Women in the Age of Economic Transformation: Gender Impact of Reforms in Post-Socialist and Developing Countries

The world economy is undergoing a period of radical transformation. This is not only evident in post-communist Europe where centrally planned economies have slowly disintegrated, but also with the implementation of policies of liberalization and privatization that are currently sweeping the less developed world. While traditional theory predicts benign results from these changes, the practical outcome is less certain. Whatever its effect, it is clear that some citizens will pay a higher price than others. InWomen in the Age of EconomicReform,the contributors assess the impact of these dramatic structural changes upon women. Each chapter summarizes the changes that have taken place in a particular economy. This is developed further by an empirical analysis of the effect upon women. The contributors then discuss the evidence of gender bias and reach some telling, if unsurprising conclusions. Closely examining the socio-political conditions of women, theycontend that regardless of the type of change involved, women suffer more in the transformation process than men do. They repeatedly stress that addressing these issues is vital if the burden of economic transformation is to be distributed fairly, equitably, and, above all, justly.