Women's Role in Economic Development

Abstract

The publication of Ester Boserup's work Women's Role in Economic Development in 1970 represented a watershed in the development literature. It led to the Women in Development (WID) thesis, the UN International Year for Women 1975, the UN Decade on Women 1976–1985 and four world conferences on women 1975–1995. It has also inspired a generation of feminists and scholars. This new edition includes an introduction by Kanji, Tan and Toulmin. Viewing Boserup from a modern perspective, they highlight areas where Boserup ‘correctly predicted’ trends, and areas where ‘the picture has become more complex’ (page v). Locating the book in the context of more recent development literature on women, the introduction largely addresses the student market, which will particularly benefit from this paperback edition. The first section, Globalization, market-oriented growth and women's employment, is identified as an area where the picture is more complex than Boserup envisioned. Income inequalities have increased between and within countries, and both the labour force and poverty have been feminised. This would surely not have surprised Boserup, who carefully analysed how economic development tends to disadvantage women (and some population groups) and lowers the economic and socio-cultural status of women relative to men.