Description
Book SynopsisThis global survey starts from the assumption that the significant transformations in women's lives deserve to be fully documented and interpreted. Janet Mancini Billson and Carlyn Fluehr-Lobban tackle the complexities of social change by using data from countries in every world region to illustrate the most critical challenges that women faced during the last century - challenges that are also likely to shape the 21st century. Global knowledge and feminism dovetailed in the 20th century, fed by international air travel, telecommunications, the internet, and a growing awareness that solving female oppression would improve the lot of all humankind. The authors therefore adopt a strong international, comparative, cross-cultural, and feminist framework that uncovers the fundamental processes that promote, sustain, or degrade the female condition. At the heart of Female Well-Being are case studies written by country teams of scholars, educators, and policy analysts, in Canada, The United States, Colombia, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Japan, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa, and Sudan. Female well-being is measured by analysing trends in infant mortality, maternal mortality, literacy, life expectancy, education, work, income, family structure, and political power. These trends are contextualised in the light of the century's major events, legislative initiatives, social policies, and leadership, to illustrate the processes that enhance, sustain, or detract from the female condition. This book will be a critical resource for academics, development experts and policy analysts.
Trade Review'The volume makes an important contribution to the goal that of crafting a vibrant and successful women's movement. It will be of interest to students of gender and development, and to development workers and policy makers seeking to make a comparative analysis of women's well-being.' Catherine Locke, University of East Anglia
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Part I: Introduction
- 1. The Twentieth Century as a Transformation Time for Women - Janet Mancini Billson and Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban
- 2. The Complexities of Defining Female Well-Being - Janet Mancini Billson
- 3. A Critique of Social Change Theories - Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban and Janet Mancini Billson
- Part II: Case Studies
- 4. Women in Bangladesh: A Journey in Stages
- 5. Women in Canada: A Century of Struggle - Tess Hooks, Patrice Leclerc and Roderic Beaujoy
- 6. Women in Colombia: 'You Forge Your Path As You Walk' - Elena Garces de Eder with Adriana Marulanda Herran
- 7. Women in Croatia: Continuity and Change - Vesna Barilar, Zeljka Jelavic and Sandra Prlenda
- 8. Women in Iceland: Strong Women, Myths and Contradictions - Thorgerdur Einarsdottir
- 9. Women in Japan: Change and Resistance to Chance - Masako Aiuchi, Makoto Ichimori, Masako Inoue, Keiko Kondo and Fusako Seki
- 10. Women in South Africa: Crossing the Great Divides of Race and Gender - A. M. (ria) Van Niekerk and Jopie Van Rooyen
- 11. Women in Sudan: Resistance and Survival - Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban
- 12. Women in Thailand: Changing the Paradigm of Female Well-Being - Farung Mee-Udon and Ranee Itarat
- 13. Women in the United Kingdom: The Impacts of Immigration, 1900-2000 - Erica Halvorsen and Heather Eggins
- 14. Women in the United States of America: The Struggle for Economic Citizenship - Laura Khoury
- Part III: New theory for a new century
- 15. Common Challenges: Factors that Enhance or Detract from Female Well-Being
- 16. Towards a Gendered Theory of Social Change
- 17. Towards Global Female Well-Being
- Editors and Contributors
- Index
