Gender and Development

Samuel Cohn is professor of sociology at Texas A&M University. He is the founder and first president of the American Sociological Association section on development. He has won the American Sociological Association’s Jessie Barnard Award for the best book on gender, his Process of Occupational Sex-Typing (Temple, 1985). Among his other works are a general book on race and gender discrimination in the United States, studies of race discrimination in American cities, a book on Brazilian economic development, and studies of development processes in 19th century Norway and the British Celtic fringe. He recently won a prize from the American Sociological Association for his service to development sociology. Rae Lesser Blumberg is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia. Much of her academic work involves her general theory of gender stratification and theory of gender and development. In both, women’s versus men’s relative economic power (defined as control of income and other assets) is posited as the key—but not sole—factor affecting gender equality and many other development-related outcomes. She has worked in virtually all sectors of development, in 48 countries since Peace Corps in Venezuela, with the World Bank, USAID, UNESCO, UNDP and other UN agencies, the African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, various international nongovernmental organizations, and individual governments. She was president of the Sociology of Development Section of the American Sociological Association in 2014–2015. Her BS, MA, and PhD are from Northwestern University, and she is the author/coauthor of more than 100 publications, including eight books.

• AcknowledgmentsAbout the EditorsAbout the Contributors1. “Power of the Purse”: The Importance of Women’s Economic Power: Why Women’s Economic Power Is Absolutely Essential - Rae Lesser Blumberg and Samuel Cohn2. Guide to the Book - Samuel Cohn and Rae Lesser Blumberg3. Armed Actors, the Commodification of Women, and the Destruction of Childhood: Understanding the Connections Between Predatory Sexuality and the Violence of Capital in Colombia - Jasmin Hristov4. The “Created Biology of Gender Stratification”: Links Between Economic Power and Gender Equality From Hunter-Gatherers to Today’s Global South and North - Rae Lesser Blumberg5. Development, the State, and Gender: A Comparative Analysis of Iran and Tunisia - Valentine M. Moghadam6. Poverty, Water, Sanitation Insecurities, and the Challenges of Maintaining Menstrual Hygiene - Rita Jalali7. Male Preference and Women’s Economic Power: How Men’s Choices Open or Close Occupations For Women - Samuel Cohn8. Women on the Fast Track?: Coloniality of Citizenship and Embodied Social Mobility - Manuela Boatca and Julia Roth9. Gender through the Looking Glass: The Role of Low-Status Men in the Production of Global Gender Violence and Racial and Ethnic Bigotry - Kevin T. Leicht and Phyllis L. Baker10. War, Women, and the Aftermath: Finding Resilience in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Nepal - Marie E. Berry11. No Way Out: Women in Nepal Trapped in Cycles of Poverty, Gender Inequality, and Economic Disenfranchisement - Jennifer Rothchild and Priti Shrestha Piya12. Authentic Activism: Domestic Workers as Global Development Agents - Jennifer N. Fish and Justin SpragueReferencesIndex