An enormous amount of material has been produced on women and development and most of it deals in some way with rural development. What follows is not a complete listing, but a selection based on usefulness for research and organizing from a critical and feminist perspective. Some less known resources have been highlighted, and we have tried to indicate the perspective and assess the usefulness of governmental, intergovernmental and better-known development sources.
The listings are arranged first by United Nations bodies, a major source of material; then resource centers (organizations, institutions and groups producing regular material on this issue); then by periodicals, bibliographies, pamphlets and articles. There is a great deal of material specifically on appropriate technology, so this is listed separately.
United Nations
The United Nations is a major source of information on women and development. The almost overwhelming amount of material its agencies produce varies considerably in quality and perspective. Since UN agencies are intergovernmental, their materials seldom criticize governments or specific policies directly, but tend to be descriptive and statistical. Some UN documents are a critical and non-committal to the point of being bland and completely useless. In spite of these general limitations, there are a number of very useful resources, and a few excellent ones. First and foremost, the UN is a very good source of background material, factual information, project descriptions and statistical and technical studies. It is also an excellent source of information on governmental and intergovernmental development policies and about the negotiations going on around development issues such as the New International Economic Order, the Basic Human Needs Approach and so forth. Some UN material does take a critical and analytical approach to the issues. In recent years it has focused more attention on development policies in relationship to women. A feminist perspective and an awareness of the need to analyze patriarchal structures are not generally to be found in UN documents, yet occasionally these do appear.
What follows is a brief guide to UN materials relating to women and development. We are listing many of the UN bodies with an indication of the scope and range of the fields they cover and a number of specific materials which we feel are representative of their work on women and development. We have tried to point out those which we find most valuable, and especially any which bring a feminist perspective to the issues.
African Training and Research Centre for Women (ATRCW)
P.O. Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
ATRCW grew out of the women's program of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Founded in 1975, its purpose is to encourage and assist the member states to improve opportunities and skills for women, especially in rural areas, with a view to enabling them to participate more effectively in the development of their countries. ATRCW organizes conferences and seminars, undertakes research and development projects, and serves as a resource centre and clearinghouse for materials on women and development in Africa.
An Information Kit for Women in Africa (1981) produced by the International Women's Tribune Centre, Inc., New York in collaboration with ATRCW contains detailed information on ATRCW's activities and publications as well as projects in various parts of Africa. This kit also describes selected projects run and funded by governmental and non-governmental organizations. The first 80 pages of the kit are devoted to information on funding and technical assistance, including how to write a project proposal and where to apply for funds. It is available in English and French.
The ATRCW has produced a great many useful descriptive and background documents including bibliographies, conference and workshop reports, and case studies. Examples of the kinds of materials available are; Women and Development: An Annotated Bibliography (1978) with several hundred entries of United Nations publications, documents and other studies and articles; Progress and Obstacles in Achieving the Minimum Objectives of the World and Africa Plans of Action: A Critical Review by Margaret Max-Forson, a report of the Second Regional Conference on the Integration of Women in Development, held in Lusaka, Zambia in December 1979; Law and the Status of Women in Nigeria by Dr. (Mrs.) J.O. Debo Akande (1979); Women and the Fishing Industry in Liberia by Ms. Olubanke Akerle (1979); Women and the Mass Media in Africa by Elma Letitia Anani et al. (1981); and Manual on Child Development, Family Life, Nutrition by Jean A.S. Ritchie (1979).
The directory of National, Subregional and Regional Machineries for Women in Development is a useful source of addresses and information on governmental organizations dealing with women's issues, although it does not give any assessment of the perspective or effectiveness of these.
A particularly valuable publication is Appropriate Technology for African Women by Marilyn Carr (1978), a critical and insightful examination of technology and its effects on women and their work in Africa. Another especially well-done and useful publication is Women and Development in Tanzania: An Annotated Bibliography by Ophelia Mascarenhas and Marjorie Mbilinyi (1980). In the introduction, the authors explain the conceptual framework of the bibliography and their selection of materials. It is a good overview of the burning concerns of women and an excellent explanation of the concepts of sexual division of labor and patriarchal relations. The entries are selected in this framework and are annotated at sufficient length to give the reader a good idea of the content and the strengths and weaknesses of each document. It is an extremely useful critical guide to the material and contains a section of general materials as well as those specific to Tanzania. This is the kind of bibliography we need. Highly recommended. Most publications are available in English and French. A complete publications list is available from ATRCW.
Asian and Pacific Centre for Women and Development (APCWD)
Asian and Pacific Development Centre, Pesiaran Duta, P.O. Box 2224, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The APCWD is a training and research institution of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Established in 1977, it aims to ensure the full participation of women in the economic and social development of their communities. It was located first in Teheran, Iran, then in Bangkok, Thailand and now in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The APCWD Women's Resource Book 1979, produced in collaboration with the International Women's Tribune Centre, Inc., New York, provides a detailed description of APCWD activities and publications up to 1979. It also lists United Nations agencies, governmental and some of the more well-established non-governmental organizations involved in women and development issues in the various countries of Asia and the Pacific, without, however, indicating their perspective or evaluating their work.
Among the materials available from the Centre are studies and reports from various workshops and meetings, including: Notes on Data Collection with Special Reference to Women (1980); Women's Employment-Possibilities of Relevant Research by Devaki Jain (1980); The Critical Needs of Women (1977), a report of the Expert Group Meeting on the Identification of the Basic Needs of Women of Asia and the Pacific. The latter in an excellent examination of the basic needs approach and its inadequacies. Analyzing the basic needs of women from a feminist perspective, the report identifies both the critical material needs and other types of basic needs as well, such as freedom from violence and debilitating work hours. It points out that imbalances in the distribution of goods and services exist not only between households but within households and stresses the need for changing the structures which lie behind and create unequal social and economic relations. Another excellent publication is the report of a workshop organized by the APCWD in Bangkok in June 1979 on Feminist Structures and Ideology in the First Half of the Decade for Women, which raises many questions about development and how women's goals can be translated into real structural and social change. Interesting too is the Declaration on Technical Co-operation Among Developing Countries and Women (1978). A bibliography of all the materials available at the Centre has also been produced along with a Directory of Fellows and Consultants 1977-1980.
The Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) Casilla 179 D, Santiago, Chile.
In 1975, ECLA published a study entitled Mujeres en America Latina: Aportes para una Discusion which examines the position of women in Latin American countries and makes some hypotheses about the participation of women in the development of Latin America. This book also contains the report of the first regional seminar on the integration of women in development held in Caracas in 1975 in preparation for the Mexico Conference. It is still useful, mainly for the wealth of statistical data on the position of women in society in Latin America. In 1977, ECLA created a Special Unit to deal with issues related to the integration of women in economic and social development. One of the main activities of this unit is to develop a Reference Service on women, i.e. to collect and process adequately relevant data on women. This is done in collaboration with the Centro Latino americano de Documentacion Economica y Social (CLADES) of ECLA and with the Information Communication System (DOCPAL) established by the Latin American Demographic Centre (CELADE).
In 1979, ECLA published Inventario de Proyectos sobre Integracion de la Mujer al Desarrollo en America Latina, with information on the most significant projects in the region, being implemented with the cooperation of UN agencies and which promote the participation of women in development. ECLA also prepared a Directory in 1979 with information on human resources, activities and/or projects relating to women. Other publications include bibliographical listings of ECLA materials and a number of more recent reports and papers on the integration of women in development in Latin America.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
The specialized agency of the United Nations dealing with agriculture, food issues and rural development, the FAO has a great impact on the development of rural areas through its policies and programs. Although women are the majority of the world's food producers, it is only since International Women's Year in 1975 that the FAO has given significant attention to the needs and situations of rural women. Most programs and research on women have been, and continue to be, channeled through the nutrition division, which has made considerable effort to direct programs to women and to improve their access to food. The Freedom from Hunger Campaign/Action for Development is another FAO program which has given attention to women and produced useful material on this issue.
Division produced a booklet, richly illustrated with photographs, entitled The Missing Half - Woman 1975. An introduction to the situation of rural women, this booklet emphasizes how women's situations have deteriorated due to neglect by development agencies and policies and it calls for integrating women into development. In 1977, the FAO Documentation Centre, in cooperation with the Population Documentation Centre, published an annotated bibliography of FAO publications and documents from 1966 to mid-1976 on Women and Family in Rural Development. A computer print out, it is unfortunately very difficult to read. The FAO Review on Development, Ceres, has done some special issues on women, in 1975 and 1980 on the occasion of the UN conferences on women, but otherwise has not focused very much on women.
The FAO World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (WCARRD) in 1979 was one of the few international intergovernmental conferences to give serious attention to rural women. A number of preparatory and follow-up materials deal with women. In an article "The Role of Women in Agrarian Reform and Rural Development" in the FAO Review Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives, no. 1, 1979, Ingrid Palmer draws up a "checklist of demands that can properly be made on agrarian reform on behalf of women." Another 1979 publication. The Legal Status of Rural Women, reviews the laws in a number of countries affecting women's access to land, credit, membership in cooperatives and collectives, as well as laws affecting women agricultural workers. Another preparatory document is the survey of Rural Women's Working Conditions: An Extreme Case of Unequal Exchange, prepared in April 1978. In January 1979, the WCARRD secretariat published a Review and Analysis of Agrarian Reform and Rural Development in the Developing Countries since the Mid-1960s which includes a point on the "Integration of Women in Development." This looks at the roles of women in agricultural production and at women's access to resources and their control, employment and income-producing opportunities, health and nutrition, and pohcy making and programming for rural services. The document describes the processes of marginalization of the rural poor and of women in particular. The Report of the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development gives the conference decisions about the "Integration of Women in Rural Development," under the headings of Equality of Legal Status, Women's Access to Rural Services. Women's Organization and Participation, and Educational and Employment Opportunities. In 1980, the FAO issued a 16 page illustrated booklet entitled WCARRD - A Turning Point for Rural Women,which comments and expands on quotations from the conference decisions, with examples and illustrations from various parts of the world. Another follow-up document to WCARRD is the Report of the FAO/SIDA Workshop on the Integration of Women in Agriculture and Rural Development, held in Hyderabad, India in 1980. Concentrating on several Asian countries, the workshop developed some project proposals and action ideas for integrating women in development.
The Freedom From Hunger Campaign/Action for Development (FFHC/AD) is an FAO program which aims to stimulate critical awareness of development issues and promote people's participation in development. It works with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). FFHC/AD has produced some very good material on development issues. Although its selected bibliography on development in 1974 contained very little about women, materials produced since have improved. Two regular publications are particularly useful. One is the Development Education Exchange Papers (DEEP), a bi-monthly publication which reviews recent materials on development and gives information on activities of groups and organizations. The reviews are thorough enough to be useful, and DEEP does not neglect women. The other valuable publication is the bi-monthly magazine Ideas and Action Bulletin, issued in English, French and Spanish, with reports on development initiatives and reflections on strategies. Attractively illustrated, this Bulletin covers the issue of women and development regularly. Some articles of particular interest are: "Women and Development The Need for a Really Innovative Approach," no. 112, 1976/5, by Monica Fong; "Women in Development: A Caribbean Perspective," by Peggy Antrobus, no. 130,1979/ 4; "Where are all the Women Now? An Evaluation of a Project List," by Sue Tuckwell, no. 131, 1979/5; "Integration of Women into Development What Does it Really Mean?," by Mary Roodkowsky, no. 137,1980/5; "Training Change Agents in Asia," no. 140, 1981/2; and "The Role and Training of Development Activists," by Kamla Bhasin, Vasant Palshikar and Lakshmi Rao,no. 142,1981/4.
The FFHC/AD regional office in New Delhi has produced some excellent materials on training and on change agents in Asia which show a clear understanding and perspective on women's needs for self-determination, organization and mobilization. These include the booklets Participatory Training for Development and Breaking Barriers by Kamla Bhasin and the book Readings on Poverty, Politics and Development edited by Kamla Bhasin and Vimala R. This collection examines the roots of people's problems in Asia through relating experiences and through analysis by people working directly in the field. It is a highly readable and very valuable book.
The International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade
c/o UNDP Division of Information, 1 United Nations Plaza, New York,New York 10017, USA.
In 1977 the United Nations Water Conference in Mar del Plata, Argentina, designated the period 1981-1990 as the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. Several organizations of the United Nations development system have formed a "Steering Committee for Co-operative Action," chaired by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to coordinate the Decade work. It is estimated that US$ 30,000 million will be spent annually for water supply and sanitation related development projects.
The UNDP's information kit on the decade contains the Decade Dossier outlining the dimensions of the need and the Decade strategies for action, four case histories on water/ sanitation activities, a Decade Action Guide with suggestions and examples of specific activities for various Decade participants, a listing of further information materials available. Despite an article on women and a clear awareness of water supply as women's work, most examples of training and the use of appropriate technology refer to men. The material could have been improved by more emphasis and illustration of women's need for this training as well as for decision making power in the management of water supplies.
One of the best analyses of this problem is a paper presented by Noracy de Souza at the Mar del Plata Conference on Water, Water, Women and Development — Women as Water Carriers: a Case for Evaluating Technology Transfer to Rural Areas. After pointing out that, in rural areas, water supply could become the focal point of integrated rural development projects since it supports multisectoral developments in health, food production, land use, employment and education, the author shows that discussion on rural water supply and water technology oftentimes overlooks the needs of the peasant women and their relationship to the problems involved, even though women are traditionally the water carriers in their community. The lack of appropriate technology to alleviate women's burden directly affects the overall agricultural development. There is a case for water technology appropriate to women's needs.
The International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)
United Nations, New York, New York, 10017, USA and Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic.
First proposed at the 1975 Mexico Conference, INSTRAW is intended to become a clearinghouse for the collection, processing and dissemination of information on research, training and action programs regarding women all over the world, as well as a place where research and training related to societal problems involving women can be conducted at an international level, particularly as regards the planning and implementation of programs for the advancement of women. INSTRAW became operational at the beginning of 1980. Its headquarters were temporarily housed in New York and moved to Santo Domingo in the course of 1982. As one of its first tasks INSTRAW prepared a survey of existing data and activities related to research on and training of women carried out within the United Nations system and in international, regional and national institutions on women. As a result of the first phase of the survey, two directories were published in 1980, on Research on Women and on Training for Women, both bearing the subtitle: An Inventory of United Nations Sponsored Activities. The documents focus on ongoing projects on women, conducted or funded by organizations of the United Nations system in the developing countries in the spheres of employment, health and education. The directory on research records 232 projects and the one on training 400.
Joint United Nations Information Committee (JUNIC) and United Nations Non-governmental Liaison Service (UNNGLS)
United Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
With a number of UN and non-governmental organizations the JUNIC and the NGLS are producing a series of kits on the theme of Women and Development. The first kit, published in September 1981 on Women and Disability was prepared by Eva Zabolai-Csekme. It examines a very neglected aspect of women and development: the situation and needs of disabled women. Inspired by the "firm conviction that a real change must be brought about on behalf of disabled women," this well-prepared and highly useful kit contains a series of papers on many aspects of the lives of disabled women, on causes of disabilities, on prevention and rehabilitation with suggestions for discussion and action. The kit also contains a listing of resources, both written and audio-visual and of organizations working on this issue. Other kits in the same format are Women, Health and Development; Women and Food; and Women and the North-South Dialogue.
The NGLS also provides a number of services and materials for non-governmental organizations. One useful publication is the United Nations Development Education Directory (1981) which lists all the United Nations system agencies, sources of development information and services with addresses, contact persons and a brief listing of services available and subject areas covered.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations, New York, New York 10017, USA and United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
UNICEF gives particular attention to the needs of infants and children in both development programs and in worldwide emergency measures. Over the years UNICEF has given increasing attention to women, particularly to mothers of children. It supports projects in the fields of health, education, agriculture, communications, information, public administration, water supply and community development, stressing the basic needs of rural areas and urban slums. It also actively undertakes development education in industrialized countries.
UNICEF produces two excellent and recommended publications: UNICEF News, a quarterly magazine and Assignment Children, "a multidisciplinary journal concerned with major social development issues, with particular reference to children, women and youth." Both regularly contain articles related to women and development. UNICEF News contains short, interesting articles dealing with particular problems in various countries of the world. These are well-illustrated overviews and introductions to the issues. Assignment Children gives more in-depth and analytical studies. Both are usually incisive and represent some of the more progressive thinking on women and development within the United Nations.
Both the headquarters and the regional and country offices of UNICEF are sources of reports, studies and background papers. Just two examples are: The Situation and Problems of Women and Children in South Central Asia by Andrea Menefee Singh (1979) with both description and statistics on demography, health, socio - economic factors, urbanization, employment, child labor and political participation. The author brings out issues of violence against women and why maternity laws oftentimes work against women. Mid-Decade Conference on Women - Bangladesh Perspective edited by Shamima Islam and Jowshan A. Rahman for the Women's Development Unit of UNICEF, Dacca, reports on the sharing of experiences about the conference in a post-conference seminar.
United Nations Decade for Women
United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017, USA. Advancement for Women Branch, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
As preparation for and as a result of the UN Decade for Women and the two international conferences on women in 1975 and 1980, the UN has produced a number of reports. These include the following: Meeting in Mexico is a booklet giving the background of the International Women's Year Conference in Mexico and reprinting the Declaration of Mexico on the Equality of Women and their Contribution to Development and Peace, as well as the World Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Women's Year. In addition, the booklet also has the Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Development adopted in 1974 by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Plan of Action adopted for the Region of the Economic Commission for Africa.
The World Plan and the regional plans of action including the June 1978 plan adopted for the region of the Economic Commission for Western Africa and the plan adopted in 1977 for the region of the Economic Commission for Latin America - are all reprinted in 1980 in a special booklet produced by the United Nations on the occasion of the Copenhagen Conference.
The Report of the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Copenhagen, 14 to 30 July 1980, contains the text of the Program of Action for the Second Half of the United Nations Decade for Women, the resolutions and decisions adopted by the conference, as well as background information about the conference itself: its origins, attendance and organization of work, summary of the general debate, the reports of subsidiary bodies and action taken on these reports by the Conference, a list of official documents, national reports, background papers, and submissions by non-governmental organizations.
The background papers and documents are far too numerous to list, but are well worth looking at. They range from evaluations of the situation of women in various countries and regions of the world to the examination of the role of women in liberation struggles, the effects of apartheid on women, women and the media and reports from the various UN agencies. The document on Recommendations Relating to Women and Development Emerging from Conferences Held Under the Auspices of the United Nations or the Specialized Agencies is a good summary of UN conferences from 1974 to 1979 and how they have dealt with or failed to deal with women and issues of particular concern to women.
A brief but interesting publication is Women Helping Women (1980), a booklet which describes a number of projects for women throughout the world, designed to help achieve the goals of the Decade.
In January 1982, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution to carry out a world survey on the Role of Women in Development. It was also decided that the coordination and preparation for the 1985 UN Conference to mark the end of the Women's Decade would be carried out in Vienna at the Advancement for Women Branch of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs. This Centre should also coordinate the implementation of Decade plans and activities.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
1 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017, USA
The UNDP Background Brief Global-1, entitled 'The United Nations Development Programme and Women in Development," gives an overview of this agency's programs, activities and publications in the area of women and development. The UNDP has produced a number of useful resources on women. The report on Rural Women's Participation in Development is the result of a study carried out with other UN agencies to assess past development programs. It was published in 1980. Other studies include Building New Knowledge Through Technical Co-operation Among Developing Countries, the experience of the Association of African Women for Research and Development (AAWORD), 1980 and Promoting and Accelerating Women's Participation in the Caribbean Through TCDC, the experience of the Women and Development Unit (WAND) of the University of the West Indies, 1981. An early booklet Integration of Women in Development: Why, When, How by Ester Boserup and Christina Liljencrantz was published in 1975, while the 1981 National Household Survey Capability Programme explains UNDP's activities to improve the data base about households and women's contributions to them.
The 1977 Programme Guidelines on the Integration of Women in Development are intended to advise UNDP staff on the participation of women in development programs. Informational publications include the Development Issue Papers, nos. 12, 13 and 16 on "Women and the New International Economic Order," 1980, "Women and Technical Co-operation Among Developing Countries," 1980 and "Northern Women and the New International Economic Order," 1981.
The UNDP has also produced a number of audio visuals under the title of Women in Development — Courses for Action in 1975, consisting of slide tape programs with discussion guides on "Overview: Development and Women," "Small Technology: New Tools for Women," and a number of case studies. Two 16 mm color films are also available: Outside GNP (9 minutes) and Into the Mainstream (26 minutes). These cost US$ 60 and $150 respectively; the slide tape programs cost $ 40, while the publications are free.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
7 Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris, France.
UNESCO aims to promote cooperation among nations in the fields of education, science and culture. Its main activities are in the fields of literacy programs, education levels and human rights education. Subjects related to UNESCO's work range from communication and informatics to earth sciences, environment, the new international economic order, the new world information and communication order and population. Women are also listed as a priority item in UNESCO's work. UNESCO's programs are implemented through its national commissions. There are also regional and specialized offices.
Like all UN bodies, the quality and usefulness of its resources vary greatly. On the negative side, one example is a film entitled More Than Fair which is supposed to show the increasing opportunities opening up for women and to promote the advancement of women. Unfortunately, it gives a very superficial and often stereotyped view of women, is patronizing in tone, and fails to deal adequately with the issues. Much more useful are UNESCO's numerous surveys and statistical studies about women and education in the various countries of the world.
UNESCO has also done a great deal of useful work in the area of women, media and communication. It has produced a number of very valuable surveys of women's image and participation in the media, some of which are reviewed in the Education and Communication section of this Guide. It has also supported efforts to improve the image and coverage of women in the mass media through such things as the Women's Feature Service in Latin America and several conferences.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya.
UNEP was established because of the growing concern about the environment and the growing awareness of the relationship of the environment and development. It deals with issues which are of vital concern to everyone and which have a.direct impact on women food producers in rural areas. It spells out these issues in a very brief Environmental Brief 4/80.It has also produced several other small pamphlets on women and water, environment, work and health.
United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA)
485 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017, USA
UNFPA started operations in 1969 as a service of the UN for population activities. It publishes a monthly newsletter Population, a quarterly journal Populi and a yearly Report. The Health chapter of this Guide points out the complexity of the issues of population and the criticism which feminists especially direct at some of the population policies promoted by the UN and other development agencies. In recent years the UNFPA has placed more emphasis on the need to place population programs within overall development plans of a country and to relate these to areas such as health, education, rural development, income generation, the status of women and communication.
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
United Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.
UNRISD is the only organization within the UN system with an explicit mandate to conduct research on social development, with a view to identifying the causes .of poverty and the mechanisms that perpetuate it and to helping the poor and powerless participate in the development process and benefit from its results.
UNRISD has a program on people's participation which has resulted in a number of debates on the theory and practice of participation, published in a series of occasional papers. These papers also include a number of case studies. Most of the debaters are male and only a small amount of attention has been focused on the specific issues which affect women's participation in development. One article about this was included in Dialogue about Participation 2 (April 1982): "Women and Popular Participation: Ideas for Research and Debate" by Elizabeth Jelin. It is to be hoped that this will receive more attention in the future.
The Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women
1 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017, USA.
The Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women was created by the UN General Assembly, following the International Women's Year, 1975. It is intended to provide supplementary financial and technical support, particularly to the least developed, land-locked and island countries which have limited financial resources for carrying out their national plans and programs for the advancement of women and the World and Regional Plans of Action concerning women and development. Unfortunately, only relatively small amounts of money have been given to this fund, indicating a general low priority given to women by many members of the United Nations.
Resource materials from other United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) are listed in the resources of other sections of this Guide.
resource centers
American Council of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign Servie, Inc. (ACVAFS)
200 Par Avenue South New York, New York1003, USA
The ACVAFS is a confederation of 44 member agencies established to assure the maximum effectiveness of the overseas programs of American Voluntary Agencies. During International Women's Year in 1975, a Subcommittee on Women and Development was established. One of its tasks was to produce Criteria for Evaluation of Development Projects Involving Women which has been published in booklet form. This checklist points out the importance of women being involved in planning and decision making throughout the various phases of a project. It is a very good beginning, but could be improved. It does not, for instance, raise any basic questions about the goals or models of development.
The ACVAFS has a very useful information service which provides directories, bibliographies, publications lists and data, mainly for US organizations involved in development work. These represent a very wide range of perspectives on development policies and action. This is carried out through The Technical Assistance Information Clearing House (TAICH), a "center of information on the socio-economic development programs abroad of US non-profit organizations, including voluntary agencies, church missions and foundations. Through publications and the maintenance of an inquiry service, TAICH responds to the need for current information about development assistance with particular reference to the resources and concerns of the private, non-profit sector." TAICH operates with support from the US government.
TAICH publications include: US Non-Profit Organizations in Development Assistance Abroad. This directory provides profiles of 456 US non-profit organizations which operate or support development assistance programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific. The 525 page directory includes voluntary agencies, church missions, foundations, professional associations, membership organizations, and affiliates and branches of the business, labor and cooperative sectors. Profile entries give agency history and structure, executive staff, objectives, a brief description of agency programs, countries of assistance, financial and personnel data and publications. Price: USS 6.
TAICH prepares a series of Country Reports which provide information on the development programs of US non-profit organizations; TAICH News, a newsletter issued four times a year, with short news on development projects and new resources; TAICH Acquisitions List, a bi-weekly annotated list of publications received at the clearing house; TAICH Serials Holding List, a listing of serial titles received by TAICH, publishers, addresses, frequency, price and subject index included; Women - A Bibliography, an annotated listing of materials on women in the TAICH library.
Except for the directory, all of the TAICH materials are free of charge.
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) International Division
1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, USA
The International Division of the AFSC carries out a large number of programs and development projects in several regions of the world, many of which are particularly concerned with women. Its Women and Development Program in Africa has developed several economically successful income generating projects for women in the area of soap making, cloth dyeing and rug weaving. It gives particular attention to developing cooperatives and local women managers as well as to training women in improved techniques. Soap making, for instance, has been a traditionally women's occupation but it has often been men who are trained in new techniques. The AFSC Women and Development Program gives this training to women so that they can keep control over a trade and a product which is in great demand on the local market. The Women and Development Program in based in Mali and Guinea Bissau, but the AFSC also has women's projects in Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Further information may be obtained from the International Division. The American Friends Service Committee also has a Nationwide Women's Program and coordinates the Women and Global Corporations Network, both of which are extremely useful resource centers and communications networks. They are described in the resource listing of the Multinational section of this Guide.
Asian Students Association (ASA)
511 Nathan Road, 1/F, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Established in 1969 with membership from 17 countries, the ASA sees itself as part of the people's movement in Asia and takes a strong anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist and antiracist stand. Its Women's Commission, set up in 1975, is currently chaired by the League of Filipino Students (LFS). It promotes the emancipation of women and encourages the formation of national women's groups. The Commission grew out of the ASA-organized workshop on "The Role of Women in the Third World" held in Thailand. The Report of the workshop, reprinted in 1982, affirms that the liberation of women is part of the general struggle for national liberation, while acknowledging the special oppression of women. It calls for a united struggle of men and women for both national and women's liberation. A second workshop was held in the Philippines in 1982 on the "Role and Rights of Young Women in Developing Asia," focusing especially on students, workers in manufacturing industries, and prostitution tourism. The Women's Commission is engaged in an ongoing study of these areas and expects to publish the results in 1983. ASA publishes a bi-monthly Asian Students News with regular information about women's struggles in Asia. Subscription: USS 10 per year.
Asian Women's Institute
International Office, c/o Association of Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore-3, Pakistan
In addition to its activities in the field of education and women's studies mentioned in the Education section of this Guide, the Asian Women's Institute is engaged in rural development projects for women. These projects generally emphasize the importance of consciousness raising and the achievement of dignity as well as economic growth and show an understanding of the real felt needs of rural women. More information may be obtained from the Institute.
Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW)
50 Warwick Square, Victoria, London SWIV 2AJ, England
Established in the 1930s, ACWW has a membership of 8.5 million country women and homemakers in 70 countries in the world. With consultative status with several United Nations agencies, ACWW participates in many UN activities and speaks for rural women at the UN. Its international, national and local structures are involved in a wide variety of development projects. While much emphasis is given to improving traditional homemaking skills, attention is also given to agricultural training and income generation. The quarterly newsletter The Countrywoman reports on members' activities and UN activities of particular interest to women. It stresses the need for equality, but does not have a pronounced feminist perspective.
Association of African Women for Research and Development (AAWORD)
B.P. 11007, CD Annexe, Dakar, Senegal
AAWORD was created by a group of African womens researchers who felt the need to organize themselves in order to meet, share experiences and discuss priorities and methods of research. AAWORD sees the need for research carried out by Africans themselves, which is not solely theoretical, but related to women's practical needs and problems. The Association also emphasizes the importance of communication and networking. It calls for the recognition of the large amount of work women are already doing in rural areas and for the development of policies and programs which will work for the elimination of all types of exploitation and oppression of women. This requires the direct participation of the local women themselves. The guidelines and priorities for research were drawn up in a meeting held in Dakar in 1977 entitled "African Women and the Decolonization of Research." Since then, AAWORD has organized or assisted in the organization of many conferences, workshops and seminars. These include a seminar on "Women and Rural Development in Africa" organized by the International Labour Organisation in 1981 in collaboration with AAWORD which prepared most of the papers. Another seminar was on the theme "Another Development with Women" and was held in June 1982 .
AAWORD is making an extremely valuable contribution to analyzing and understanding the basic issues of women in the process of development. It brings a feminist perspective to its work and stresses the need to relate theory and practice.
Associazione Italiana Donne per lo Sviluppo (AIDoS)
Piazza Capranica 9 5, interno 4,00186 Rome, Italy.
Founded in late 1981, AlDoS, or the Italian Association for Women in Development, is a non-governmental organization which aims to raise the consciousness of the Italian public on the role of women in the development process through meetings, seminars and conferences with the participation of third world women's groups. It also attempts to influence the aid policies of the Italian government to channel funds to projects initiated and implemented by women. It has a documentation and resource center.
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC)
66, Mohakhali Commercial Area, Dacca 12, Bangladesh
A non-profit, private organization of Bengalis engaged in development work, BRAC initiated the Jamalpur Women's Program in 1976 on the request of a group of women who would plan, manage and implement the program.The program reaches hundreds of some of the poorest women in the area. The program centers around functional education of women; i.e. education which is immediately useful to them, including literacy, cultural awareness, health and skills training. The program has established a number of cooperatives in the areas of food production, silkworm farming, weaving and fishing. Emphasis is on training the women to manage the cooperatives themselves. BRAC regularly reports on the Women's Program in its mimeographed newsletter. Information and slides of the program are also available from Oxfam America, 302 Columbus Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, USA, which funds the program and considers it as a potential model for projects aiming to promote both economic independence and self determination for women.
Centre for Development Research
9 Ny Kongensgade, 1472 Copenhagen K, Denmark
A number of women researchers in this centre have been carrying out studies on development projects and policies in the third world from a feminist perspective. Their research covers areas and aspects which have usually been neglected by development agencies and policy makers, including the impact of projects on women, women's roles and unpaid work, women's organizations and differences within households between men and women. One of the purposes of the research is to influence Danish development policy makers and funders.
Centre for Women's Development Studies
B43,Panchsheel Enclave,New Delhi 110017,India.
Established in 1980, the Centre undertakes research on women and development; provides training and consultancy services in this area; assists action programs for women's development, particularly among disadvantaged women; is developing a clearinghouse of information and ideas; promotes publication and communication activities. It was founded by women active in women and development issues who felt a need for a new perspective in this area, which takes into consideration the factors within the development process itself that have led to the deterioration of women's situation and which recognizes the already considerable contribution women are making. It is making a highly valuable contribution to analyzing the root causes of women's oppression and to understanding women's real needs for self determination and development.
Centro de Estudios de la Mujer
Olleros 2554 P.B., Buenos Aires 1426, Argentina
This women's studies center conducts research, collects documentation, teaches courses and organizes meetings on women. It promotes interdisciplinary exchange on women's issues.
This women's studies center conducts research, collects documentation, teaches courses and organizes meetings on women. It promotes interdisciplinary exchange on women's issues.
Centro de la Mujer Peruana "Flora Tristan"
Jiron Quilca 431, Lima 100, Peru.
Founded in 1973, this women's center carries out research and action, from a feminist perspective, on concerns of rural and urban poor women. It has a number of publications for use in this work. The center also organizes meetings and is a source of information and contact with feminist groups and organizations in Peru.
CIDHAL (Comunicacion, Intercambio y Desarrollo Humane en America Latina)
Apartado Postal 579, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
A documentation and action center for Latin American women, CIDHAL has a large collection of materials. In addition to providing information and producing publications, the center organizes meetings and study groups. It focuses especially on rural and working class women. The center brings a feminist perspective to its work.
Clearinghouse on Development Communication
1414 22nd Street NW, Washington,DC 20037, USA
An information center on the application of communications technology to development problems, the Centre publishes a quarterly Development Communications Report with articles, book reviews and news. The Report covers everything from the use of simple technologies and techniques to telecommunications. It also gives information about the development and use of computerized data bases. It is a very good source of information on an important area of development issues. Subscriptions are free to readers in the developing world.
Consultants in Development,
2130 P Street NW, Suite 803, Washington DC 20037, USA
An agency dedicated to promoting the distribution of ideas and techniques in the development field. Consultants in Development offers assistance to small industry development. They also offer a wide range of publications. Among these is "Can Technology Help Women Feed Their Families?" by Maryanne Dulansey, revised in June 1979, an article presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Workshops on Women and Development. Giving different examples taken from field observation, the author stresses the need to recover many indigenous technologies. A publications list is available.
Co-operative College
P.O. Box 474, Moshi, Tanzania
Members of the Co-operative College in Moshi have been involved in studying and carrying out development projects with women, especially cooperative activities. The experiences gained here could well be useful for others interested in cooperatives for women. An interesting example is the Kilimanjaro Quick Service Cooperative Society, Ltd. set up by women to provide a number of services and products. Apart from lack of capital for investment, the cooperative ran into marketing problems which led the members to undertake more thorough investigation of the market and to select products which would not have great competition from others in the local market.
Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA)
B.P. 3304, Dakar, Senegal
Created in 1973, CODESRIA's "main objective is to activate concerned African social scientists and research institutes to undertake fundamental as well as problem oriented research from a perspective which is more relevant to the needs of the African people and thus challenging the existing orthodox development theories which have often led many African countries to stagnation and under-development." Its activities include the building of networks among African researchers and institutes, the dissemination of information through the journal Africa Development, books and papers, directories and the bi-monthly newsletter Africana, and through conferences and seminars. One of the 22 priority research themes identified is Women and Development in Africa. Up until now, not a great deal has been done on this area.
Development Education Centre (DEC)
121 Avenue Road, Toronto, Canada M5R 2G3.
An independent resource center offering alternative educational perspectives on Canada, the third world and contemporary issues, DEC maintains a library and distribution service. Its annual Literature List covers women.
Development Studies and Research Centre
University of Khartoum, P.O. Box 321, Khartoum, Sudan
Patterns of Family Living: A Case Study of Two Villages on the Rahad River by Ellen Gruenbaum (1979) looks at women's work and the division of labor in the family in these two Sudanese villages. While it is mainly descriptive, it attempts to correct the bias of most studies of women's work which neglect to calculate the subsistence and domestic labor activities of women.
The University's Institute of Environmental Studies has published a collection of research papers on Women and the Environment, edited by Diane Baxter, which were presented at a workshop in April 1981. These contributions from both Sudanese and expatriates cover the issues of Women and the Social Environment, Water and the Environment, Women and the Living Environment, and Women and Food. They range from a practical study on the use of charcoal stoves to criticism of development policies in relation to women and appropriate technology. A review of this collection in the February 1982 issue of Sudanow points out a weakness of the conclusions: "Grandiose schemes for the enhancement of the environment, the improvement of women's lot and the rescue of the economy are suggested and inevitably followed by the passive 'should be done, noticed, changed'." But who should be doing the noticing and changing? Nevertheless, the papers make many important points and are a very important contribution to the discussion.
Environment Liaison Centre (ELC)
P.O. Box 72461, Nairobi, Kenya.
Established in 1974, the ELC is composed of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) concerned about the environment and human settlements. It maintains communications links with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT). Its quarterly publication ECOFORUM provides a place for groups working on environmental issues to share views and experiences, on subjects such as pesticides and high-yielding varieties of seeds, dumping of hazardous products in the third world, multinational promotion of infant formula, use of hazardous contraceptives in population control programs, water sources, and appropriate technology.
The ELC has a very useful information system containing data on organizations with environmental activities. From this information, the ELC compiles directories and answers information requests. It has a manual file of 4,000 NGOs around the world and a computer file summarizing the information of 3,000 of these. In addition, it has smaller files on research and educational institutes and on government and UN organizations. An example of one of EEC's directories is the Report and Directory on Organizations in Developing Countries Working on Renewable Energy, produced in May 1981. After clearly setting out and summarizing the main areas and the issues involved, the directory provides an annotated listing of almost 300 groups and organizations in 75 third world countries. The ELC is a very useful source of information on action-oriented NGOs, of which at least some seem to be aware that "people" includes women.
European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI)
c/o Development Research Institute, Postbus 90153, 5037 GC Tilburg, Netherlands.
Created in 1975, EADI aims to promote exchange among European scholars concerned with development issues and exchange between European development research and its counterparts in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Among its working groups is that on Women and Development which promotes exchange of ideas among its members and debate on policy issues through meetings and publications. The group has been working on two major themes: 1) The implications of development processes which neglect the actual input as well as the potential of women and which maintain discriminatory situations. 2) The role of social scientists in researching those aspects of development processes which are unfavorable to women. The group has also been working on a collective publication in French, "Femmes et developpement ou les metamorphoses d'un developpement masculin" (Women and Development or the Metamorphoses of a Male-centered Development).
Feminist Resource Centre (FRD)
13 Carol Mansion, 35 Sitladevi Temple Road, Mahim, Bombay 400016, India
This Feminist Resource Centre carries out action-oriented research from a feminist perspective on many issues, including health and contraception, population policies, violence against women, women's paid and unpaid work. The Centre has a collection of documentation and organizes and participates in workshops and conferences. It emphasizes many of the issues which have been ignored by mainstream development research groups and makes clear links between development and the issues which affect women in particular. An excellent resource.
Fundacao Carlos Chagas
Avenida Prof. Francisco Morato 1565, 05513 Sao Paulo SP, Brazil.
This foundation's women's program carries out a wide range of research on women. Many of the researchers bring a feminist perspective and analysis to their work.
Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)
IIPA Hostel, Indraprastha Estate, Ring Road, New Delhi 110002, India.
The Women's Studies Programme of the ICSSR, begun in 1976, carries out research on a wide range of subjects, including women's employment in urban and rural areas, wage structures, migration, the division of labor, the impact of the green revolution and the links between clase inequality and sexual inequality. The ICSSR's unit on Women's Studies has also organized workshops and symposia on women and development. In addition it assists other organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, in preparing research and seminars.
Indian Social Institute (ISI)
Programme for Women's Development, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003, India.
The Programme for Women's Development of the ISI aims to increase the participation of women at different levels in the development process through training courses for women community organizers, on-the-spot consultation, promoting programs for women, studies of disadvantaged women and the publication of articles and books. Among its useful publications are Non-Formal Education for Women — The Grihini Training Programme, reviewed in the Communication and Education section of this Guide and Towards Self-Reliance, edited by Jessie Tellis-Nayak and Selena Costa-Pinto, in 1979. The result of materials gathered for a workshop for Organisers of Income Generating Programmes for Women, this 101 page book raises a number of critical questions about the theory and policies behind income generating projects. Examining these in the larger context of women's economic situation and lives, it suggests that income generation alone will not bring about dignity and self-reliance. This must be accompanied by other political, economic and social changes. A large part of the book is devoted to case studies which evaluate the achievements and problems of various projects from the economic, management and social development point of view. The ISI has also produced a paper by Jessie Tellis-Nayak on Innovative Strategies for Motivating and Organizing Rural Women for Development (1979).
Institut Africain Pour Le D^veloppement Economique et Social - Centre Africain de Formation (INADES FORMATION)
08 B.P. 8, Abidjan 08, Ivory Coast
INADES-Formation is an African information and training center on development working in 17 countries of Africa. Headquartered in the Ivory Coast, it has national offices in Burundi, Cameroun, Ethiopia, Upper Volta, Rwanda, Togo and Zaire and representatives in Kenya and Chad. INADES Formation offers a number of services and publications, including a correspondence course for farmers and trainers, written in simple French; an introductory correspondence course on development, particularly in Africa, for those who have completed secondary education; and training courses for farmers and rural development workers. Agripromo is a quarterly journal for farmers and rural development workers, written in simple French and presented in a very readable and attractive format with photographs, drawings and comics. Each issue deals with a particular area such as rural cooperatives, water use, nutrition, finance, commerce of agricultural products, literacy, soil conservation, handicrafts and credit unions. Recognition and attention is given to the work of rural women and a special issue deals with women's work (no. 27, 1979). Each theme is dealt with on both the theoretical and practical level. The issue on women's work points out that a great amount of the work that women do is not considered "work."
Other publications include two booklets on L'Eau et La Sante which give practical advice on how to protect the family from water borne diseases and on how to protect water sources. INADES-Formation has also produced a series entitled Femmes des Villages, Aujourd'hui comprising nine booklets covering a range of subjects from water to meal preparation, cKild birth, family life, children, and farming. As with the other publications, these are written in simple French, with many illustrations. They also include questions for reflection and discussion.
Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
University of Sussex, Brighton BNl 9RE, England
Since 1975 IDS has focused attention on women and development through an ongoing program of study, research, workshops, seminars and publications. These have been carried out from a feminist perspective with particular attention to the subordination of women in the development process, the double oppression of women in production and reproduction and the division of labour between classes and sexes. The women who have participated in this program come from all over the world and have produced a great deal of extremely valuable material on both the theoretical and practical levels.
Two issues of the IDS Bulletin report the results of some of this work: the "Special Issue on the Continuing Subordination of Women in the Development Process" in vol. 10 no. 3, April 1979 and "Women and the Informal Sector" in vol. 12 no. 3, July 1981 are particularly interesting and useful. In addition to the bibliographies Women in Social Production and Women Workers in Export-Oriented Industries in Southeast Asia listed under the resources in the Multinational section of the Guide, the program has also produced a bibliography on Women Workers in Tourism in Southeast Asia by Shireen Samarasuriya. Like the others it is well-annotated. Another recommended publication is a pamphlet on Women's Emancipation Under Socialism: A Model for the Third World? by Maxine D. Molyneux (January 1981), which documents some of the policies of socialist states that are responsible for the continuing inequalities between the sexes. An extremely valuable contribution towards developing a feminist perspective on development is the book Of Marriage and the Market (1981), based on work done at the Institute. It is reviewed under books.
Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur (IDS (J))
C-13, Moti Marg, Bapu Nagar, Jaipur 302004,'India.
Established in 1981, this institute intends to develop library and documentation services on development studies. It has produced Development: A Select Bibliography with 750 entries and has a quarterly Library Bulletin listing materials, especially non-books, added to the library. Many of these are by Indian authors and there are some entries specifically on women.
Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
5 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi 2, India
The ISS in India, founded in 1964, is a voluntary, non-profit research organization. Since 1975 it has concentrated on the areas of women's employment, women's integration in development and the strengthening of women's organizations. The ISS disseminates its findings through participation in national and international forums and through the publication of books, papers, and articles in journals and newspapers. Many of its papers have been published by other organizations such as the ILO and United Nations agencies. The ISS studies are particularly useful and valuable because they incorporate an acute awareness of the importance of the differences within households (division of labor, income, benefits, etc.) as well as between households. They also point out the role played by attitudes towards women and the importance of women organizing themselves. Some interesting studies ell as between households. They also point out the role played by attitudes towards women and the importance of women organizing themselves. Some interesting studies include: Women's Quest for Power - 5 Case Studies, which examines some attempts at organizing women workers in India (1979); A Case Study on the Modernization of the Traditional Handloom Weaving Industry in the Kashmir Valley (1979); The Importance of Age and Sex Specific Data Collection in Household Surveys (1980). The latter is*a study of four projects involving the employment of women in rural areas of India. It emphasizes the impact and implications of these projects on women's lives and suggests changes which should be made in order to avoid detrimental effects. It also attempts to show how and where research can have an impact on decision makers and development planners and thus enhance the quality of women's lives. The paper includes a list of research papers on women and work in India and other Asian countries. A complete publications list is available from the ISS.
Institute of Social Studies (ISS) Women's Studies Programme
Badhuisweg 251, 2597 JR The Hague, Netherlands
A feminist perspective and a concern for not separating theory and practice, academic study and activism, characterizes the Women's Studies Programme on Women and Development of the ISS. The program grew out of a Workshop on Women and Development held at the Institute in 1977. Its participants include women from every continent. The program is making a very valuable contribution not only to breaking down the contradictions between women's studies and women's struggles but also between feminism and development issues. It has also contributed to the understanding of the intertwining of oppression based on sex, class and race. Among the program's very useful publications are Women and Development: A Bibliography (1980) by Ettie Baas, a partially annotated listing of materials available at the ISS, published since 1970. Earlier editions include pre-1970 publications. The ISS Occasional Series Papers, include Towards a Methodology of Women's Studies (1979) by Maria Mies, a very important analysis of the need for a feminist methodology and approach to research. After examining the theoretical and methodological shortcomings of established "scientific" research, the author gives some methodological guidelines for women's studies.
Feminism in Europe: Liberal and Socialist Strategies 17891919 (1981) by Maria Mies and Kumari Jayawardena with a bibliography by Ettie Baas is a 208 page book of lectures given for the purpose of making the history of the feminist movement in Europe more widely known and placing the contemporary movement in an historical perspective
As the result of a 1980 seminar on Women's Struggles and Research, the Women's Programme has produced two collections of theoretical papers and testimonies of struggle, edited by Maria Mies and Rhoda Reddock, on the themes of National Liberation and Women's Liberation and Fighting on Two Fronts: Women's Struggles and Research. The seminar examined and attempted to overcome the separation between the women's movement and struggles and women's studies programs, the gap between North American and European women and third world women researchers and activists, the contradictions between the aims of women's emancipation and research methodologies. The seminar also contributed to building a theory of human oppression which deals adequately with the oppression of women on an international basis. Not meant to be the final answer, these books offer important insights and are invaluable contributions towards making the connections between feminism and development.
International Center for Public Enterprises in Developing Countries (ICPE)
Titova 104, 61109 Ljubljana, Yugoslavia
An inter-governmental organization of developing countries concerned with the management of public enterprises, the ICPE concentrates on issues of training, workers' participation in management, and related areas. It also undertakes studies on women and public enterprises. Among its publications is Women and Development: A Selected Annotated Bibliography (1980) which is primarily a listing of United Nations documents and resolutions about women. Women as a Factor of Development and the Responsibilities of Public Enterprises in This Regard is a report of an International Expert Group Meeting held in Yugoslavia in 1980. While the participants' views vary, much emphasis is given to increasing women's employment and to education and training for women. Some mention is made of the need to socialize certain household and family duties and some criticism is leveled at the "feminist-activist" approach to women's problems. In general more weight is given to unjust social and economic structures at the national and international level as the cause of women's oppression than to sexist discrimination.
International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)
1010 16th Street NW Washington, DC 20036, USA.
Women, the ICRW was established in 1976 "to institutionalize the growing interest in research on the impact of development on women." It aims to collect and disseminate current research on women, especially as related to development and to encourage improved research on the impact of development on women. It has organized a number of workshops, conferences and meetings and maintains a library of research on women and development.
International Coalition for Development Action (ICDA)
22 rue Bollandistes, B-1040, Brussels, Belgium.
Founded in 1975, ICDA is a network of development-oriented groups in 18 industrialized countries which campaigns for a "more socially equitable and efficient international economic system" through development education and lobbying for changes in the government policies of the North. ICDA monitors United Nations conferences and negotiations on the New International Economic Order (NIEO) and has carried out a variety of campaigns around the issues of transnationals, seeds and genetic diversity, and others affecting North/South relationships. It produces resource materials for use by nongovernmental organizations in these campaigns. A particularly useful publication is Crisis Decade: The World in the Eighties (1980), a 52 page booklet with a clear overview of the major development issues of the first two Development Decades and strategies for the future. Price: USS 1.25. As a whole, ICDA has not made women and development issues a priority, although some members have brought feminist perspectives to some of the campaigns.
International Foundation for Development Alternatives (IFDA)
2, Place du Marche, CH-1260 Nyon, Switzerland
Established in 1976, IFDA is an organization committed to promoting "another development and to genuine international cooperation." It promotes dialogue among policy makers, action-oriented researchers and communicators on how to attain these goals. Emphasis is on the need for basic restructuring of international relationships, on self-reliant, indigenous and ecologically sustainable development which is people-centered and involves the whole political, economic and cultural process. One of its main vehicles for this dialogue is the bi-monthly IFDA Dossier with contributions from progressive researchers from all over the world. This has included some good contributions from and about women such as a series of articles reflecting on the Copenhagen conference of the L)N Decade for Women (January/February 1981); and "L'Emploi des femmes dans une perspective de changements sociaux et de liberation des femmes: le cas de I'Afrique" by Marie-Angelique Savane (September/October 1981). Taking the situation of women in Africa, the author examines how women's employment is conditioned by roles assigned them and concludes that their liberation depends on changing both structures of production and patriarchal structures.
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland.
The ILO has a number of excellent and highly useful programs, publications and studies on women workers, and is a valuable source of data and information on the work women do around the world. Many of the studies take a critical look at attempts to integrate women into development and a number bring a feminist analysis and perspective to the issues. The ILO produces a journal Women Workers twice a year, with articles, statistics and news about women's employment and labor legislation affecting women both internationally and in various countries. It contains good bibliographies about women and work. In 1980, the ILO submitted a report to the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women on the Measures Taken to Implement the Programme of the UN Decade for Women reviewing ILO's activities for women workers in the fields of international standard-setting; research and studies; information and communication; and meetings and seminars. After evaluating the impact of these, the report outlines ILO policies for the second half of the Decade.
The ILO also focuses specifically on rural women. In 1978 the World Employment Programme of the ILO organized a meeting of consultants to define the most pressing areas of research, policy and action on the issue of women and rural development. The participants looked at modes of production, agrarian structures and women's work; sex roles and the division of labor in rural economies; and the effects of the penetration of the market on rural women. Abstracts of the papers presented at this meeting are contained in the booklet Women in Rural Development: Critical Issues (1981).
The Programme on Rural Women was established after recommendations to the ILO in 1979. This Programme carries out studies, workshops and seminars and gives technical assistance to women's projects. The booklet Women Workers in Rural Development by Zubeida M. Ahmad and Martha F. Loutfi (May 1982) describes the program and the studies which have been completed and which are currently being carried out. It also lists the books, articles, papers and reports of workshops and seminars which are available from the ILO. Among the many very interesting publications are: Rural Women: Unequal Partners in Development by Martha F. Loutfi (1980), an 81 page review of women's paid and unpaid work in rural areas of developing countries. It shows why it is important to pay attention to rural women in particular and not just the rural poor in formulating development plans and policies. Rural Development and Women in Asia (1982) reports on the presentations and discussions of a 1981 seminar held in India on this subject. Similarly Rural Development and Women in Africa (1982) reports on a seminar held in Senegal in 1981 and Desarrollo Rural y La Mujer (1982) is the report of a Latin American seminar held in Peru in 1981. All of these raise and discuss the relationship of the exploitation of women as workers and as women. Other important issues discussed are the effects of development policies on women, the "putting out" system, and the participation and organization of women.
Housewives Produce for the World Market: The Lace Makers of Narsapur by Maria Mies is an ILO study published by Zed Press (1982). This detailed and excellent study shows how the green revolution has exacerbated the exploitation of secluded women who produce lace at home. The mechanisms at work here apply to other situations as well. Women and Development: The Sexual Division of Labour in Rural Societies edited by Lourdes Benen'a (1982) is another extremely valuable contribution to understanding the oppression of women and the steps which must be taken to overcome this.
International Women's Tribune Centre, Inc.
305 East 46th Street, New York, New York 10017, USA
The International Women's Tribune Centre began in 1976 as a follow-up to the International Women's Year Tribune held in Mexico City, 1975. Its purpose was to respond to the requests for information generated by the Tribune on development projects. United Nations activities and future plans. It has since developed a resource centre, a number of publications and audiovisual materials, and other services, aimed especially at women involved in development projects. The resource centre has a collection of materials on women and development, women's projects, United Nations materials and women's magazines, newsletters and reports. From this documentation the Centre can respond to requests for information and assist projects being undertaken in the regions with their project activities and with information in regard to fund raising. Close contact is maintained with ON activities and an effort is made to disseminate this information.
The Centre publishes a quarterly IWTC Newsletter in English and Spanish. Highly illustrated and simply written, this is not meant to give in-depth analyses of the issues, but to highlight some of the main issues affecting women and development as well as resources, projects and groups on issues such as food, credit, water and appropriate technology. The Centre has also produced a number of information kits, aimed mainly at women in developing countries. These kits contain a wealth of information on funding, how to write proposals, where to go for grants and technical assistance. They also contain listings of development and women's organizations.
APCWD Women's Resource Book 1979, produced in collaboration with the Asian and Pacific Centre for Women and Development (APCWD) of the United Nations. This contains a description of APCWD activities and materials; a directory of United Nations agencies, and governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in women and development issues in the region and various countries; information on fund raising with an annotated listing of funding agencies. Hard cover, three ring binder. Price: USS 6; free to groups in Asia/ Pacific. Movilizando La Mujer is a project development manual for women in Latin America with sections on identifying needs; project design; and resources, each with theoretical background and participatory group activities. Three ring binder, 300 pages, 1980. Price: USS 8; free to individuals and groups in Latin America.
Information Kit for Women in Africa, produced in collaboration with the African Training and Research Centre for Women (ATRCW) of the United Nations, this contains sections on funding assistance, with information on agencies and how to write a proposal; women's projects in Africa, with emphasis on income generation; ATRCW publications; and ATRCW activities. 288 pages, 1981. Available in English and French. Price: three ring binder, USS 8; paperback stapled, USS 6; free to individuals and groups in Africa from UNECA/ ATRCW. P.O. Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Caribbean Resource Kit for Women is a 304 page ring binder of information on the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean, on development projects for women, and sources of funding. It lists organizations, literature and audiovisuals on agricuUure, appropriate technology, education, health and small businesses. This kit was prepared with the Women and Development Unit of the University of the West Indies (WAND), and published in March 1982.
Women of the World Meet Together, a kit of materials describing some of the major activities and issues at the Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) Mid-Decade Forum and the World Conference of the UN Decade for Women in Copenhagen, July 1980. It includes 80 color slides, a 15-minute tape, 2 IWTC newsletters and the Newsletter of the World Conference Secretariat. Price: USS 50
ISIS - Women's International Information and Communication Service
Via Santa Maria dell'Anima 30, 00186 Rome, Italy. Tel: (06) 656 5842. P.O. Box 50 (Cornavin), 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland. Tel: (022) 33 67 46.
ISIS - Women's International Information and Communication Service Via Santa Maria dell'Anima 30, 00186 Rome, Italy. Tel: (06) 656 5842. P.O. Box 50 (Cornavin), 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland. Tel: (022) 33 67 46.
An international information and communication service by and for women, ISIS was created in 1974 in response to the need of women in many countries for an organization to facilitate global communication among women and to gather and distribute internationally materials and information by women and women's groups. ISIS promotes direct contact, networking and solidarity among women in both industrialized and third world countries. From the beginning, ISIS has focused especially on exchanging ideas and experiences from a holistic feminist perspective which examines the patriarchal as well as political, economic and social aspects of issues with which women are concerned. ISIS emphasizes the importance of women organizing and mobilizing ourselves in our local situations. Our contacts with women's groups extend to over ' 130 countries.
ISIS has a resource center with a wealth of materials - periodicals, books, pamphlets, papers, information about films, projects, and more - covering a wide range of areas, including health, media, work, education, technology, violence against women, women's organizations, feminist theory, food production. From this material, ISIS can respond to requests for information and provides a number of resource materials. These include:
Resource Guides: Bottle Babies: a guide to the baby food issue, in English and German (1976); The Spanish edition was updated and adapted for Latin America in 1981. Price: USS 5 surface; USS 8 airmail.
International Women and Health Resource Guide (1980), a joint project of ISIS and the Boston Women's Health Book Collective. This multi-lingual guide provides overviews and annotated resource listings of materials and groups working on health issues from a community and women-oriented perspective, from both developing and developed countries. Price: USS 5 surface; USS 8 airmail.
The present Resource Guide on Women in Development brings together overviews of the material and resource listings, critiqued from a feminist perspective.
The ISIS Women's International Bulletin appears quarterly in English and Spanish and brings together documentation on themes of particular concern to women, reflecting action and resources around the world. Among the issues covered are: health, migration, tourism and prostitution, mass media and communications, multinationals and technology, land and food production.
ISIS coordinates the International Feminist Network (IFN) which mobilizes rapid support and solidarity among women on an international scale when needed. ISIS also provides training and technical assistance in communication and information skills, and produces documentation packets and bibliographies. More information is available on request.
Kahayag: The Foundation for Development Support Communication
121 University Avenue, Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City, Philippines
Kahayag carries out a number of consciousness raising and action programs for people in its area on issues of health, consumer rights, energy and the environment, community organization and development. It has a special program aiming at consciousness raising among Muslim women about their own attitudes and those of the community which help or hinder their participation in development. The Foundation has produced and makes available written and audio-visual resources which raise critical questions about issues relating to development, such as the use of western medical systems, the removal of squatters, the imposition of imported consumer goods, nuclear power and so on. Resources are available in English, Tagalog and other languages of the Philippines. Kahayag's publication Musharwarah, in Tagalog and English, presents information in simple, well-illustrated, often comic-strip style about health, consumer issues, food production, improved simple technologies and methods as well as about women's struggles. A short article in the July 1982 issue raises questions which must be asked before introducing income generation projects if these are to be "a means of bettering the women's lives and not just one more drudgery for the already overburdened to bear."
Kvindemes U-landsudvalg (KULU) Women and Development
Kcobmagergade 67 1 tv., DK 1150 K Copenhagen, Denmark
KULU, the Women's Committee on Developing Countries, formed in 1976, is an umbrella organization of women's groups and organizations in Denmark who are concerned with the issues of women and development. With an explicit feminist perspective, KULU is engaged in informational and educational activities and is attempting to influence national policy on development assistance. It also gives direct support to women in developing countries. KULU is doing an excellent job in building solidarity between women in developing countries and Denmark and is contributing to building a feminist analysis of the root causes of women's oppression. It could well serve as a model for groups in other countries. Materials available from KULU include several slide tape shows, a bi-annual journal K.U.L.U. Bladet on women in developing countries, several papers and materials for study groups as well as posters showing women workers in various countries. A publications list is available.
Match
401-171 Nepean, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2P 0B5
Match was founded by women who attended the non-governmental Tribune in Mexico during the International Women's Year Conference in 1975. It aims to assist projects planned by third world women themselves, helps find co-financing of projects and matches skills, needs and resources in Canada and the third world.
Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation
P.O. Box 44412, Nairobi, Kenya.
A member of the National Council of Women of Kenya, this organization is involved in a great many development projects with rural women in the areas of water and fuel, income generation, vocational training in both homemaking and agricultural skills, and literacy. It produces a magazine The Voice of Women.
Minority Rights Group
36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NG, England.
An information and research organization working to secure justice for minority or majority groups suffering discrimination, the Minority Rights Group has published a number of reports specifically on women. These include: Arab Women (1976) in English and French; Female Circumcision, Excision and Infibulation: Facts and Proposals for Change (1980) in English, French, Arabic and Italian; and Women in Asia (1982) in English. Subscription: £ 5 for 5 issues. Price per issue: £ 1.20 plus postage.
National Council on Women and Development Ghana
P.O. Box M. 53, Accra, Ghana
A governmental organization, this council is an example of many which have been set up or revitalized in Africa since International Women's Year and which have a growing concern for women and development. It promotes the participation of women in national development and is directly involved in a wide range of projects for women. The Council has material available describing its work. A Report and Directory of National, Subregional and Regional Machineries for Women in Development in Africa, available from the African Training and Research Centre for Women of the United Nations (ATRCW), gives information and addresses of other governmental organizations for women in Africa See entry for ATRCW.
(OECD) Development Centre
94, rue Chardon Lagache, 75016 Paris, France. Publications office: 2, rue Andre-Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France
The OECD is an organization of industrialized countries, set up in 1960, to promote policies designed to "achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy..." The purpose of the Development Centre is to bring together knowledge and information from member countries in regard to policies of economic aid. It has a large number of publications available, many of them specialized and technical studies and journals on finance, economics, trade, oil and related subjects. It also has publications of more general interest and use, including a number of directories which can be very useful for those wishing to locate organizations located or working in various countries and regions. These directories include: Appropriate Technology Directory (see listing under appropriate technology resources); Directory of Food Policy Institutes; and Directory of Non-Governmental Organisations in OECD Member Countries Active in Development Co-operation, listing 1702 NGOs with a description of the nature, scope and geographic location of their activities. Published in 1981, this is a two volume, 1500 page work which costs USS 64. The Newsletter of the OECD Development Centre, published twice a year, brings information about its research programs, seminars, publications and information services. A catalogue of publications is available.
Women and development has not been a strong issue in the OECD, nor is the OECD noted for a feminist perspective. It has produced a book on Women in Development: At the Right Time for the Right Reasons by Winifred Weekes-Vagliani (1980), a statistical study of women in Malaysia, Fiji, Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic, which examines factors affecting and the implications of the marriage age of women. In the introduction to the book, the author states that "If women are to contribute to the development process, they must be encouraged to marry at the 'right' age for the 'right reasons'. Identifying the 'right' age and the 'right reasons' will be the major purposes of this study." Price: USS 13.50. Most publications are available in both English and French.
Oxfam
274 Banbury Road, Oxford 0X2 7DZ, England
Oxfam is an aid and development agency providing both emergency relief and funds for long term projects. It has shown great sensitivity to the complexity of political situations and human rights, including those of women. Project guidelines point out how projects may be detrimental to women if they do not take into consideration things such as women's present workload, the unequal distribution of income within families, the effects of cash crops on family food production and so on. The information office of Oxfam provides well-written project descriptions which are useful in that they usually point out mistakes and problems as well as successes. Some of Oxfam's publications include: The Role of Women in Rural Zaire and Upper Volta (1978) by David Mitchnik, which examines the implications of directing agricultural development schemes and training at men when women are the major food producers.
Oxfam Field Director's Handbook (1980). Cased in a strong ring binder, this 460 page handbook summarizes the objectives and strategies utilized by Oxfam field staff in assessing projects and provides advice based on project experience for the information of field staff, project holders and others. Throughout the handbook, there is a sensitivity to the needs of women and to the necessity to avoid detrimental effects on women in planning and implementing projects in agriculture, land reform, technology and health. There is also a special section on women's projects which explicitly spells out the particular problems of women and how these have often been worsened by development policies. A good bibliography of materials on women and development is included. The handbook also displays an awareness of social inequalities among groups and within communities and families and the danger of exacerbating these. Because of this, it is recommended as a positive example and resource. Price £ 10 plus 15",') postage.
Land for People: Land Tenure and the Very Poor by Claire Whittemore (1981). An excellent, clear and concise look at the political and economic structures and interests surrounding the issues of land and land reform, this booklet critically questions many of the theories about land and food put forward by development agencies. It argues for the need for basic structural change if agrarian reform is really to benefit those who work the land. This booklet would be still more useful if it had gone further and examined the patriarchal structure and its effects on women.
The Population Council
One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, New York 10017, USA.
The Population Council is a private US-based organization focusing on population issues. Its pamphlet Including Women in Development Efforts is based on a speech by George Zeidenstein in January 1978 and is a plea to developers to look at and understand "what is acceptable and accessible within women's cultures - those world views that are distinct from those of men and that are particularly intense with regard to the nurturing of families." One of the publications of the Population Council is Population and Development Review, a quarterly on the interrelationships between population and socioeconomic development and a forum for discussion of related public policy issues,which occasionally publishes articles on women. Another publication in Studies in Family Planning, a monthly journal with occasional special issues dealing with one particular subject, such as the November/December 1979 issue entitled Learning About Rural Women edited by Sondra Zeidenstein. This deals with methods of collecting and analyzing data on rural women, including studies on women's self-perception of their roles in rural society.
Particularly interesting is International Programs Working Papers No. 7 "The Nemow Case Case Studies of the Impact of Large Scale Development Projects on Women," September 1979, by Ingrid Palmer. This insightful study of the impact of development projects on women was carried out to demonstrate "how a concern with women's roles is intrinsic to a concern with development" and to show that such studies are feasible. In all its studies and work on women's issues, the Population Council's underlying concern is the impact on demography: how development projects will affect family size and population.
Regional Pan African Institute for Development - West Africa (R-PAID/WA)
Box 133, buea, Cameroon.
A number of publications are available from this Institute on development including bibliographies on Integrated Rural Development, and the Role and Problems of Self-Help Organizations/Institutions in Rural Development. Of particular interest is the 63 page annotated bibliography on Women and Rural Development, compiled by Eugene O. Nwanosike which is drawn up on the basis of materials available for consultation in the library/documentary service of the Institute. It covers a wide range of topics from general studies to food production, population, health and women's participation in development projects. It also lists ongoing research projects, mainly but not exclusively in Africa. Another study from the Institute is an Evaluation of Community Development Women's Work in the South West and North West Provinces (of Cameroon). This attempts to discover why these programs were not as successful as hoped.
Research Unit on Women's Studies S.N.D.T. Women's University
1 Nathibai Ihackersey Road, Bombay 400 020, India.
The quarterly Newsletter of the Research Unit on Women's Studies is a useful resource for information about organizations and institutions in India involved in research and projects on women and development. It makes connections between^feminism, women's studies and development issues.
Secretariat for Women in Development
New TransCentury Foundation, 1789 Columbia Road NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA.
The Secretariat for Women in Development was created in 1977 with a grant of the US Agency for International Development. Its mandate is "to assist private and voluntary agencies improve the impact of their programming on Third World Women" and "to foster and facilitate integration of women's needs into the development process." The first task of the Secretariat was to collect studies, documents and publications on women in development. A first collection of 287 documents can be found in May Rihani's book, Development as if Women Mattered: an Annotated Bibliography with a Third World Focus, published in April 1978 by the Overseas Development Council in Washington, as ODC Paper no. 10. A second bibliography unfortunately not annotated of about 700 entries was published in 1979 and revised in March 1980 under the title Women in Development: a Resource List. It is available directly from the Secretariat.
In July 1978, the Secretariat published a 96 page Bulletin on Funding Resources for Women in Development Projects, offering descriptions of 26 US based foundations, UN agencies, private voluntary organizations and US government agencies which make grants for projects involving women in the third world. The bulletin provides information about potential funding sources, types of women's projects funded and grantsmanship tips. In 1980, the Secretariat published European Funding Resources for Women in Development Projects, a 120 page directory that includes a description of about 32 international organizations, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and private foundations based in Europe which give grants for development projects. It is written for the use of organizations working in the third world, giving information about funding sources, items to be included in a project and grantsmanship tips. Both these directories are valuable guides to funding sources.
The Directory of Projects Involving Women is an ongoing series of project profiles describing women's involvement as staff and beneficiaries in the planning and implementation of projects. Volume III of the Directory was published in April 1980.
The secretariat works with the US Peace Corps to examine programs in six Peace Corps countries, with a concern for programming in basic human needs and the involvement of women. The Secretariat is also involved in organizing and attending a variety of workshops on the role of women in development.
United Methodist Church (UMC)
Women's Division, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, New York 10115, USA.
The Women's Division of the UMC has a special program on the issue of women in development. It also focuses on women food producers. Among the material it has available on these issues is an audio-visual entitled As Strong as the Land. A 19 minute, 96 frame color filmstrip with cassette, this is an excellent resource about rural women food producers and development policies. It clearly sets out the facts about women's involvement in agriculture in Asia, Africa, Latin America as well as in the USA and shows how development programs have affected women in both negative and positive ways. It also shows the global nature of policies and problems and brings up issues of control and power. A highly useful aid for education and consciousness raising about women, development and food production. A study guide accompanies the filmstrip.
United States Government Office of Women in Development (WID), Agency for International Development (AID)
US Department of State, Room 3243 NS,Washington, DC 20523, USA.
The WID office of USAID produces and/or distributes a very large amount of material on women and development. In 1973, the Percy Amendment to the US Foreign Assistance Act mandated that Foreign Assistance "shall be administered so as to give particular attention to those programs, projects, and activities which tend to integrate women into the national economies of developing countries, thus improving their status and assisting the total development effort." In response to this Congressional mandate, the Agency for International Development created an Office of Women in Development. WID promotes the collection, analysis and distribution of data; organizes studies, research and conferences; helps train development experts and researchers and sponsors projects.
WID has a resource center which distributes a wide variety of publications on women and their role in the development process with an emphasis on agriculture and food production, energy and technology, employment and income generation, education, the status of women in developing countries and women's organizations. As a government organization, WID naturally accepts US development policies on the whole. The material does represent a wide range of opinion, however, and there is some critical examination of the effects of policies on women. The material is useful especially for its wealth of background information. The center issues regular Bibliographies of Available Material. This material includes:
Women-Headed Households: the Ignored Factor in Development Planning by Mayra Buvinic and Nadia H. Youssef with Barbara Von Elm of the International Center for Research on Women, Washington DC, March 1978. This study shows the importance of women as heads of household in developing societies, and underlines the socioeconomic factors contributing to the rise of women-headed households. Women in Forestry for Local Community Development-A Programming Guide by Marilyn W. Hoskins, September 1979. Evaluating Small Grants for Women in Development by Judith F.Helzner, January 1980. Assessing the Impact of Development Projects on Women by Ruth B. Dixon, May 1980. Women and Energy: Program Implications by Irene Tinker, June 1980.
Successful Rural Water Supply Projects and the Concerns of Women by Paula Roark, September 1980, stresses the role of women in rural water supply projects: women as the traditional water carriers and managers and as the controllers and purveyors of the local learning systems of the society are the ones deciding whether to use the water source and whether it is worth the expenditure of effort to maintain it or have it maintained. Women's Organizations: Resources for Development by Katherine Blakeslee Piepmeir, October 1980, discusses the vital role of local women's groups in instigating change directed at reorienting governmental development policies and programs to incorporate women's concerns. It recommends directing development assistance to poor women through women's groups or non-governmental organizations with women's programs.
Illustrative Statistics on Women in Selected Developing Countries, prepared for WID/AID by the Bureau of the Census of the US Department of Commerce, revised September 1980. This chart book presents comparative statistics on women in 27 selected developing countries. It is planned to extend the existing data base to include all countries, both the more developed and the less developed, with a population of five million or more. Women, Migration and the Decline of Smallholder Agriculture by Elsa M. Chaney and Martha W. Lewis, October 1980. This paper "suggests that any policy designed to increase food for the poor will not succeed unless they take into account women's role as food producer..."
Various Perspectives of Using Women's Organizations in Development Programming by Marilyn W. Hoskins, July 1980. This paper summarizes information that came out of a series of conferences and meetings which WID held with "representatives from less developed countries, women's organizations, private voluntary organizations and donor groups... These representatives discussed current activities and the future potential of women's organizations to implement projects, deliver services and cooperate with poor women in identifying, developing and carrying out WID programs." The appendix describes six different organizational frameworks and strategies among selected non-indigenous, mainly US-based intermediaries. 1980 Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs United States House of Representatives. This gives information on AID's activities in the support of and cooperation with the activities and goals of the UN Decade for Women. Various Perspectives of Using Women's Organizations in Development Programming by Marilyn W. Hoskins, July 1980. This paper summarizes information that came out of a series of conferences and meetings which WID held with "representatives from less developed countries, women's organizations, private voluntary organizations and donor groups... These representatives discussed current activities and the future potential of women's organizations to implement projects, deliver services and cooperate with poor women in identifying, developing and carrying out WID programs." The appendix describes six different organizational frameworks and strategies among selected non-indigenous, mainly US-based intermediaries. 1980 Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs United States House of Representatives. This gives information on AID's activities in the support of and cooperation with the activities and goals of the UN Decade for Women. Income Generating Activities with Women's Participation by Marilyn W. Hoskins, December 1980. This paper gives an overview of policies about income generating activities. It looks at some of the political, economic and social elements that affect or can be affected by income generation and shows why some projects have failed to improve women's lives. It also considers the concept of participation and how this has evolved in development planning. Finally, it presents several brief case studies in the light of the foregoing aspects. A publications list is available. by Marilyn W. Hoskins, December 1980. This paper gives an overview of policies about income generating activities. It looks at some of the political, economic and social elements that affect or can be affected by income generation and shows why some projects have failed to improve women's lives. It also considers the concept of participation and how this has evolved in development planning. Finally, it presents several brief case studies in the light of the foregoing aspects. A publications list is available.
Women and Development Network of Australia
P.O. Box 151, Collingwood 3066, Victoria, Australia
Formed in 1981, this network is made up of several groups of women throughout Australia concerned with the low priority accorded women in the programs and projects of Australian aid and development agencies as well as with the generally low status of the positions held by women within these agencies. The Network aims to change this situation and to lobby for a feminist perspective in aid and development through various means including the collection and dissemination of information on relevant issues. The network Women in Development Newsletter is produced in turn by the various member groups and contains information about activities, meetings and resources as well as articles such as 'The Lowanna Group Declaration," with specific recommendations to various Australian aid agencies concerning women. Another interesting article on "Sexual Harassment - Women Must Act" makes the point that violence against women is very definitely a development issue although development literature is almost totally silent about this. This network is one of a growing number of women's networks working to promote a feminist perspective in development.
Women and Development Unit (WAND)
University of the West Indies, Extra-Mural Department, Pinelands, St. Michael, Barbados.
WAND was established as the result of a seminar on the Integration of Women in National Development in the Caribbean, held in Jamaica in June 1977 and attended by women representing the governments of the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean. The purpose of WAND is to monitor the Plan of Action developed at the seminar and to: provide training of trainers and resource persons; promote technical assistance programs;publish and distribute materials; and develop research programs and programs for legislative change. WAND produces a quarterly newsletter entitled Woman Speak! which provides interesting and useful information on women and development projects, seminars, conferences and news, ranging from governmental to nongovernmental ones. WAND also produces Concerning Women and Development, a continuing series of articles to stimulate discussion and debate in the Caribbean region, such as "Women in Development: A Caribbean Perspective" by Peggy Antrobus. WAND has a number of other studies, papers and audio-visuals available which focus on and are especially useful for women in the region.
Women in Development, Inc. (WID, Inc.)
6 Bartletts, Christ Church, Barbados.
Founded in 1978, WID, Inc. is a private organization funded by and working with a number of private and public agencies to promote employment and business opportunities for women. It provides training and a revolving loan fund for women in small businesses and carries out research such as A Study of Low-Income Women in Barbados, published in August 1980.
Women for Women
Road no. 4, House no. 67, Dhanmondi R.A., Dacca, Bangladesh
A research and study group in Bangladesh, Women for Women has produced several publications listing research activities on women in Bangladesh as well as case studies. A particularly interesting book is Inside Seclusion: The Avarodhbasini of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain edited and translated by Roushan Jahan, 1981. Rokeya, a Bengali Muslim woman, was born in 1880 and her writings are among the rare documentations of purdah written by a woman who experienced it herself. The introduction to the book describes Rokeya's Hfe and times while the second part of the book is a translation of her book "Avarodhbasini" which describes actual cases of many women who lived in purdah or seclusion, from a critical point of view. Another publication is the book Women and Education, reviewed in the Communication and Education section of this Guide. Indigenous Abortion Practitioners in Rural Bangladesh (1981) by Shamima Islam is particularly useful especially in that it is one of the few studies which is based on speaking with the practitioners themselves. Price: US$ 3 plus postage.
Women's Action for Development (WAFD)
D-139 Anand Niketan, New Delhi 110021, India
"A secular Indian organisation of Christian inspiration working for the development of women and children belonging to the weaker sections" of the community, WAFD carries out projects such as home economics training for girls, literacy classes, creches and income generation through cooperatives. Its mimeographed newsletter WAFD Links reports on activities and gives information on simple technologies, improved nutrition and health.
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World Education
1414 Sixth Avenue, New York, New York 10019, USA
A private agency founded in 1951, World Education provides professional assistance primarily for non-formal education projects in developing countries, working with both government and private agencies. It has a great deal of resource material available on women's projects, including audiovisuals about projects and training techniques, training kits, and monographs. It also has a quarterly magazine Reports. The July 1980 issue is devoted to women's projects and contains an interesting interview by Noreen Clark of African anthropologist Achola Pala Okeyo, who explains her views on the necessity of reestablishing complementary work patterns between men and women in Kenya. A literature list is available.
World Hunger Education Service
2000 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
Founded in 1976, this organization works with the hunger programs of major religious bodies and other anti-hunger organizations in the USA. In addition to providing resources, consultations, and organizing meetings, the service publishes a monthly newsletter Hunger Notes with articles, news and resource listings. Issues on women include that of August 1978 on women and development and March 1980 on Agrarian Reform: A Women's Issue at Mid-Decade.
World YWCA
37, Quai Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland.
Common Concern, the quarterly magazine of the World YWCA, is a very interesting source of information about what the national YWCAs and their international office are doing. Reading these pages, it is evident that many of the YWCAs are actively involved in women and development work with a wide range of health, income generating, appropriate technology and food production projects as well as training workshops in all these areas, plus leadership, communications skills and much more. While these vary widely from country to country, it is also evident that generally they are not welfare-oriented activities but are promoting the self-determination of women as well as social justice. Common themes are human rights, apartheid, refugees, energy and the environment, health and peace. The quarterly also lists useful resources. The World YWCA Directory lists the addresses of all the national YWCAs around the world.
periodicals
Other periodicals are listed under the resource centers or organizations which produce them
Al-Raida
P.O.B. 13-5053, Beirut University College, Beirut, Lebanon
An excellent source of information on women in the Arab world, this quarterly magazine produced by the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab world contains news and articles on research, meetings and publications from the Middle East and Arab authors. The materials come from a wide range of sources: governmental, academic, institutional and feminist and thus represent a range of opinions and views. It covers issues of health, education, rural women, rights, families, and feminism. Subscription: US$ 10 per year.
Change International Reports
Parnell House, 25 WUton Road, London SWIV US, England
Change is a series of reports on the condition and status of women all over the world which aims to inform public opinion about inequalities imposed on women through law, practice and custom. Among these reports are "Economic Development and Women's Place: Women in Singapore" by Aline K. Wong (June 1980), and "Providence and Prostitution: Image and Reality for Women in Buddhist Thailand" by Khin Thitsa.
Development Dossier
Australian Council for Overseas Aid (ACFOA) P.O. Box
1562, Canberra City, ACT 2601, Australia
This quarterly dossier provides in-depth treatment of a particular theme relating to development in each issue. This is a very good source of background materials on key issues such as land, food and the north-south dialogue. These very useful and clear overviews of the issues would be still more valuable, if they gave the same thorough examination to the effects of the sexual division of labor, the differences within households as well as between households and the importance of women's role in food production.
Famille et Developpement
BP 11007 CD Annexe, Dakar, Senegal
A quarterly African magazine in French, Famille et Developpement is an excellent forum on a whole range of development issues, from solar energy, to polygamy to clitoridectomy, drugs, drought and economics. Written in clear, simple language, its approach is critical and direct. The emphasis is on self-reliance and solutions to problems. A feminist perspective is evident throughout, not only in the articles dealing with problems particular to women but in the fact that women are central to all issues raised. Written by Africans for Africans, it is one of the best magazines approaching development from the perspective of people's needs and well-being. The format, design and graphics are of high quality.
Kenya Women
National Council of Women of Kenya, P.O. Box 43741, Nairobi, Kenya
Published quarterly in English and Swahili, this is the magazine of the National Council of Women of Kenya which groups over forty women's organizations ranging from professional associations to religious organizations to consumers unions and self-help groups. The magazine provides information on the activities of member organizations as well as articles on issues such as legislation affecting women, agriculture, health and work. The Council also carries out projects for women.
Manushi
Cl/202 Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi 110024, India
"A Journal About Women and Society," Manushi is an excellent source of information, news and analysis about women's situations and struggles in India. Published in English and Hindi, it brings a feminist perspective and analysis to the issues and breaks down the barrier between so-called "women's issues" and "development issues" in the narrow sense. It clearly shows, for example, that violence against women has a great deal to do with development and that feminism has important things to say about women's access to food, shelter, and dignity. In each issue, women share their analyses and experiences of organizing and taking action. The articles cover areas such as women's health and bodies, violence against women, dowry marriages and burnings, agricultural and factory workers' situations and actions and much more. In addition, there are book and film reviews, news from women's groups, international news from the women's movement, and exchange of ideas and experiences through letters. One of many valuable contributions to understanding what women's lives in rural areas are really like is "Family Life The Unequal Deal" by B. Horowitz and Madhu Kishwar in Manushi, no. 11, 1982. This study examines the distribution" of labor contributions and benefits within the households of agricultural workers in a Punjab village, a different approach than taken by most studies, which tend to look at households as a whole and thus ignore the inequalities between males and females within families. This journal is highly useful, readable and stimulating. Subscription rates cover six issues and vary according to country: India,Bangladesh, Nepal, Rs 26; USA and Canada, US$ 18; Europe, Japan, Australia, US$ 17; Asian countries, US$ 9; African countries US$ 11; Libraries and institutions in all foreign countries US$ 24. Bankers cheques and international money orders (no personal cheques, please) should be made out to Manushi Trust.
Mujer y Desarrollo
Apartado 325, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
A mimeographed quarterly newsletter, this presents news and information in popular form on issues such as health care in the home, nutrition, breastfeeding, kitchen gardens, how to raise income for women's groups, and how to form cooperatives. Using simple drawings, cartoon strips and stories, the newsletter is also a vehicle for consciousness raising among women about their oppression and how they can overcome it. It is produced by Mujeres en DesarroUo Dominicana, Inc. (MUDE), a non-profit organization aimed at helping women participate in economically productive activities by developing systems of credit and technical assistance and preparing communities to secure social services.
Network
Belize Committee for Women and Development, 28 Dean Street, Belize City, Belize.
A quarterly newsletter with information about the activities of the Committee on Women and Development.
New Internationalist
62a High Street, Wallingford, Oxon. 0X10 OEE, England
This monthly magazine reports on world poverty, the unjust relationships between rich and poor worlds, the radical changes needed if basic needs are to be met, and ideas and action in the fight for world development. It regularly carries articles focusing on women. A special issue entitled Women Hold Up Half the Sky (October 1977) gives a good introduction to the plight of third world women and the negative effects modernization and development schemes have had on women.
For the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women in 1980, the New Internationalist prepared a press packet which could serve as a good introduction to many issues: brief articles describe women workers in multinational industries, how economic development has brought malnutrition and loss of prestige to women, as well as give an overview of the huge amount of work women do around the world. Other issues of interest include Stop the Babymilk Pushers... (February 1982). In almost all its articles, on whatever subject, this magazine shows an awareness of women. Thus articles on farming or water speak of both men and women and not just of the "farmer, he..." as we unfortunately still find in some development journals.
Prisma: The Indonesian Indicator
c/o LP3ES,P.O. Box493 JKT.Jl.S. Parman 81,Slipi, Jakarta Barat, Indonesia.
This quarterly journal of the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Education and Information has produced a special issue on women in Indonesia (no. 24, March 1982). This is a collection of very interesting and well-written articles covering women's image in Indonesian films and books, women in myth and reality, women's emancipation, and the self-image of Indonesian women. It also contains an interesting book review of an Indonesian study on the sexual division of labor. Published in English and Indonesian. Price per copy: US$ 2.25, Asia and Australia; $ 3.25, Europe and America.
Resources for Feminist Research (RFR)
Department of Sociology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada M5S 1V6.
A very important resource for women, RFR is a substantial quarterly journal which brings well-written and clearly presented abstracts and reviews of books, research, periodicals and organizations dealing with issues of concern to women. It has a feminist and international perspective and makes the links between feminism and development issues, as well as between women's action and research, between women's struggles in industrialized countries and the third world. Recent issues of special interest are on Women and Trade Unions vol. 10 no. 2, July 1981, and on rural Women and Agricultural Production (1982). With its wealth of material in each issue, this journal is definitely among the most useful and valuable resources for both researchers and activists.
Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
University of Chicago Press, 11030 S. Langley Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60628, USA.
A feminist scholarly journal, Signs is published quarterly and each issue brings about 250 pages of study and research, usually on a specific theme. The journal has dedicated several issues to development, feminist theory, and to the relationship between the two. Issues of particular interest include, Women and National Development: The Complexities of Change, vol. 3 no. 1, 1977, the report of a conference on women and development, held in 1976 at Wellesley College, Massachusetts, USA. This report was later published as a separate volume by the University of Chicago Press. The conference brought together women scholars from all parts of the world and this volume reproduces the papers of about 30 of them, covering a wide range of topics and disciplines such as the participation of women in the labor force in various countries, the effects of migration on women in Africa, and theories of development. As such, this volume is representative of much of the thinking on women and development in the first half of the 1970s. The book also lists the other papers presented and contains five short reflections and criticisms of the conference. The discussion provoked by the conference is perhaps as important as the papers presented: this revolved around who should be doing research on third world women and how such research should be done. The gap and the relationship between theory and practice was debated.
A more recent issue of Signs deals with Development and the Sexual Division of Labor, vol. 7 no. 2, 1981. The contributions, again from women researchers from several different countries, reveal a great development in the thinking about women and development in the five years since the Wellesley Conference. There is much more questioning of the concept of "'integrating women into development" and a much stronger feminist perspective. In the article "Accumulation, Reproduction, and Women's Role in Economic Development: Boserup Revisited," Lourdes Benen'a and Gita Sen emphasize the necessity to analyze both the spheres of production and reproduction in order to reach an understanding of why development has bypassed women, to analyze both class and gender to get at the root causes of women's oppression. Several other excellent articles in the same issue point in the same direction or elaborate similar points. Since there are so many stimulating ideas in these articles, it is unfortunate that some of them are written in a very dry, academic style. These could be made much more interesting and readable. This would also make them more accessible to a wider range of people, and help overcome the gap between academics and activists. The highly interesting issue on Feminist Theory, vol. 7 no. 3, 1982 could have been enriched if it had contained contributions from third world feminists.
bibliographies
Other bibliographies are listed under the resource centers organizations which produce them.
Why Has Development Neglected Rural Women?
Nici Nelson, Pergamon Press Ltd., Headington Hill Hall, Oxford 0X3 OBW, England. 1979.
Sub-titled "A Review of the South Asian Literature," this 108 page book raises the question of why so little research has been done on rural women and development. It gives an overview of literature available and assesses how much knowledge we have about rural women in South Asia. It then raises questions about women's situations which have yet to be adequately answered by research and recommends areas which should be studied, including women's paid and unpaid work, the sexual division of labor, household management, women and new technology and assessment of women's projects. The author also makes some suggestions for methodological approaches to this research. The bibliography contains some 300 entries. This review of the literature raises many important questions and issues about women's lives and roles in rural areas and is thus much more valuable than a simple bibliographic listing of materials would be.
Women and World Development: An Annotated Bibliography
Mayra Buvinic, Overseas Development Council, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA. 1976
A companion volume to the report of the 1975 Seminar on Women in Development, Women and World Development, this well-annotated bibliography of almost 400 published and unpublished studies and articles is a good source book for much of the literature on women and development written prior to 1976. The emphasis is on academic studies and articles published in scholarly journals. It also contains a list of bibliographies.
Women in the Caribbean: A Bibliography
Bertie A. Cohen Stuart, Department of Caribbean Studies, Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology, Stationsplein 10, Leiden, Netherlands. 1979
This well-annotated bibliography lists 651 books and articles and bibliographies, grouped together by subject. It covers works in seven different languages about women in all countries of the Caribbean. A very useful book for research.
Women in Development
Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI), Njiro Hill, Arusha, Tanzania.
A recent bibliography of materials available in the library of ESAMI, this lists over 300 books and publications on all aspects of women and development. Most of them are from Africa and in English.
Women in Development: A Selected Annotated Bibliography and Resource Guide
Linda Gire Vavrus with Ron Cadieux, Non-Formal Education Information Center, Institute for International Studies Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
This annotated bibliography deals with the changing role of women and women's education and how this is affected by development studies.
Women of South Asia: A Guide to Resources
Carol Sakala, Kraus International Publications, Millwood, New York, USA. 1980.
This large volume contains 4629 annotated entries of both historical and contemporary materials, from and about India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, ranging from primary source materials to scholarly interpretation and analyses. The introduction explains the scope and organization of the materials. The final section gives information about libraries, archives and other sources of materials on women of South Asia, located in the various countries of the region and in the United Kingdom. This is a valuable resource for researchers and those needing background information on a vast range of issues relating particularly to women.
books and pamphlets
Other books and pamphlets are listed under the resource centers or organizations which produce them.
African Women: Their Struggle for Economic Independence
Christine Obbo, Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London Nl 9DN, England. 1980.
An African anthropologist, the author describes the conditions of women and their jobs as well as their strategies to improve their lives. A valuable contribution to understanding the situation of many women in Africa. Price: US$ 9.95.
Building Feminist Theory: Essays from Quest
Longman Inc., 19 West 44th Street, New York, New York 10036, USA. 1981
This volume brings together 24 articles on feminist theory and practice from the North American Quest: A Feminist Quarterly. Grouped under the headings: Power and Practice; The Politics of Everyday Life; Feminist Perspectives on Class; and Organizations and Strategies, these articles reflect the range and development of thinking on feminist theory in North America in the 1970s. Highly stimulating and readable, this book is an excellent basis for understanding the recent developments of feminism in North America. It is an important contribution to the ongoing discussion of developing feminist theory and practice. It does not make the relationship between feminism and development, however.
Chipko Movement
Anupam Mishra and Satyendra Tripathi, Gandhi Book House, 1 Rajghat Colony New Delhi 110002, India. December 1978
This 37 page booklet explains the background and the efforts of the hill people in India, especially the women, to save their forests, through non-violent action, from "developers" who would destroy their sources of fuel, water and livelihood as well as unbalance the eco-system of the whole region in the name of progress.
Debate Sobre la Mujer en America Latina y el Ciribe: Discusiones acerca de la Unidad Reproduccion - Produccion
Magdalena Leon de Leal, ed., Asociacion Colombiana para el Estudio de la Poblacion (ACEP), Carrera 23, no. 39-82, Bogota, D.E. Colombia. 1982
This important and highly valuable collection of 45 articles, published in a series of three books, aims to stimulate analyses and theoretical debate on issues concerning women and development in Latin America in particular; to alert policy makers and planners about the inadequacies and detrimental effects of their programs on women; and to relate to women who are actively involved in struggling for liberation. It is intended to bridge the gap between academics and activist feminists. The first volume, entitled La Realidad Colombiana, examines the effects of agribusiness on women workers in rural areas, women workers in urban areas, sexuality, mass media and women organizing in feminist and political organizations. Volume 2 focuses on Las Trabajadoras del Agro and goes more deeply into the situation of rural women, particularly as they are affected by agribusiness. Sociedad, Subordinacion y Feminismo discusses patriarchal structures in particular and how these affect women as both producers and reproducers. It also looks at both the theory and practice of feminism. While most of the contributors are Latin American women, the book also reproduces articles from women from other parts of the world. These three books bring together a wealth of significant and stimulating articles. It is an important contribution to carrying forward the discussion of women and development from a feminist perspective. Price for the collection: USS 25 plus $ 15 airmail or $ 2 surface mail.
The Domestication of Women
Barbara Rogers, Kogan Page Ltd., 120 Pentonville Road, London Nl 9JN, England. 1980
Sub-titled "Discrimination in Developing Societies," this extremely interesting book points out and illustrates how the prejudices and biases about women held by policy makers, who are mostly male and western, have led to discrimination against women in development plans and projects and to the distortion of data collection on which development planning is based. The author discusses the structural sexism of development agencies and the impact of discriminatory policies on women food producers in particular. This is a hard hitting critique of the development planning process. One wishes that Rogers would have gone even further to question the whole concept of "development" itself. Nevertheless, the book is an important contribution to understanding how and why development agencies and policies are worsening the situation of women. Price: £8.95.
The Exchange Report: Women in the Third World
The Exchange, 26 East 22nd Street, New York, New York 10010, USA. 1981.
At the non-governmental Forum which met in Copenhagen in July 1980 during the Conference on the United Nations Decade for Women, a new organization called the Exchange set up a series of workshops and discussions on women and development which drew women from all over the world. This is a 48 page report of those workshops done in a lively style which reflects the varied points of view of the women participants. These women speak about appropriate technology, the advantages and disadvantages of income generating projects, the problems with funding, about politics, education, health, culture, female circumcision, research and policy making, all in a very forthright way. They discuss the relationship of feminism and development, of third world women and women in western countries. Representing a very wide range of opinion from that of grassroots organizers to staff of the World Bank, these reports are a good look at the complexity of the issues. The report also contains interviews with a number of women including Peggy Antrobus, Rounaq Jahan and Marie-Angelique Savane.
Frogs in a Well: Indian Women in Purdah
Patricia Jeffery, Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London Nl 9DN, England. 1979.
A very interesting study of women in purdah or seclusion in India, this book places these women's lives in an analysis of the total social framework. Price: USS 10.50.
Handbook of International Data on Women
Elise Boulding et al.. Sage Publications, Inc., distributed by Halsted Press, New York, New York, USA. 1976.
This substantial handbook contains data on women and economic activity, literacy and education, life, death and reproduction, and political and civic participation, gathered during International Women's Year in 1975. The authors feel that too little is known about how women function in society and that it is necessary to provide this information to policy makers. This handbook is a good start. It has become a standard reference work, but it would be very useful to have this updated and expanded, especially in view of new insights into women's work and contributions which are usually neglected in the collection of statistics.
The International Conference on Women and Food: Proceedings and Papers
Consortium for International Development, available from USAID, Washington, DC 20523, USA. 1978.
Volume 1 of these papers gives a summary report on the conference on Women and Food held in 1978 at the University of Arizona. It also includes the background papers which represent a range of perspectives on the issue. One particularly valuable article is "Women, Agriculture and Development in the Maya Lowlands: Profit or Progress" by Olga Stavrakis and Marion Louise Marshall which shows how "successful" development based on cash crops has meant greater malnutrition and loss of economic independence and prestige for women. The authors give concrete examples of this. "Sex Roles in Food Production and Food Distribution in the Sahel" by Kathleen Cloud examines the effects of development aid and projects on women. Volume 2 gives an overview of the conference sessions. The article "Women and Development Literature: A Survey," in this Guide gives a critical review of this conference.
Jhagrapur: Poor Peasants and Women in a Village in Bangladesh
Jenneke Arens and Jos van Beurden, P.O. Box 11742, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 1977.
This is a highly interesting study written by a Dutch couple who spent several years in Bangladesh and one in the village they describe. It is a vivid report of daily life which gives insights into the political and economic realities and the effects of development policies. It clearly brings out the double exploitation of women and links class struggle with the struggle for women's liberation.
Message from the Village
Perdita Huston, The Epoch B Foundation, P.O. Box 1972, Grand Central Station, New York, New York 10017, USA. 1978.
This book is an attempt to convey what poor women in developing countries feel about birth control. The author interviewed women in Kenya, Egypt, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Mexico about their lives, education, choices, roles in the family and how this relates to the size of their families. She also sought direct information about their attitudes and use of traditional and modern means of birth control. These "messages from the village" are recorded with only a minimum of interpretation. However, the author describes the villages and how she conducted the interviews. A highly interesting and readable book. A longer version with an analysis of the data is published in Third World Women Speak Out (listed below).
Mujer y Capitalismo Agrario
Magdalena Leon de Leal et al,, Asociacion Colombiana para el Estudio de la Poblacion (ACEP), Carrera 23 no. 39-82, Bogota, D.Er. 1 Colombia. 1980.
A study of four regions in Colombia, this volume is a followup to the 1977 study La Mujer y el DesarroUo en Colombia. It is an analysis of the sexual division of labor in agriculture and examines the economic, political and ideological changes in the process of the development of capitalism in agriculture. The study shows the great amount of work women do in agriculture and the importance of women's contribution which, however, is not reflected in most studies and statistics..
La Mujer y el Desarrollo en Colombia
Magdalena Leon de Leal et al., Asociacion Colombiana para el Estudio de la Poblacion (ACEP), Carrera 23 no. 39-82, Bogota, D.E. 1 Colombia. 1977.
This volume is the result of a research project covering a range of issues in regard to women: political participation, education, health, work, legislation, family law and status within the family. It is a contribution to filling the gap of data and information about women..
Mujeres Dominicanas
Distributed by Centre Dominicano de Estudios de la Educacion (CEDEE), Juan Sanchez Ramirez no. 41, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Already mentioned under the resource listing in the Multinational section of the Guide, the series Mujeres Dominicanas is an extremely useful set of booklets for rural and urban women. Written in simple language, these deal with women's lives and problems. They are meant to promote consciousness raising and organization. The series is complemented by booklets in comic book style about Mujer y Sociedad (Women and Society) as well as by audio-visual material and a play. This material has been found very useful as a model for developing consciousness raising material in other countries of the region as well as other parts of the world. It deals with women's oppression as workers and as women.
Of Marriage and the Market: Women's Subordination in International Perspective
Kate Young, Carol Wolkowitz and Roslyn McCullagh, eds., CSE Books, 25 Horsell Road, London N5, England. 1981
An excellent and extensive examination of women's subordination, this 222 page book is an important contribution towards a theory of social relations of gender. While the authors bring different theoretical perspectives to their analyses, they challenge the traditional political, economic and development theories about women's position in society. They find much of the literature on women and development highly unsatisfactory from a feminist perspective because it has "tended to isolate women as a separate category. In our view the theoretical object of analyses can not be women, but rather the relations between men and women in society." The articles stress that women's subordinate position in society cannot be explained solely by economics. The authors examine women's position in the market, but also give great importance to the social relations between men and women, the sexual division of labor inside and outside the home, and the concept of the domestic sphere. This is a very valuable contribution of a feminist perspective on development issues. Price: £4.95
Our Own Freedom
Maggie Murray, Sheba Feminist Publishers, 488, Kingsland Road, London E8 4AE, England. 1981
In the introduction to this book of photographs, Buchi Emecheta writes: 'These photographs of women in Africa show that the basic things of life - obtaining water, fire, shelter, the care of the young and the sick, the growing of food - are almost entirely done by women. These are the basic necessities of life and yet there is little or no compensation to the women who do them. Because they are unpaid, such tiring and boring chores are called women's work." Maggie Murray has kindly given us permission to reproduce some of her photographs in this Guide. These give an idea of how moving and powerful her book is. Price: £ 3.75.
Proceedings of the Workshop on Women's Studies and Development
Deborah Fahy Bryceson and Najma Sachak, eds., Bureau of Resource Assessment and Land Use Planning (BRALUP), University of Dar Es Salaam, P.O. Box 35097, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. 1979
This summary of the papers and discussions at the September 1979 workshop examines and discusses many aspects of women's lives and roles as well as aspects of production and reproduction. It looks at patriarchal relations in rural areas, the involvement of peasant women in research on their own problems and possible solutions to these. It also covers the sexual division of labor in the home, education, mass media and more. It contains a complete list of the papers presented, most of them by Tanzanian women. An excellent resource. Price: US$ 5; air mail postage $ 2.50 extra.
Recognizing the "Invisible" Woman in Development: The World Bank's Experience
Gloria Scott, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA. 1979.
Rural Women at Work
Ruth B. Dixon, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA and London, England. 1978
This book, 227 pages long, asks the questions: "If good jobs at decent wages were offered to women, particularly those living in rural areas, would such employment have an effect on family size? Would their jobs compete for the women's time as mothers and housewives, offer them an alternative route to acquiring status and a sense of purpose, and perhaps also provide the women with an independent source of income which would enable them to achieve more control over their lives?" Based on research in South Asia, it answers that "jobs for women, while useful for many other reasons, may have little impact on fertility unless they are combined with other changes. For maximum effectiveness, Dixon recommends that efforts be concentrated on young, preferably unmarried women and that for best results, the new employment opportunities should move the women out of their traditional home and agricultural settings and into central work places located in villages or small towns. She also recommends that women be provided with a financial stake and a voice in the operation of the business venture. Supporting services such as job training and functional literacy classes, along with family planning, health, and child-care facilities, should be made available. In some circumstances it may be important to provide living quarters for female workers and incentives to encourage delayed marriage and birth control." The book then presents a number of case studies which incorporate some of these suggestions. While many of the suggestions are commendable and would certainly help to improve women's situations, they should not depend on their usefulness in decreasing the birth rate. Feminists especially criticize the population policies of development agencies which make a reduced birth rate the main goal.
SEEDS
P.O. Box 3923 Grand Central Station, New York, New York 10017, USA
SEEDS is a series of pamphlets jointly sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation, the Ford Foundation and the Population Council. Each pamphlet is a case-study of an innovative and practical program developed by and for low-income women in developing countries: "The projects described in SEEDS have been selected because they provide women with a cash income, involve women in decision making as well as earning, are based on sound economic criteria, and are working successfully to overcome obstacles commonly encountered." These include: Village Women Organize: the Mraru Bus Service by Jill Kneerim (1980), the story of the Mraru Women's Group in Kenya which in 1971 raised money, bought a bus and began a profit-making public transportation service. Hanover Street: An Experiment to Train Women in Welding and Carpentry by Peggy Antrobus with Barbara Rogers (1980), describes the experiment in training women for jobs usually held only by men which was begun in 1976 by the Jamaica Women's Bureau established by the Government. Market Women's Cooperatives: Giving Women Credit by Judith Bruce (1980). This history of the experience of FUNDE, the Nicaraguan Foundation for Development, in developing savings and loan cooperatives to meet the market women's needs for credit, begins in 1972. However, it makes no reference to the huge problems the country faced during this period dictatorship, civil war, reconstruction. All statistics end in 1970 and, unfortunately, no information is given on if and how this project was assessed or continued in the national reconstruction program in Nicaragua.
Sex and Class in Latin America: Women's Perspectives on Politics, Economics and the Family in the Third World
June Nash and Helen I. Safa, eds., J.F. Bergin publishers. Distributed by Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London NI 9DN, England. 1980
A scholarly and interdisciplinary study of the double oppression of women in Latin America, this book is a good contribution to understanding the structures which determine women's lives. Price: US$ 12.50
The Sisterhood of Man
Kathleen Newland, WorldWatch Institute and W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10036,USA. 1979
Sub-titled "The impact of women's changing roles on social and economic life around the world," this book gives an overview of women's situations in the areas of legal status, education, health, the mass media, politics, work and family life. The author presents data which contradict several myths about the marginality of women's economic contributions and needs. She argues that the social and economic costs of sex discrimination are a heavy burden for society. A good, documented overview. Price: USS 3.95.
Slaves of Slaves: The Challenge of Latin American Women
Latin American and Caribbean Women's Collective, Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London Nl 9DN, England. 1980
An excellent book describing the situation of women in several Latin American countries as well as their struggles to overcome oppression. Price: US$ 10.50.
A Special Caste? Tamil Women of Sri Lanka Else Skjonsberg, Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London Nl 9DN, England. 1982.
An anthropological study of the sex, class and caste relationships in a fishing village in Sri Lanka, this 160 page book gives a picture of the oppression of women there. Available in hardback only. Price: US$ 25.
The Status of Women in Nepal
Centre for Economic Development and Administration (CEDA), Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. 1979-80
Volume 1 of the CEDA Status of Women Project consists of a series of five monographs published in 1979, covering various aspects of women's lives in Nepal. Funded by USAID, the project's purpose is to collect information about Nepalese women to "support planning to facilitate the increased integration of women into the national development process." Part 1 by Meena Acharya deals with the "Statistical Profile of Nepalese Women: A Critical Review." A dismal picture emerges of early marriage, high infant mortality, high death rate, limited education, low pay and high displacement with the introduction of mechanized, western technology. The author points out the limitations of statistics in revealing what women's everyday lives are really like and especially the inaccuracy of statistics regarding women's work and contribution to society which fail to take into consideration much of women's unpaid work in agriculture and home based activities.
Part 2 by Lynn Bennett examines 'Tradition and Change in the Legal Status of Nepalese Women." Part 3 by Bina Pradhan on "Institutions Concerning Women in Nepal" concludes that these have not been very effective in improving the lot of women. One of the criticisms of traditional women's organizations is their conservative view of women's role and their programs which seem designed only to improve housekeeping skills. Part 4 by Indira Shrestha is an "Annotated Bibliography on Women in Nepal." Part 5 by Pushkar.Raj Reejal deals with Nepal's national plans and programs and the extent these take into consideration women's participation in economic activities.
The second phase of the project involves research resulting in the publication of several case studies of village women in Volume 2. The third phase attempts to channel the findings of.the project into a draft National Plan of Action for Women. Considering that these are government sponsored studies, they are remarkably critical and incisive. A good model for others.
Study of Income Generating Activities for Farm Women
CM. Wijayaratne, A.M.T. Gunawardana and Samir Asmar, Agrarian Research and Training Institute, 114 Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka. February 1978.
This 73 page study of five villages attempts to show the role of farm women in farming and household work and in paid employment as well as examines which of their skills might be used for employment purposes. It provides much needed statistics on women but does not analyze the political, economic or social implications of income generation for women.
Third World - Second Sex: Women's Struggles and National Liberation
Miranda Davies, ed.. Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London Nl 9DN, England. 1982.
A compilation of experiences and perspectives from women's organizations in over 20 third world countries, this 256 page book provides a wealth of material on how women are challenging male-dominated structures in the third world. Price: US$ 11.50.
Third World Women Speak Out
Perdita Huston, Praeger Publishers, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017, USA. 1978.
Published in cooperation with the Overseas Development Council of the USA, this book is a fuller version of Message from the Village. The author lets the women from Kenya, Egypt, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Mexico relate in their own way their thoughts and feelings about their lives, education, work, roles in the family and especially about controlling the size of their families. A very interesting and readable book which illustrates how many of the economic changes in their societies have made life harder for the women. There is an analysis of the data by social scientists at the end.
The Triple Struggle: Latin American Peasant Women
Audrey Bronstein, WOW Campaigns Ltd., 467 Caledonian Road, London N7 9BE, England.
In this book, women from Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Peru describe their lives as peasants and their triple struggle against the oppression of underdevelopment, the poverty of the peasant class, and the position of women in a male-dominated society. Price: £ 3.
We Carry a Heavy Load - Rural Women in Zimbabwe Speak Out
Kate McCalman, Zimbabwe Women's Bureau,152b Victoria Street, Salisbury, Zimbabwe. December 1981.
With the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980, the Women's Bureau was able to extend its activities to rural areas. One of its first tasks was a country-wide survey to collect information on how women perceive their lives and needs. Travelling on foot and by bus, the team of interviewers spoke with nearly 3000 women. This vivid and moving report is the result. It summarizes and defines the problems women face in agricultural work and food production, in access to land and control of money and land, in household work, health, education, access to communications media, legal status and in their participation in cooperatives and community decision making. Quoting extensively from the women, the report illustrates how women are already actively involved in both rural production and in maintaining their families. It concludes that this work must receive more recognition, must be made less arduous •and that women must have more control over the fruits of their labor in order to enjoy its benefits. This highly valuable report is also illustrated with photographs. Price: US$ 3, plus $4 airmail postage.
We Will Smash This Prison! Indian Women in Struggle
Gail Omvedt, Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London Nl 9DN, England. 1980.
A compelling account of women's struggles in western India in the'1970s, this book is highly recommended. Price: US$ 10.50.
Who Really Starves? Women and World Hunger
Lisa Leghorn and Mary Roodkowsky, Friendship Press, New York, New York, USA. 1977
This 40 page booklet is a good introduction to the role women play in agriculture and to why development is often detrimental to their lives. It is meant as a study guide.
Women and World Development
Irene Tinker and Michele Bo Bramsen, eds., Overseas Development Council, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA. 1976
This is a collection of papers presented at a Seminar on Women in Development which was held in Mexico City in 1975 just prior to the World Conference of International Women's Year. The papers, written by authors from various parts of the world, represent some of the significant thinking on women and development at that time. By the time of the mid-decade conference in 1980 some of these same writers had carried their research and study considerably beyond what is presented here. Nevertheless, this collection remains a valuable source of basic information on the situation of women and the effects of development policies on women's lives. The book also summarizes the discussion held on these issues during the seminar.
Women in Asia for Justice and Development
Association of Christian Institutes for Social Concern in Asia (ACISCA), Kansai Seminar House, 23 Takenouchi-cho, Ichijoji, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606 Japan. 1980.
This booklet contains the report of a women's consultation held in 1980. It deals with the issues of the exploitation of rural women and women industrial workers as well as the sexual exploitation of women, particularly through sex tourism, and with the self-image of women. The booklet shows an understanding that development cannot be considered without considering all these interrelated areas. Price: US$ 5
Women in Food-For-Work: The Bangladesh Experience
World Food Programme, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. 1979.
A glossy 34 page pamphlet, which contrasts greatly with the impoverished women in its photographs and descriptions, this recounts the experience of the World Food Programme's food for-work project in Bangladesh and its impact on women. It points out the great need of many women for employment and some of the obstacles they face in the project: the obstructionism by officials implementing the program, discrimination against women because they cannot afford to rent or buy the equipment needed for the work, or because they cannot work as long hours as men since they must provide unpaid services to men and children. This report also suggests some ways to ensure equal access of women workers to employment opportunities.
Women in Food Production, Food Handling and Nutrition
Protein-Calorie Advisory Group (PAG), United Nations, New York, New York 10017, USA. 1977.
Although it is somewhat dated now, this substantial report of the PAG is an important examination of the research and literature perspectives on women, food and nutrition, especially in Africa. It raises critical questions and points to the need for much more analysis of women's role in food production. The report concludes with implications for research and action and a very helpful bibliography. This can be a valuable basis for further research and study.
Women in the Twentieth Century World
Elise Boulding, Sage Publications, Inc., distributed by Halsted Press, New York, New York. 1977
Using the statistics in the Handbook of International Data on Women, a book she helped to write, Elise Boulding illustrates the situation of women in the world today, focusing especially on food producers in the third world. She also examines women's organizations and suggests how these can help bring about needed change. This is a good introduction to some of the important issues. The author carries her insights further in a later book: Women: The Fifth World.
Women: The Fifth World
Elise Boulding, Headline Series 248, Foreign Policy Association, 205 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA. February 1980.
This excellent essay, in the form of a 64 page pamphlet, questions not only the policies of development planners who have so neglected women during the past development decades, but also those who would "integrate women into development." While not giving any blueprint for the future, the author makes suggestions and illustrates the ways women's groups and networks are dreaming, dialoguing and building together a different world for themselves.
Women's Role in Economic Development
Ester Boserup, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London, and St. Martin's Press, Inc. 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010, USA. 1970.
A pioneering study, this book surveys women's activities in various farming systems, the impact of modernization and development, concepts of land ownership and other influences. Ester Boserup clearly shows how many development programs and policies are detrimental to the lives and needs of women. This book has become something of a classic in the literature on women and development and has been the basis for a great deal of further research and discussion. It has been used by many as a basis for calling for the integration of women into development. Others have criticized it for not going far enough and for its basic acceptance of modernization and present development policies without a more critical analysis. Pro or con, almost everyone acknowledges this book as a milestone and a catalyst for thinking on the role of women in development.
articles
"Capitalist Development and Subsistence Reproduction: Rural Women in India" Maria Mies, Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars vol. 12 no. 1, 1980. P.O. Box W, Charlemont, Massachusetts 01339, USA
An important contribution to understanding the roots of women's oppression, this article illustrates how capitalist penetration is leading to impoverishment and marginalization, especially of women who are engaged in subsistence production in India. It is also leading to a polarization of classes and sexes, with women losing status and power. The article draws both theoretical and practical conclusions.
"Copenhagen 1980: Taking Women Seriously" Anita Anand, available from the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, 100 Maryland Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA. 1980.
This short but important article clearly sets out why development is a feminist issue and why feminism has a great deal to say about development, in describing the tensions around this at the United Nations Conference on the Decade for Women, held in Copenhagen in 1980.
"Peasant Movements and Women's Liberation: Some Questions on Action and Research Strategies" Gerrit Huizer, Third World Centre, University of Nijmegen, Netherlands. 1980.
In the introduction to this 40 page paper, the author acknowledges that during 15 years of work on and with peasant movements, he neglected to take women into account. He came to this realization after contact with the women's liberation movement and feminist colleagues. In an attempt to remedy this failing, the author looks at the history of women's participation in peasant struggles, the present deterioration of peasant women's lives and some factors affecting present research strategies.
"Women in Development"
CCPD Network Letter no. 9, January 1981, Commission on Churches' Participation in Development (CCPD), 150 Route de Ferney, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Most of this issue of the quarterly CCPD newsletter deals with the issue of women and development, reporting on proposals about women's participation in development from the 1980 CCPD Africa Regional Meeting and on some women's programs in various parts of the world. It also contains articles on "Rape: A Tool of Subjugation," showing the political and economic issues at stake; "Is Tourism Losing its Human Face?" and "The Condition of Proletarian Women" dealing with India.
"Women: Producers and Reproducers in Underdeveloped Capitalist Systems" Marjorie Mbilinyi, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 1976
Although somewhat old, this 38 page study remains an important contribution to the understanding of the nature of the labor process in which women are engaged, in both production and reproduction of the labor force, particularly in underdeveloped agricultural areas, in both precapitalist and capitalist systems. Written from a socialist position, the paper attempts to understand and explain the contradictions specific to women in order to ensure that women's liberation is an objective part of socialist transformation.