Many of the development policies, past and present alike, tend to promote market-led economic growth by increasing consumption or inducing structural reforms towards liberalism. Supporters of such policy cheer gleefully, convinced that they would boost more revenue and therefore improve life standard. The prospect lies ahead has never been better, except for one marginalized group. In the middle of this warm welcome, some are mostly forgotten as though they are not existed. The invisible hand, unlike that of the market, contributes to the national economy as much as others. Women are behind the increased gross domestic products in their place at the very end of the spiral economic structure. However, the policies do not seem to take them much into account.

There are particular roles and duties attached to women: the role of housewife and mother. It has become institutionalized and even naturalized, thereby decreasing women’s economic security and autonomy. (Tickner 2001, 82) According to Tickner, new international division of labor has had significant effects on women. (2001, 77) To worsen the problem, women are affected by gender division of labor as well. Much of the ‘women’s job’ were done without any pay. In the paid job, the payment is lower than that of men. They are made to bear more burdens as well as subsidize men who are linked to the global economy more directly. By regulating professions women can take according to their sex, most fundamental instance of male bias in macro-economic planning is made through underestimating the amount of labor and the resources required for maintenance of the household. There is a limit to which inputs of child care, cooking and health care can be reduced without impairing human resources. (Elsen 1992) Consequently, this limit will bring about the time allocation difficulty between unpaid housework and agriculture activities counted as source for revenue. Eventually, the limit will be exceeded and pose strain to the economy as a whole.

hat despite women’s much contributions to the economy, their efforts are far less appreciated. It will then prove this in economic aspect, namely land, time, and job payment, as well as in social aspect. At the end it will suggest the line the policy ought to take ensure that there will be less marginalization of women. They cannot be ignored any further.

Obviously enough, this phenomenon of women being marginalized does not occur in third world states only, but also take place in the first world. The core and the periphery have come so close together since the global capitalist class was born. The economic interests of its members are increasingly globally linked rather than exclusively local and national in origin. (Sklair 2001, 18) In the core exists the periphery. Therefore, women’s being oppressed is not anymore the exclusive feature of third world or developing countries. It has become universal feature.

The idea of global capitalist class can render much of the understanding in the reason behind the issuing policies. They operate through prevailing ideas of free trade and consumerism, holding their interests best at heart. They cooperate with the domestic elite class in order to make the agenda setting the way they want; therefore, they appropriate the national resources at the same time, much of these come

Some topics in this essay:
Sandra Harding, Bell Hooks, According Tickner, Coelho Coffey, Latin America, , Goetz1995 Policies, women’s resources, capitalist class, global capitalist class, development policies, global capitalist, third world, irrigated rice, access land, division labor, tickner 2001, sustain nation’s economy, capitalist norm,