Anne Booth (SOAS)

In the literature on women and development, there has been a tendency to view the countries of Southeast Asia as less patriarchal than other parts of Asia. It has also been argued that patterns of female literacy and female employment in the Moslem-majority countries in Southeast Asia are different from those in Moslem-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa. This paper reviews both the historical and contemporary evidence on the role of women in Southeast Asia paying particular attention to four indicators. The first is the extent to which women have been able to obtain employment outside the home. The second is their ability to gain access to at least sufficient education to give them literacy and numeracy. The third concerns their control over when and who they marry, and their fertility within marriage. The fourth concerns the extent to which Southeast Asian societies have been characterized by strong son-preference. The paper discusses whether Southeast Asia is different and the possible reasons for these differences.

Professor Anne Booth is Emeritus Professor of Economics at the SOAS Department of Economics.

Organised by the Female Employment and Dynamics of Inequality (FEDI) Network

Speakers: Anne Booth (SOAS), Massoud Karshenas (SOAS)

Released by: SOAS Economics Podcasts