*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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Review
Students and faculty interested in comparative international data on women will find this set particularly useful. It is current, well written, and informative, providing scholarly content, useful detail, and sound documentation. Highly recommended. All collections.
― Choice
"Particularly useful for cross-national comparisons of data and issues that would normally be difficult to compare….This outstanding reference work serves general readers who are seeking an overview of the topic, as well as scholars pursuing further research. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries."
― Library Journal, Starred Review
^IThe Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women's Issues Worldwide^R is a must for all college libraries, and highly recommended for public and high school libraries.
― Feminist Collections
The organization of the information is what helps make this set so valuable. The outline provided acts as a guide for the user to quickly retrieve brief information, or use it as the starting place for in-depth research….[h]ighly recommended. It will be helpful for college and high school students studying a broad range of topics.
― Multicultural Review
The presentation of this work is very good and complements the huge amount and quality of information it contains. The volumes are well presented and attractive.
― Reference Reviews
[R]ecommended for libraries that wish to provide narrative descriptions of women's issues by country.
― College & Research Libraries
[R]ecommend it for addition to high school, public, college, and university libraries.
― Reference & User Services Quarterly
Can be recommended from high school age upwards [and] it will be a must for universities and colleges that offer women's studies courses.
― Reference Reviews
Major issues facing women worldwide are examined in this impressive set….This is an exceptional and thorough research tool.
― School Library Journal
This high quality, groundbreaking multivolume reference set documents the achievements and current challenges for women in more than 130 countries….A valuable resource for social studies, psychology, women's studies, world language and economic classes. Recommended.
― Library Media Connection
"There is more detail here on women's issues worldwide than readers will find in any other reference source…. The attention paid to developing nations helps make the set a boon to researchers, since information on women's lives in many of these places can be so hard to track down….The set's country-by-country approach and uniform structure make it easy to draw comparisons between different parts of the world…. Recommended for libraries serving patrons from high-school age and up and especially for colleges and universities with strong women's programs."
― Booklist, Starred Review
[f]or those attempting cross-cultural comparisons of countries on many of these issues, there simply is no more comprehensive resource available. Recommended for academic libraries.
― Gale-Larence Looks at Books
About the Author
LYNN WALTER is Professor of Social Change and Development and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.
MANISHA DESAI is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York.
CHERYL KALNY is Visiting Assistant Professor of History at St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin.
AMY LIND is Assistant Professor of Women's Studies at Arizona State University, Tempe. Her research has focused on gender, development, and women's political participation in Latin America, particularly in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru.
BAHIRA SHERIF-TRASK is Associate Professor of Individual and Family Studies at the University of Delaware, Newark.
AILI MARI TRIPP is Associate Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
