The Role of Shelter in Generating Income Opportunities for Poor Women in the Third World

Abdl M. Ku.ow received his Bachelor ofAtts In Sociology from Michigan State University in 1990 anda Master ofUtban Planning from the Uni1111rsity ofMichigan In 1992. His areas ofinterest, as they relate to Africa and the Third World, areln utban and regional development, housing and community development, agricultural de1111Jopment, utban and rural migration, food insecurities and shortages In Africa, and the role of farmer empowerment. He plans to focus research on the constant food and hunger crisis in the Hom ofAfrica, patticularfy among the poor peasants and farmers ofsouthern Somal/a. This discussion of poor women's income opportuni­ ties seeks to identify some of the salient factors that hinder women from obtaining shelter and proper employment. Particular consideration is given to the ways in which the current economic structure of the world, industrialization, technological changes, the fragmentation of land ownership, and migration have affected women's social and economic status. This discussion is further intended to examine the condi­ tions of home-based women workers in the urban and rural areas of India, and the potential of shelter in providing economic opportunities for these women (Mahajan). Selat examines the role of self-employed women and their significant contribution to the family income and the importance of shelter in the status of women in a small locality in Malaysia. Thus, the aim of this discussion is to show the importance of residential space and the centrality of shelter in providing long-term income for poor women in the Third World. Finally, policy implications for the future are examined, showing how women's organiza­ tions can influence such policies in the future.