Briefs: The Crisis’ Impact On Women’s Rights: Sub-regional Perspectives

Brief 2 Caribbean: The Impact of the Crisis on Women in the Caribbean
 By Rhoda Reddock y Juliana S. Foster

The global financial crisis received world-wide attention in mid-2008, amidst signs of increasing distress. The authors of this brief address the impact of the global financial crisis in the context of the Caribbean.

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Brief 3 Asia: The Impact of the Crisis on Women in developing Asia
 By Jayati Ghosh

As developing Asia is the most globalised region of the world in terms of both trade flows and financial flows, it was expected that the global crisis would adversely affect the region. The author of this brief explores how the effects of the crisis tend to be disproportionately distributed among the population within Asian countries, with certain vulnerable groups, including women and girls, affected to a worse degree than groups that are more secure or privileged.

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Brief 4 Pacific Islands : The Impact of the Crisis on Pacific Island Women: A Snapshot
 By Karanina Sumeo

The author of this brief examines how the global economic crisis has exacerbated some of the shared struggles for women in the Pacific region, but has also prompted a rethink of traditional attitudes that have hindered women’s voices and efforts to better themselves, their communities, their nations, and the Pacific region as a whole.

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Brief 5 Central Asia: The Impact of the Crisis on Women in Central Asia
 By Nurgul Djanaeva

The current global crisis is bringing economic and financial burden to working class women and rural women’s lives in Central Asia, which were and still are under tremendous impact of the previous crisis. The author of this brief examines how the cuts in trade lead to cuts in textile production and a reduction of remittance which have lead to an increase in job insecurity for mostly female employees. This significant reduction of women’s income increases their vulnerability to gender discrimination, the reduction in access to education, and reduction in health services.

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Brief 6 Western Africa: The Global Financial Crisis and Women in West Africa: Developing Impacts and the Implications of Policy Responses
 By Dzodzi Tsikata

Due to different aspects of the African continent’s economic relationships with the various regions of the world as well as the generalised climate of insecurity generated by the global financial crisis, the global financial crisis has spread to sub-Saharan Africa. The author of this brief examines how the current and potential impacts of the global financial crisis needs to be understood within an already difficult West African context.

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Brief 7 Western Europe : The Impact of the Crisis on Women in West Europe
 By Wendy Harcourt

The current financial crisis has raised considerable concerns within West Europe. Though it is still too early to measure the actual impact, there is deep concern about the worsening of gender gaps and social inequalities across the board and in particular for those already on social and economic margins such as the young, the elderly and migrant women. The author of this brief highlights the impact of the financial market’s collapse on women’s situations - whether as workers or carers - and how it is receiving far less attention than the loss of men’s jobs.

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Brief 8 Eastern Europe :The Impact of the Crisis on Women in Central and Eastern Europe
 By Ewa Charkiewicz

Financial and economic crises and a rapid loss of existential security are nothing new for women and men in the former socialist block countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The author of this brief examines the paradox that is the new crisis coming exactly at the time when the transition has been at last declared completed, and women’s and men’s lives have gained stability for good and bad.
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Brief 9 United States: Impact of the Crisis on Women in the United States of America
 By Rania Antonopoulos & Taun Toay

As the impact of the financial crisis continues to reverberate across the world, countries in the South and the North are incurring immense human and economic costs. The authors of thie brief examine how, within the United States, existing inequalities combined with the global financial crisis have affected the most vulnerable, specifically women engaged in domestic service work.

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Brief 10 Eastern Africa: The Impact of the Systemic Crisis on Women in Eastern Africa
 By Zo Randriamaro

Despite the widespread view that the Africa region is immune to the impacts of the global financial and economic crises because of its under-developed financial markets and ‘incomplete globalization’, there is now ample evidence of the crises’ large and differentiated impacts on African countries and the men and women within them. The author of this brief provides an overview of the varying gender impacts of the global financial and economic crisis on countries with different economic structures and levels of development, specifically East Africa.

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Brief 11 Cross Regional : The Impact of the Crisis on Women: Main Trends across Regions
 By Natalie Raaber

The authors of this brief present the main trends emerging from a cross–regional analysis of the impact of the crisis on women’s rights.  Both the similarities and the differences across regions are drawn out.

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