Womans Role in Economic Development

This classic text by Ester Boserup was the first investigation ever undertaken into what happens to women in the process of economic and social growth throughout the developing world, thereby serving as an international benchmark. In the context of the ongoing struggle for women's rights, massive urbanization and international efforts to reduce poverty, this book continues to be a vital text for economists, sociologists, development workers, activists and all those who take an active interest in women's social and economic circumstances and problems throughout the world.

Ester Boserup (1910-1999) was born in Denmark. A respected economist, she worked for many years as a researcher and consultant with the United Nations and other international organizations. Her other works include The Conditions of Agricultural Growth.Nazneen Kanji is Director of a Quality of Life assessment programme with the Aga Khan Development Network. Su Fei Tan is a Researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) currently studying the linkages between decentralization and local management of natural resources. Camilla Toulmin is Director of IIED, an economist and co-editor of Towards a New Map of Africa (2005).