ECON 223 Gender and Economic Development (Same as Environmental Studies 223) (Not offered 1997-98)

Women are in particularly adverse circumstances in the developing world and their concerns are quite distinct and often in direct opposition to the concerns of men. This course will focus on women's issues in developing countries. Issues covered will include women in the labor market, intra-household allocation, marriage markets, population policy and reproductive choice, and gender differentials in schooling and health. The aim will be to see how economic choices are affected by constraints to women's autonomy that emerge from structures of patriarchy imbedded in cultural systems. Thus, in addition to readings from economics, we will read some anthropology and sociology. This will lead to a discussion about how we may be able to develop policy initiatives to improve the lot of women, as well as make existing policies more gender sensitive.
Requirements: a midterm, a final exam and a 20-page term paper.
Prerequisite: Economics 101.

RAO