This book is intended both for practitioners of development and as an introductory text for social science students, particularly those in developing countries. It traces the way perceptions of women in development have been affected by development thinking over the last three decades and argues the need for a gender perspective in development planning, in order to support and enhance women's participation and empowerment. Initially women were largely seen as recipients of welfare and as mothers, but were otherwise invisible. Increasingly their productive contribution has been recognized. Separate chapters analyze their contribution in agriculture, industry and the informal sector. The problems involved in gathering gender-sensitive data are examined in relation to women's economic activity and the household, and the balance of power between the sexes. Finally, the argument is made that sustainable change in women's material conditions will never come about without women's collective empowerment so that the underlying structures which produce imbalance between the genders are dismantled.

Gender planning is not an end in itself but a means by which women, through a process of empowerment, can emancipate themselves. Ultimately, its success depends on the capacity of women's organizations to confront subordination and create successful alliances which will provide constructive support in negotiating women's needs at the level of household, civil society, the state and the global system. Gender Planning and Development provides an introduction to an issue of primary importance and constant debate. It will be essential reading for academics, practitioners, undergraduates and trainees in anthropology, development studies, women's studies and social policy.

To document and analyze the connection between gender and planning, the editors of this volume have assembled an interdisciplinary collection of influential essays by leading scholars. Contributors point to the ubiquitous single-family home, which prevents women from sharing tasks or pooling services. Similarly, they argue that public transportation routes are usually designed for the (male) worker's commute from home to the central city, and do not help the suburban dweller running errands. In addition to these practical considerations, many contributors offer theoretical perspectives on issues such as planning discourse and the construction of concepts of rationality.

The first comprehensive history and analysis of women and the planning movement, covering the philosophical, practical and policy dimensions. A central theme is how men have rewritten planning in their own image in creating modern urban space.

Planning is currently a male profession, but an analysis of a century of town planning reveals this to be a new development; women have been central to the planning movement since it began. Women and Planning is the first comprehensive history and analysis of women and the planning movement, covering the philosophical, practical and policy dimensions of `planning for women'. Beyond the marginalization of women, modern, scientific planning hides a story of past links with eugenics, colonialism, artistic, utopian and religious movements and the occult. Central to the discussion is the questioning of how male planners have rewritten planning in their own image, projecting patriarchal assumptions in their creation of `urban realities'. Issues of class, sexuality, ethnicity and disability are raised by the fundamental question of `Who is being planned for?'

Planning has a central essential legitimacy in addressing social goals. Despite the ideal position of planning is being able to initiate, encourage & strengthen the links between the theory & practice of feminism in its relationship with gender,planning can act against women's interests & thus reinforce the unequal distribution of powers between the sexes, not only within the planning discipline but also in the assumptions & practice in our use of the built environment. This book provides a feminist interpretation of contemporary urban planning. It outlines the gender inequalities which characterize many areas of mainstream planning as well as the assumptions & practices surrounding our use of the built environment. The book incorporates detailed theoretical discussion on the underlying basis & form of women's subordination & applies this discussion to the development & implementation of planning policies. Attention focuses on both the establishment & operation of formal 'women's initiatives' within local government & on the promotion of specific policies aimed at meeitng women's needs within key areas of planning. - Habitat International, December 1994