Global Policy Forum

Analysis of how globilization exacerbates the exploitation women in developing nations. Although this article was written in 1995, it still holds tremendous insight and current relevance.

The World Health Organization warns that violence against women severely affects the spread of HIV/AIDS. Therefore, action against the abuse of women must form an integral part of the global response to HIV/AIDS, states the organization. Unless governments, organizations and donors highlight the importance of women's protection, contamination prevention and treatment, the disease will remain a global threat. (YouandAIDS)

In spite of the Security Council's adoption of a resolution on women, peace and security in 2004, a disproportionate share of women still fall victim to conflict and post-conflict situations. The United Nations admits its "collective failure" to curb spiraling violence against women and partly attributes this failure to the lack of women participating in UN peacekeeping missions and the absence of women in post-conflict peace talks. (Inter Press Service)

A report by Secretary General Kofi Annan on gender equality in United Nations staffing reveals uneven progress in women's representation on all levels. In June 2004, women formed 83.3 percent of staff at the lowest professional level but only 16.7 percent of the highest staff level. The report cites bias among hiring managers as a cause for unequal gender division. (UN News)

In this Guardian article, economist Noreena Hertz shows how IMF and World Bank policies disproportionately hurt women. These institutions impose stringent loan conditions such as privatization and limited public expenditure. Hertz points out how falling public investments in water and sanitation force women to walk long distances for water and risk their personal safety. Also, in order to repay their vast debts, poor countries export cash crops, leading to scarcity of essential foodstuffs domestically. Women then sacrifice their own food intake in order to feed their families. According to Hertz, "debt is a feminist issue."

Poppy cultivation remains one of the most profitable sources of income for poor female farmers in Afghanistan. Its growing requires small land and water resources and in absence of an alternative livelihood and work, women see the cultivation of the illegal crop as the sole possibility of survival. (Integrated Regional Information Networks)

Poverty in its many dimensions, affects women to a greater extent than men. Even though poor nations have made an effort to improve women's situation, the newest report from the United Nations Population Fund asserts that countries have made little progress in goals set 10 years ago at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. (New York Times)

The UN's Gender Poverty and Employment Program and the International Labor Organization are pushing for the incorporation of gender in future development initiatives. The organizations explain that "gender neutral" proposals ignore women's concerns, and therefore must be replaced by gender sensitive options. (Inter Press Service)

Amnesty International documents human rights violations, including rape, abduction, and sexual slavery, that target the women of Darfur. The report demonstrates that the Janjawid militias rape women as part of a systematic campaign to drive black Africans from the region.

Though the Bush administration claimed the Iraq war would liberate women, US policy "systematically ignores Iraqi women's needs, terrorizes their lives and shows an extraordinary degree of misogynistic hubris." As a result, women continue to suffer disproportionately and are persistently underrepresented in policy-making and reconstruction efforts. (Tom Paine)

Female politicians, ministers and community leaders from Arab nations met to discuss women's roles and rights in their countries, to begin preparations for a UN report on such issues. Though many critical advances were noted and celebrated, they exist only "because there was so much room to improve." (WeNews)

Women make up between 20 and 50 percent of the "active combatants in wars around the world." Though they face different challenges than men--including exclusion by their families and sexually transmitted diseases as a result of rape--their needs are often overlooked by programs for former soldiers. (WeNews)

"High hopes are pinned on the power of women" in development initiatives around the world. Female borrowers tend to repay loans and spend profits on family needs more consistently than men. For these reasons, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, UNESCO, and many NGOs are focusing on women's education and empowerment as central to development work. (World Bank Press)

The Bush administration unabashedly condemns abortion, and refuses to fund international organizations that provide or even discuss the procedure. Further, the administration lobbies for "pro-life" terminology and minimal reference to family planning methods, other than abstinence. At the Ninth Regional Conference on Women in Latin America, US officials attempted to force resolutions to fit this standard, but a majority of local officials rejected their efforts and passed a progressive set of new policies. (Push Journal)

"Rights are not given, they're taken." Though gender inequality is the norm in Saudi Arabia, where women are prohibited from traveling, driving or marrying without a male guardian's approval, a movement to address women's rights is gaining momentum from local celebrities and a landmark, government-sponsored conference on women's issues. (Christian Science Monitor)

"All trade agreements negotiated by the Bush administration have ignored the internationally recognized right to nondiscrimination in the workplace" and have failed to protect labor rights. Such injustices are increasingly relevant for female employees, who are consistently subjected to gender discrimination. Without additional modifications, CAFTA will further entrench this precedent of ignoring human rights in trade agreements. (Human Rights Watch)

The Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is yet another example of a trade agreement that will fail to bring any prosperity to people living in poverty. This article focuses on the gender impacts of CAFTA. (Center of Concern)

Human rights organization Amnesty International has accused the 40,000 international peacekeepers from NATO and the UN, working in the Balkans, for bolstering the sex slave industry in the region. Amnesty claims that crime lords herd hundreds of women and girls as young as 11 around the region, treating them as sex slaves, and as their own property. (Independent)

The International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Justice in Turkmenistan organized a conference on the protection of rights of women and children. The conference developed initiatives to improve the protection of women and children's rights, including those that work to prevent human trafficking. (Integrated Regional Information Networks)

Pregnant women, who work in the Dominican Republic's export-processing sector, face dismissal and major difficulties when attempting to find work afterward childbirth. The proposed US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) ignores workplace sex discrimination and thus if enforced, would allows these inequalities to persist. (Common Dreams)

Green Left Weekly argues that within military culture, misogyny is both encouraged and overlooked. This article is specifically critical of the Australian and US military services' for allowing widespread sexual assaults of servicewomen.

Over one million people marched in front of the White House to advocate for abortion rights, reproductive rights, and women's right to choose. The protesters also paid significant attention to social issues including education, poverty, and healthcare for women. (Utne)

UNCTAD believes that women entrepreneurs must forge partnerships with UN agencies to tackle poverty and gender inequality issues. UNCTAD stresses that these partnerships must aim to enhance export opportunities for women, increase the earnings of home-based women workers, and promote sustainable and gender-sensitive methods of production.

A report by the International Labor Organization provides a "stark picture of the status of women" in the workplace, characterized by low wages, inadequate work and a lack of true economic empowerment. (UN News Centre)

The Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan criticizes the United States for replacing one misogynist fundamentalist regime for another, arguing that religious fundamentalism is the main cause of suffering for Afghan women. (Guardian)

Two million African women and girls in 28 countries suffer from female genital mutilation (FGM) each year. This ‘traditional' practice perpetuates the low status of women in these societies and is a serious violation of human rights. (Integrated Regional Information Network)

The end of the Baath regime sparked hope among Iraqi women that the new Iraq would show commitment to women's inclusion into political decision-making. But the Governing Council voted to annul the country's relatively liberal personal status law, placing issues like marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance under religious authority. (Women's e-News)

Malnutrition, unwanted pregnancies and sexually related illness account for a third of deaths amongst middle-aged women in poor countries. This report argues that increased aid and investment in contraceptive services from donor countries would close the gap in reproductive healthcare between rich and poor countries. (The Alan Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA)

Activist groups criticize the Japanese government's efforts in providing infertility treatment centers, arguing that these provisions heighten the social pressure and guilt women feel for being childless. (Women's e-News)

The Afghan draft constitution fails to protect women from the kind of cruel and repressive treatment they suffered for five years under the Taliban, charges this article. While supporting human rights, the constitution does not guarantee equality for women, and it does not outlaw discrimination on the basis of gender. (Women's e-News)

UNICEF's "State of the World's Children" contends that promoting basic education for girls will jump-start the progress needed to reach the Millennium Development Goals. Currently, school enrollment and literacy rates are still far higher among boys than among girls, perpetuating the vast waste of human potential.

Since the 1994 genocide, women have played a pivotal role in reconstructing Rwanda. The Rwandan constitution formalized the critical importance of women's leadership in the country's recovery. This article calls for Iraq and Afghanistan to follow this example and include women as full partners in the reconstruction process. (Women's e-News)

Egyptian laws deny citizenship to one million children of Egyptian women and foreign fathers, excluding them from material advantages such as free education and medical care. While Egyptian women will soon gain the right to pass on their nationality, activists fear that in practice, burdensome conditions and high fees will continue to bar citizenship to many children. (Women's eNews)

In Malawi, one in 15 pregnant women dies of pregnancy and delivery complications. Laws prohibiting abortion compel women into unsafe abortions, which account for a great number of maternal deaths. Malawi traditions that demand the husband's permission before a woman can go to hospital contribute to this situation. (Inter Press Service)

In Zambian society, women traditionally have no ownership of or control over land. Yet, they bear the burden of providing food for their families. The Zambian government, understanding the importance of land tenure for the country's food security, announced its commitment to increase land ownership of women. (Inter Press Service)

This article argues that US President George Bush's policy of denying funding to groups that so much as mention the possibility of abortion to their clients illustrates Bush's "fundamentalist" fear of accepting the "freedom of women to control their own fertility." (Moscow Times)

After 30 years of a more enlightened approach to prostitution, the French government returns to repression and contempt. Although studies show that prostitution is "one of the most vicious expressions of male domination and an extreme manifestation of social and economic hardship," the French government denies links between prostitution and social precariousness. (Le Monde diplomatique)

Mid-day meal programs in India help to promote gender equality. In the Indian states that implemented such programs, female school enrolment and daily attendance increased significantly. Moreover, the programs contribute to lessening hunger. (InfoChange)

While prisons in general signify "denial of freedom, but also of humanity," women prisoners lead a particularly hard life. They often have to support children or other family members on the outside, and experience social and psychological fragility. (Le Monde diplomatique)

The BBC reports that most Middle Eastern countries hugely expanded their investments in women's education, raising the average of female literacy from 17 percent in 1970 to 53 percent in 2000. Yet, this investment has not translated into economic growth as less than a third of women in the region participate in the workforce.

In Swaziland, where 39 percent of the adult population has AIDS, women often have no other choice than working to sustain their families. Yet, customary law considers them as legal minors and denies them the rights to work or to own property. (Inter Press Service)

Norway proposes laws setting quotas for greater gender equality in the corporate sector. But business organizations oppose laws different from international norms, fearing they will deter investment and make business inefficient. (New York Times)

A blueprint for shaping a response to the AIDS crisis must involve women, as rapid transmission occurs when women lack power in relationships, equal access to education, and economic independence. (Washington Post)

A majority of men and women see unequal gender status as a woman's personal problem rather than a social problem. But changes to unjust social structures and policies will only come from collective political pressure. (Guardian)

Sexual harassment by teachers and male peers obstructs learning and personal development for girls in African schools. Empowerment programs that teach girls to speak out has made them aware of their rights and diminished abuse. (allAfrica )

Ever wonder where those freshly cut flowers and vegetables at supermarket stands come from day after day?Guardian investigates the conditions of Kenyan women working in refrigerated packing sheds at a factory that exports to the UK.

The Commonwealth Businesswomen's Network held a one-day conference in Johannesburg to discuss the New Partnership for African Development's (NEPAD) failure to reflect the crucial role of women in Africa's development. Women dominate agricultural production in Africa and play an active role in the informal economy. (Inter Press Service)

This fact sheet provides information on how the US policy of prohibiting funding to NGOs that advocate family planning contradicts US aims of fighting the practice of abortion worldwide. Improving access to family planning and contraception in fact reduces women's reliance on abortion and thus the risk of deaths due to unsafe abortions. (Population Action International)

This report from Women's Edge looks at the history of World Bank efforts to integrate gender equality goals into its poverty reduction strategies, and makes an assessment of the Bank's progress. The authors intend for advocates, particularly in the global "South," to use the report as a primer for pushing the Bank's gender equality agenda forward.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union halted the flow of aid and investment to Cuba, the relentless US embargo has had an even more devastating effect on Cuba's economy. Many men choose to find work abroad, leaving women with few options to support their families outside the booming sex tourism industry. (Digital Freedom Network)

Entrenched patriarchy, changing cultural norms, and a surge in violent rape put young South African women particularly at risk for contracting the AIDS virus. According to a nationwide study of HIV prevalence, 17.7 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 are HIV-positive, compared with 12.8 percent of men. (Observer)

In Mexico, two microcredit organizations have discovered that small loans to women, and only women, produce dramatic results for helping families lift themselves out of poverty. (New York Times)

For some Russian women, International Women's Day brings a wistful reminder of the gains made by feminists during the early Soviet era and gradually lost in the transition to capitalism. (New York Times)

Public Services International's (PSI) Equality and Rights Officer discusses what unions can do to address the global gender pay gap, particularly in the public sector where the majority of workers are women earning low wages. She suggests that gender-based campaigns would ultimately strengthen union membership and organization. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions)

Bama Athreya of the International Labor Rights Fund argues that women are central to global trade liberalization, but women's rights take a back seat in trade negotiations. 70%-90% of workers in export processing zones are women, who frequently suffer from abuse, harassment, and poor working conditions. (ATTAC)

A potential war on Iraq and fears of economic recession must not turn attention away from the environment and poverty in the developing world, write the authors of "Linking Population, Women and Biodiversity" from the State of the World 2003. To address poverty and biodiversity loss, world leaders must address the crucial problem of gender inequality and reproductive health. (International Herald Tribune)

In 1998, San Francisco adopted the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which the US signed but never ratified. Activists call the measure, now at the end of its five year implementation plan, a "beachhead for a whole new way of thinking about problems of race, poverty, and gender in the United States." (Christian Science Monitor)

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan writes in the New York Times that African women play a crucial role in Africa's ability to survive famine and the AIDS crisis. He argues that aid programs to Africa must address the soaring rate of HIV infection among women and increase women's capacity to provide for their families.

A United Nations Population Fund report strongly links access to contraception, family planning, and health care with poverty reduction and growth. The report argues that "universal access to reproductive health care, universal education, and women's empowerment" are conditions for "creating a global society that is both stable and just."

The Bush administration threatens to sabotage the UN International Conference on Population and Development action plan, which promotes basic health, education, and reproductive rights for women around the world. The Dutch minister for development cooperation argues, "Poverty reduction will not be successful . . . without women being able to make their own choices." (New York Times)

China's shift to a market economy has left many unskilled, uneducated women in the northeast rust-belt unemployed. Massive lay-offs in state-owned factories target women much more than men, defying Mao Zedong's proclamation that "women hold up half the sky." (Newsweek)

Poverty assessment indicators used by the World Bank and other development organizations are "incapable of reflecting the gender based inequalities that govern access to and control over resources." This article proposes rethinking women's roles in poverty alleviation. (Catholic Institute for International Relations)

The US will withhold $34 million promised to the United Nations Population Fund. While the Bush Administration seeks to prevent abortions, the number of abortions will essentially increase due to a lack of access to contraception. (New York Times)

Women's rights organizations in South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda have launched "gender budgeting" initiatives, which analyze the effects of national and local budgets on women. Are women in poverty in fact a priority when deliberating public spending? (Africa Recovery United Nations)

Nepal, one of the world's poorest nations, is facing tough challenges from a growing insurgency and increasing inequality, despite poverty reduction efforts. Discrimination, lack of accountability and harvests fraught with uncertainty are among the chief challenges. (UNDP)

According to the World Bank, countries which promote women's rights enjoy lower poverty rates, faster economic growth and less corruption than countries that do not. "The evidence shows that education, health, productivity, credit and governance work better when women involved."

"That makes me really angry," says Jennifer Klot of UNIFEM (UN Development Fund for Women) of the fact that only one out of the 54 envoys appointed by the UN Secretary General is a woman. (Washington Times)

Human Rights Watch fears that Afghan women face a particularly serious humanitarian crisis. The future political arrangements have to include women, "both as recipients of aid and as equal partners in decision making regarding development and aid projects in Afghanistan."

Commissioned by UNDP, this paper analyzes the relationship between trade and gender inequality, as the discourse on development shifts to human well-being instead of income or consumption.

Asian governments agreed to work together to stem the flow of women and children being trafficked by international crime syndicates. A lack of legal uniformity, however, may hinder the governments' effort. (Inter Press Service)

A former UN police officer is suing a British security firm over claims that it covered up the shameful involvement of her UN fellow officers in sex crimes and prostitution rackets in the Balkans. Coincidentally, the UN mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina is creating special police units to crack down on prostitution and the widespread trafficking of women. (Observer)

As a major charity pushes for equal rights for elderly gays, former nurse Ron Strank reflects on how times have changed in the 41 years he's been with his partner, Roger Fisher. Strank criticizes the current UK civil registration framework for failing to recognize the equal rights for pension of homosexual couples and straight couples outside marriage. (BBC)

Three masked men gunned down Phoolan Devi, India's onetime Bandit Queen. Devi is the outlaw-turned-legislator whom the poor idolized as a champion of the lower castes. (Associated Press)

UN and various human rights organizations condemned Greece for failing to address the issue of trafficking of women into the country for forced prostitution. The Greek government has punished female victims while their traffickers enjoy impunity. (Human Rights Watch)

The Arab League has appointed former Palestinian official and human rights activist Hanan Ashrawi as its spokeswoman. This appointment will allow Mrs. Asharawi to correct 'the falsifications of Arab affairs' practiced by the Israeli and Western media. (BBC News)

Women suffer two-fold: first at the hands of their husbands and then at the hands of the state. In the name of "saving the family" and suppressing divorce rates, Uzbekistan has left women unable to depend on the state authority for protection from beatings and exacerbated their vulnerability to continued domestic violence. (Human Rights Watch)

The greed of global capitalism increased the demand for young women from developing nations as sex  'slaves.' This global epidemic of sex trafficking has brought " the prostitutes' UN" to the world's red-light districts. (Gazette, Montreal)

The Center for Social Justice and the National Action Committee on the Status of Women announced a new report on the continuing economic discrimination against women. (Center for Social Justice)

World Bank shows solidarity to women on 'their' day. Maybe they should show solidarity when women "shoulder the burden of the social impact of adjustment;" when "women are the ones affected when health spending is cut or incomes reduced" ... (OneWorld)

Christine Chinkin says that, despite the possibility of new bases for gender relations caused by globalizing processes, there are new forms in which gender-based social exclusion may be created. (UN Chronicle)

With Germany lifting its last ban on gender-specific professions, German women can now freely pursue careers which hitherto, were impossible. (Washington Post)

Many Faces of Gender Inequality (2001)

2000

As 13 countries have ratified and 62 have signed the UN Convention for the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women. Women around the world can now bypass their governments and file their grievances directly to the UN. (UN press Release)

The OECD Observerdetails how programs aimed at increasing the abilities of women (or men, if they are at a disadvantage) and fostering a better understanding of their rights among others, can enable them become agents of their own development and empowerment

A new World Bank study shows that in societies, greater discrimination correlates to greater poverty, slower economic growth and a lower quality of life compared to those with less discrimination. (Africa News)

A report issued by the Institute for Women's Policy Research indicates that although narrowing of the wage gap in recent years has reflected a rise in women's earnings, the march towards equality is still slow. (Reuters)

The prime minister of Bangladesh argues the case for bringing more women into peace talks and peacekeeping operations. (Christian Science Monitor)

The Security Council votes unanimously for a resolution urging the protection of women from rape and sexual abuse in war, as well as the increased involvement of women in peacemaking at all levels. (Boston Globe)

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, as well as Ambassadors on the Council, urged the recruitment of more women for peacekeeping and peace-making missions and seriously addressed the plight of women in conflict. (UN News)

Although Norway is seen by many as the leader in the advancement of women worldwide, a new study has shown that it has the "most gender segregated labor market in the OECD" and less women are holding managerial positions. (Earth Times)

At the retirement of Dr. Nafis Sadik, director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the New York Times details how the agenda within the Fund has changed from population control to the empowerment of women.

Despite certain improvements in recent years, women around the world suffer from discrimination and mutilation. They are regularly denied health care, education and basic policital rights, says a new report by the UN Population Fund. (Nando Times)

UNIFEM's Trust Fund is supporting projects aimed at preventing violence to women. It has received about 200 proposals so far in 2000 alone. (Earth Times News Service)

Now that Burkina Faso has been granted $700 million under the HIPC initiative, what to do with the money? Local NGOs demand that it be spent on women's education. (Inter Press Service)

To have women elected into political positions is not enough to call it a democracy, as women often do not actually have a political "voice" as decision-making is moved elsewhere, says the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) report.(Inter Press Service)

The Village Voice interviews insider Linda Tar-Whalen, US Ambassador to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, on the accomplishments of Beijing+5. Let's just say that she didn't get much sleep that week!

Le Monde Diplomatique details Florence Montreynaud's challenging task of chronicling women's accomplishments from 1900 through 1999!

Beijing+5 simultaneously disappoints and fulfills delegate's expectations about advancement of women's rights. Marilyn Henry reports from both angles.(The Jerusalem Post)

A last-minute agreement was reached at the Beijing +5 conferences to meet the goals set down by the Platform for Action five years ago. "Engendering Development", a draft policy research report, calls for concrete steps to translate policy recommendations into actions. (World Bank Development News)

Reuters reports that UN police and one NATO-led Stabilization Force member were involved in women-trafficking in Bosnia. This further leads to discussions about status of women in the Balkan peninsula.

According to a UN human rights investigator, more and more women and girls are being slain in "honor killings" around the world, particularly in Muslim populations. The perpetrators of these crimes are mostly male family members of the murdered women who claim to murder to defend their misconceived notion of 'family honor,' " (Reuters)

Rwanda's parliament has adopted legislation that now allows females to benefit from land and other properties. Link to UN Press Release. (Reuters)

Article discusses the undervalued role of women's labor in the globalization process and overall "success" of free market strategies. It questions why women are not entitled to the fullness of their rights: the right to work, the right to social protection, the right to bodily integrity, etc. (Economic Justice News)

An article from the London Guardian advocating the education of women as a necessary part of any long term poverty reduction strategy.

Despite some progress in developing nations to eradicate the educational gender gap, the process is "excruciatingly slow," says Mary Joy Pigozzi, senior education adviser for UNICEF. (Christian Science Monitor)

Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva addresses the round table discussion at the Palais des Nations in commemoration of International Women's Day. The theme of the discussion is 'Women Waging Peace'. (UN Press Release )

Acting UN Coordinator for Afghanistan reports some "flexibility" in the Taliban's policies towards women. The Taliban say they will gradually allow more women education as the country gets more stability. (Reuters)

French Members of Parliament began debating new legislation that would force companies to pay women and men the same wage for the same job. The average pay gap between women and men for the same job is 27%. (Guardian, London)

Palestinian women's groups are drafting a "personal status law" which would raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 and give women equal rights in divorce and inheritance. Palestinian women are encouraged by last week's ruling in Egypt that allows women to initiate divorce. The law is the first of its kind in the region. (Christian Science Monitor)

Kofi Annan's address on the United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace, observed March 8, 2000.

At the Global 2000 Women's March Against Poverty in Paris, African and Caribbean women discussed how best to contribute to the socio-economic advancement of Africa. (Panafrican News Agency)

An in depth look at the ways in which the recent influx of western values are negatively affecting women's status in India. (Hindu)

The Indian government re-attempts to pass a bill which would reserve a third of the seats in parliament for women.(Reuters)

Unifem fund for developing countries launched to encourage investment in companies that have "socially responsible policies towards women."

A Washington Post article about a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, showing the increasing income gap between haves and have-nots in the US.

IPS Daily Journal article on high percentage of women parliamentarians in the national assemblies in three Nordic countries: Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Article examining the relationship of globalization to contemporary "atavistic social movements" and the resulting strains conferred upon women, minorities, and children.

Report for the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development 7th Session, April 1999, recognizing that "gender equality is central and key to any paradigm for sustainable development".

Kuala Lumpur Star reports: "Women workers in South-East Asia are rallying to resist globalisation which they feel has not only infringed upon their rights but resulted in economic and social problems".

An analysis of Palestinian women's struggle for the right to quality of life and sustainable livelihoods in the face of rising globalization, and increased poverty. (Journal of The Society for International Development)

An analysis of Palestinian women's struggle for the right to quality of life and sustainable livelihoods in the face of rising globalization, and increased poverty. (Journal of The Society for International Development)

Article describing the conditions surrounding increased female employment in Asia due to globilization and the deleterious effects of the Asian economic crisis on women's status.

Article explaining that although high economic growth has resulted from nations' structural adjustment policies, women's socio-economic status has worsened. Includes statistics on the gender inequality that persists in Africa.

Statement of Unity from the Asian Rural and Indigenous Women's Conference Against Globalization held in Chiangmai, Thailand during May 22-25, 1998.

Under globalization, women and children are the new raw resource in national development and international trade.

Analyzes how economic restructuring has prevented the implementation of the objectives set forth at the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

Article explaining that, while the World Bank has addressed concerns about gender equity, "the Bank is still failing to make adequate progress on a number of fronts".

Article explaining that the Structural Adjustment Programmes designed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are gender biased and have worsened gender inequality.