cultural values of our communities: the extended family; the communalised responsibility for the welbeing of children; the freedom of choice and the decentralization of economic power.
As well we must incorporate into our economic structures concepts such as the Citizen's Basic Income Scheme (Ailsa McKay, Rethinking Work and Income Maintenance Policy: Promoting Gender Equality Through A Citizens' Basic Income. Feminist Economics Vol. 7 No. 1, November 2001) that is based on the principles of individuality, universality, and unconditionality; when combined with the notion of meeting "basic needs" it would serve to provide a minimum income guarantee for all adult members of society.
"However, implementation entails radical reform of existing patterns of welfare delivery and must bring into question the institutionalized relationship between work and welfare, a basic premise of modern welfare states.
To date, the debate over a citizens' basic income has emphasized its effects on labor markets, thereby displaying an extreme androcentric bias. Although the role of women in society is central to social policy reform, the existing basic income literature is disturbingly devoid of any comprehensive treatment of women.
No genuine discussion has taken place about the nature of women's lives and work and how these should be valued. Social policy reform must take account of all gender inequalities and not just those relating to the traditional labor market. The citizens' basic income model can be a tool for promoting gender-neutral social citizenship rights, but that any future marriage of justice and efficiency must first divorce work from income."
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