This new and timely book deals with the magnitude and the intensity of the poverty in Latin America, Mexico and the state of Nuevo Leon. The enormous and chronic social problems of poverty in 1970 struck approximately 40 per cent of the families of Latin America or 119 million people. In 1990, of 423,913,043 habitants of Latin America, 46 per cent were living in poverty, that is to say, 195 million people were suffering this calamity (CEPAL). According to the same CEPAL, in 2002 44 per cent of the population of Latin America was poor, whereas 19.40 per cent were living in extreme poverty, indigence or misery. Seen in another way, the poverty in Latin America increased in that period of 20 years, from 1970 to 1990, 38.97 per cent. At the moment, in Latin America there are 225 million poor people. This book is an essential reference to a problem which the world must, if for no other reason than necessity, deal with in a vigorous and just manner.

In the context of contemporary economic, political, social and cultural transformations, this book brings together contributions from developed and emerging societies in Europe, the USA and East Asia in order to highlight the nature, extent and impact of these changes on the housing opportunities of women. The collection seeks to contribute to comparative housing debates by highlighting the gendered nature of housing processes, locating these processes within wider structured and institutionalized relations of power, and to show how these socially constructed relationships are culturally contingent, and manifest and transform over time and space. The international contributors draw on a wide range of empirical evidence relating to labour market participation, wealth distribution, family formation and education to demonstrate the complexity and gendered nature of the interlocking arenas of production, reproduction and consumption and the implications for the housing opportunities of women in different social contexts. Worldwide examples are drawn from Australia, China, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and the USA.

This collection of essays represents the first in-depth, scholarly treatment of housing policies and conditions throughout the Caribbean. The contributors consider both the performance of the state and the autonomous activities of the poor, making this volume an invaluable contribution to future planning and debate.The essays, each dealing with a specific island or group of islands, collectively address four main themes: the history of housing provision since colonization, current housing conditions, state policies toward housing provision, and the changing relationships between governments, international funding agencies, the private housing sector, and the peoples' responses. These investigations not only highlight the often alarming problems that Caribbean nations face in providing adequate housing for the poor but also implicate governments in past and present failures and poor performances. However, the essays are also filled with useful insights about the ways in which progressive housing policies can be formulated and implemented. For example, the volume suggests that the Caribbean's rich heritage of folk and vernacular architectural styles should be taken into serious account in future planning efforts.In a concluding synthesis chapter, the volume editors argue that a more progressive future is attainable if all parties exhibit the political will that the poor have already demonstrated.

Recent discussion of postmodern culture describes a movement from center to periphery, privileging cultures that were formerly marginalized. Women and Change in the Caribbean, a study of women marginalized by both gender and race in a region such as the Caribbean—itself marginalized in global terms—attempts to extract insights relevant both within and beyond geographical confines. This volume offers a feminist interpretation of a multicultural society emerging from colonialism and in the process of change and restructuring. The nineteen chapters include case studies of fifteen different Caribbean territories including Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Grenada, and Guyana. The book is divided into two sections: the first looks at women's status and gender relations in the private and public spheres; the second looks at women's economic activity. Taking a broad pan-Caribbean comparative view contributors discuss territories with American, British, Dutch, Danish, French, and Spanish colonial traditions and current political links. The contributors come from a range of disciplinary backgrounds including agriculture, anthropology, economics, geography, history, sociology, and women's studies.