Abstract

Third World, Second Sex brings together women's organizations from over 20 Third World countries giving voice to their own experiences and perspectives. This important book reflects, as a result, the accelerating pace of women's struggles in countries as diverse as India and El Salvador, Oman and Mauritius, Chile and Zimbabwe. The issues these women face include their role in national liberation movements and armed struggles; the need, or otherwise, for an autonomous women's movement in Third World Countries; and the changing position of women after a revolutionary transition. They also give accounts of specific feminist campaigns against malviolence, against company exploitation, and in the area of women and health. This book reveals how Third World women are confronting traditional male-dominated structures with courage and initiative. The experiences of this new generation of women's movements can contribute to an understanding among other Third World women of their problems and how to analyse and solve them. It also adds a rich new dimension to women's perspectives elsewhere in the world. A useful listing of women's organizations worldwide is also included.