Searching for Security: Women’s Responses to Economic Transformations

Human security is a development buzzword of the 1990s. To attain security people need to be safe from natural disasters, such as famine, and man-made problems, such as unemployment. Women are a particularly insecure section of society with the impact of deprivation disproportionately shouldered by women throughout the developing world. This study examines how economic, political and environmental factors have contributed to increased gender insecurity in the last decade. Analyzing the impacts of insecurity-inducing global changes on the lives of women throughout the developing world, the book discusses the gender responses to these changing circumstances from Africa to Malaysia, Hungary to the Caribbean. By examining the impact of liberal economic policies, war, rape, racism and environmental damage on the lives of women, this collection of essays makes a contribution to emerging policy efforts to recognize and address the issue of gender insecurity.