Informal associations among women in developing countries constitute an important source of vitality and integrity for women. This book evaluates the impact of development programs on women’s informal associations and sharpens our understanding of them. The participation of women in development via their informal networks presents a dilemma insofar

Study of informal women's organizations partic. Of rural women and their development potential in Africa and Asia - discusses their structural characteristics, incl. Flexibility in membership, purposes, hierarchy, etc.; examines social role, economic role and political participation of women through traditional household activities; stresses importance of informal relationships and networks; emphasizes need to respect them when promoting development and structural change; analyses resistance to formalization. Bibliography.

Too often, editors Bandana Purkayastha and Mangala Subramaniam have found, marginalized groups in rural or impoverished areas are overlooked by the international economy of knowledge. The Power of Women's Informal Networks describes and evaluates social organization among poor women in South Asia and West Africa as attempts to challenge marginalization. The discerning editors and contributors explicitly consider the situated contexts within which women work together to improve their lives, with a primary focus on international women's agencies.

Formalising employment is a desirable policy goal, but how it is done matters greatly, especially for women workers. Indeed, formalisation policies that do not recognise gendered realities and prevailing socio-economic conditions may be less effective and even counterproductive. This book examines the varying trajectories of formalisation and their impact on women workers in five developing countries in Asia and Africa: India, Thailand, South Africa, Ghana and Morocco. They range from low- to middle-income countries, which are integrated into global financial and goods markets to differing degrees and have varying labour market and macroeconomic conditions. The case studies, using macro and survey data as well as in-depth analysis of particular sectors, provide interesting and sometimes surprising insights. Despite some limited successes in providing social protection benefits to some informal workers, most formalisation policies have not really improved the working conditions of women workers. In many cases, that is because the policies are gender-blind and insensitive to the specific needs of women workers. The impact of formalisation policies on women in developing countries is relatively under-researched. This book provides new evidence that will be applicable across a wide range of developing country contexts and will be of interest to policymakers, feminist economists and students of economics, labour, gender and development studies, public policy, politics and sociology.

On the cover: New gender mainstreaming series on development issues

Presents an overview of women in development during the three UN Development Decades from 1960 to 1990. Includes case studies of women farmers in Africa, industrial workers in manufacturing for export in Asia, and informal sector workers in Latin America.