ABSTRACT
Given that the Report emphasizes the role of economic development as a key element in improving gender equality in the Third World, this chapter addresses four concerns dealing with the concept of economic development and its connections to gender equality. First, the Report does not explain clearly the objectives of economic development and does not make explicit the distinction between economic growth and economic development, sometimes using the two terms interchangeably (World Bank 2001: 1,182). Second, the Report fails to take into consideration the issues of class, race, and ethnicity, a very important omission in the case of Latin American countries where huge income disparities exist. The dynamic process of economic development and its impact on gender equality will play out differently for working-class, middleclass and upper-class women. It is important to acknowledge differences among women in terms of race and ethnicity. Third, I disagree with the Report’s conclusion that “on balance the evidence suggests that females’ absolute status and gender equality improved, not deteriorated” (ibid.: 215) during the structural adjustment period of the 1980s and 1990s in Latin America.
