From research to policy: rural women in India

The following article describes the new awareness of rural women's role in development in India that has resulted from studying rural women directly. It indicates the possibility of moving from research on rural women to the formation of policy and the design of programs that take into account the reality of rural women's lives.

Women in the household economy: managing multiple roles

The following article describes the strategies of a group of rural Kenyan market women for coordinating their various family responsibilities: subsistence production, income generation, child rearing, and household maintenance. By approaching the study of these women through their income-generating role, which is essential to the performance of their other roles, this analysis provides an important éntree for understanding all aspects of women's behavior.

Women's reality: critical issues for program design

The following article looks at social controls on the behavior of rural women in Bangladesh that need to be considered in project designs if women are to be able to respond to development programs. Rural women in many countries are constrained by analogous social pressures, which usually have an economic basis favoring the more powerful and therefore are resistant to change. Since these pressures on rural women often have a negative effect on the goals of rural development, they need to be understood and addressed.