ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the importance of women’s work in developing countries and especially the impact of their low status on the critical areas of population growth and food production. It considers the impact of the New International Economic Order (NIEO) on the Conference of Mexico on Women and on United Nations (UN) debates on the status of women. The chapter examines the interrelationship of the NIEO and women’s role in development. On the negative side was a failure of the United States and the USSR to agree on the “peace” theme. The declaration highlights such principles as equality between men and women; equal opportunity for women; and the right of women to work, to receive equal pay for work of equal value, and to equal conditions and opportunities for advancement. The NIEO discussion has contributed significantly to focusing attention on one aspect of the domestic changes required: the role of women in development.
