From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up-Major issues facing women worldwide are examined in this impressive set. Each volume covers a specific region of the world. Entries include a map of the nation and a profile of its history and culture. Specific issues germane to that country are described in an overview and under headings for "Education," "Employment and Economics," "Family and Sexuality," "Health," "Politics and Law," "Religion and Spirituality," "Violence," and "Outlook for the Twentieth-Century." At least one black-and-white photograph and an occasional table are also included for each entry. Each article ends with notes and a resource guide that lists Web sites, nonprint items, related organizations, suggested reading, and a selected bibliography. Some of the resources may be hard to find. An appendix in the volume
Sub-Saharan Africa includes statistics on education and literacy, discrimination against women, economic activity, HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, life expectancy, and more. While the information and statistics are generally up-to-date, the entry on Iraq does not mention the war. Each volume includes a glossary and an index. The comprehensive index in the last volume can be frustrating to use; a few see and see-also references lead to other see terms, rather than page notations.
Sub-Saharan Africa, the last volume, contains the index, but there is no indication on the spine that it's there. Otherwise, this is an exceptional and thorough research tool. Cheris Kramarae's four-volume
Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge (Routledge, 2000) is a more scholarly treatment arranged by issue rather than country.
-Maureen Connelly, John C. Hart Memorial Library, Shrub Oak, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
*Starred Review* In a global survey of the conditions under which contemporary women live, this resource divides the world into six regions: Asia and Oceania, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, North America and the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa. Each volume is organized alphabetically by country or in some cases by region (for example, the chapter "Central Asia" covers Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan). A general introduction provides an overview of contemporary women's issues worldwide, written by the editor in chief, a professor of women's studies at the University of Wisconsin. Volume editors and contributors are likewise university affiliated. The volume editors provide introductory essays treating the situation of women in the particular region or regions addressed.
Across the volumes, chapters are organized almost identically. A profile of the nation or region is followed by an overview of women's issues. Subsequent sections on education, employment and economics, family and sexuality, health, politics and law, religion and spirituality, violence, and the outlook for the twenty-first century offer a clear and comprehensive picture of women's everyday lives. Subsections under each heading allow for in-depth treatment. For example, "Politics and Law" is divided into smaller sections on "Suffrage," "Political Participation," "Women's Rights" (in turn subdivided into "Feminist Movements" and "Lesbian Rights"), and "Military Service." Chapter length averages 24 pages, with that for French Guiana, at 8 pages, being the shortest and that for Jordan, at 50 pages, being the longest. Both the volume introductions and the chapters conclude with notes; a resource guide listing suggested readings, videos and films, Web sites, and organizations; and a selected bibliography.
Clear black-and-white line maps begin each of the country or region chapters, and black-and-white photos, though infrequent, do extend the text. Each volume contains an index of subject and person entries, with a comprehensive set index at the end of the volume on sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the number of contributors, the text is remarkably uniform in its objective tone and clear sentence structure. The full page, noncolumnar layout is inviting, and the organizational structure facilitates ready access to information.
Though the excellent Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge (2000) is a bit stronger on statistical and demographic information, The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women's Issues Worldwide provides stiff competition with its wealth of information clearly and accessibly presented. There is room in most collections for both. Recommended for libraries serving patrons from high-school age and up and especially for colleges and universities with strong women's programs. RBB
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