Population, the Status of Women, and Rural Development

MAJOR INCREASES IN POPULATION modify the man-land ratio, facilitate specialization and communication, and provide other economies of scale. Whether the impact of these changes on rural development is positive or negative, and the likely feedback effects on demographic trends, depend in the first instance on macroeconomic factors, notably including government policy. But, microeconomic factors enter the picture as well. This essay deals with one of these microeconomic factors, namely the subordinate status of rural women as compared with men of the same age and social group. I consider how women's status varies under three types of family organization and land tenure arrangements prevalent in rural areas, and argue that the response of rural populations to economic and demographic change is more or less flexible depending on the type of family organization. The status of women varies between rural communities and sometimes between families in the same village. The roles of women are also strikingly different. Christine Oppong distinguishes between seven roles that compete for women's time and energy, but here I shall focus only on those that are most relevant to my subject. Of course, it is impossible to discuss the multitude of local patterns in a brief review. Nevertheless, family organization and the status of women are related to the agricultural system, which in turn is related to population density and technological levels. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the analysis by distinguishing a few major patterns of interrelationships between population, status of women, and rural development that together describe most rural communities in the Third World.