Issue VII:January - March 2009

Editorial

Women’s access to labour market and decent work has been considered critical for economic empowerment and while trade liberalization is said to open job opportunities for women most of it is in the nature of ‘vulnerable employment’ where women either contribute as family workers or own-account workers in the global supply chain and are without any formal work arrangement and carry higher economic risks. Reduction in public spending on health care and education affect women in particular given their role within the household and non-recognition of this role as economic activity further undermines their contribution. The existing inequalities in terms of access to education, skill and resources place women in a more vulnerable situation hence economic crisis puts a disproportionate burden on women. Therefore, gender analysis of the current economic crisis becomes essential.

This issue of the newsletter comes at a time when the proponents of gender rights send the clear message that unless a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the crisis is made and policy responses take gender equality into account the crisis could increase poverty and thwart future development.  The summary of Global Employment Trends for Women 2009 is apt towards an understanding of the situation of the women workers. The review of the paper “International Trade and Wage Discrimination: Evidence from East Asia” looks into gender based wage discrimination in two highly open economies. The article “The Unorganised Women Farmers and their Participation in Enhancing the GDP in India” captures the role of women in marketing of their farm products. Finally, the entrepreneurial skills of the Vietnamese women are demonstrated in the piece which is covered under the “Engendering” section.

We hope that this issue will provide a valuable reading.