Reading on Women and Development in Malaysia (HB)

This thick volume, which contains a collection of original essays written by various Malaysian researchers in the field of Women and Development, represents the result of many years of coordinating work on my part and the joint effort and cooperation of many individuals. It began with my realization in the 1980s that unlike the situation in many countries of the world, there was a glaring lacuna in academic publications on Women and Development in Malaysia. Spurred by the demand among feminist organisations and mainstream government planners (especially the Women Affairs Secretariat of the Government of Malaysia) for reliable statistical analyses on women’s participation in Malaysia’s development process, I felt that it was about time that a concerted effort should be made to organise a colloquium which could cover all essential spheres relating to the subject matter. — Jamilah Ariffin, Preface and Acknowledgements —