As someone who has been interested in gender and development since commencing a PhD on women's empowerment in the Solomon Islands 20 years ago, I picked up this hefty tome with considerable interest and anticipation. As it is edited by one of the foremost authorities on the topic, Slyvia Chant, I also had high expectations. I was not disappointed. In the introduction to The International Handbook of Gender and Poverty, Chant points out that "gender is not just about women, and poverty is not just about income" (p. 2). Many of the book's authors demonstrate this latter point ably by showing the importance to women of living with dignity and without violence, and having decision-making power and rights to resources. While not all of the authors address gender concerns for men and women, there is good recognition of this in places and some stimulating writing on masculinities, such as the Chapter 41 which explores Asian-Muslim young men in the UK in the context of the "war on terror", and the concluding chapter by Jane Parpart which examines "Masculinity, poverty and the 'new wars'" (i.e. the rise in violent conflicts from the 1990s onwards).
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