ABSTRACT
The author contends that neoliberalism is not overtly anti-women and can be even open to accommodating some feminist demands, such as integrating women into the workforce, extending credit to women, or recruiting women to decision-making positions. However, these developments do not always help women, and other neoliberal policies imposed by international financial agencies, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, or intergovernmental organizations such as the European Union (EU), result in conditions that are ultimately punitive for women, especially for low-income women in developing countries. Most important, and more recently, the accommodation of some feminist demands in neoliberal terms embody the danger of depoliticizing women’s human rights struggle, subverting their goals, and serving the interests of some women at the expense of others.
