GENDER AND GLOBALISATION

In the globalising world today, it is the economic changes that are altering structures and cultures. Most of the economies of the developing world are now in the process of restructuring in the direction of free market and liberalisation with an overall aim at developing outward looking internationally competitive economies, with negative social consequences. The free play of markets, liberalisation, privatisation and competition have become the keywords in the path towards globalisation. One of the serious concerns today is the impact of globalisation on gender. How do economic integration, technical change, and access to information have an impact on gender inequality? There have been various arguments for and against globalisation. Some argue that globalisation has brought increased access to economic opportunities. Trade openness and the spread of information and communication technologies (ICTs) have increased women’s access to economic opportunities and, in some cases, increased their wages relative to men’s. Growth in export and ICT-enabled sectors, together with a decline in the importance of physical strength and a rise in the importance of cognitive skills, has increased the demand for female labour. ICT has also increased access to markets among female farmers and entrepreneurs by easing time and mobility constraints. Others argue that not everyone is benefiting from globalisation. Women, for whom existing constraints are most binding, are often left behind. While the forces unleashed by globalisation have lifted some of the barriers to greater gender equality, public action is needed to lift these further. Public policy further needs to address gender gaps in endowments, agency, and access to economic opportunities. There is a need to make a collective and concentrated effort to accommodate the strategic gender needs so that in this period of transition, social safety nets are created for the vulnerable sections in society. The various essays in this book examine the impact of globalisation and the challenges that it has posed. We hope this book would be useful to students and scholars interested in understanding globalisation and its impact on society, economy and several other institutions.