Journal Citation:
19 HUMAN RIGHTS QUARTERLY, 630-65 (1997).
It is now well-established that structural adjustment and stabilization policies (SAPs) undertaken in developing countries to receive condition-based loans from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have exacerbated conditions of poverty and deprivation for large sections of the population. This article examines the disparate impact of SAPs on women and the resulting unacceptable feminization of poverty in many countries with economies in transition. It argues that the disproportionate cost of adjustment borne by women violates their rights to development guaranteed in national and international conventions, and makes these economic reforms unsustainable in the long run. Approaches utilizing good governance and human rights principles to achieve gender justice and equality in economic restructuring are also reviewed. Finally, consideration is given to some strategies which the international financial institutions, governments, and NGOs can use to build frameworks for equitable and gender-responsive development