Women in the Developing World

Women in the Developing World

Studies of political and economic change in the developing worlds usually say little or nothing about women’s issues. In the past two decades, two factors have contributed to the new understanding of women in developing nations: the emergence of feminist or gender-related social science research and the growing awareness by policy planners that women play an important role in the modernization process.

Third world women, just as woman in industrialized nations, are largely represented in particular occupations. The majority work in agricultural employment or jobs that are unregulated by the state, such as street vendors and small businesses. Similarly, as in industrialized nations, Third World professional women are over-represented in such professions as nursing and teaching. Divisions between women’s and men’s work have obvious economic and political implications.

Evidence of gender inequality and exploitation of women exist in most societies, yet some of the worst cases are found in the developing world. The murder of some five thousand woman annually in India by dissatisfied husbands; the enslavement of women working in Pakistan’s brick-making industry; wife beatings in Zambia and the Andes; and the sale of child brides are only a few of the many instances of women’s subservient status in many Third World countries. Less dramatic examples of gender inequality include divorce laws that favor husbands; the restricted opportunities for women’s employment in universities, the professions, and higher-paid blue collar jobs; and the double clay that woman must frequently face (coming home from a long day’s work and having to do all the housework and child care).

After years of neglect, man...

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...dership positions. The Third World is surely no exception. During the mid-1980’s, women constituted only six percent of the national legislators in Africa and only two percent of all cabinet members. Throughout the developing world, United Nations surveys repeatedly show that even in countries where women are active professionally, their level of responsibility as policy-makers and planners is low.

Analysis reveals that the political and economic status of Third World women is anything but uniform. Their position varies considerably from region to region and country to country. Within individual countries, the condition of women differs according to their social classes or ethnicity. Three factors seem most relevant in this regard: the prevailing cultural values, a region or nation’s level of socioeconomic modernization, and the type of political regime in place.