This book explores the issue of gender inequality through the lens of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly the first one of halving world poverty by 2015.

Neglect of gender inequalities in the distribution of resources, responsibilities and power in the processes of economic accumulation and social reproduction has a high cost for women, children and other dependents and for the development of society as a whole.This book highlights the interconnections between production and reproduction within different societies; women's critical role in straddling both and points to various synergies, tradeoffs and externalities which these generate.Naila Kabeer's book will be of significant use to policymakers, practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders committed to the pursuit of propoor and humancentred development.

This collection focuses on the Millennium Development Goals from a gender perspective. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of this way of understanding and addressing poverty, and suggests ways of strengthening the approach by using key insights and approaches associated with the struggle to establish and uphold the rights of women.

This publication addresses the extent to which social work curricula in Kenya prepares graduates to handle issues of poverty and social development, the specific knowledge and skills that they are equipped with an existing gaps therein. In addition, the challenges that confront the training and practice of social workers and what needs to be done to ensure that there is an enabling environment for social work education and practice in the country have also been addressed. The publication, which is the outcome of a study on the promotion of professional social work towards social development and poverty reduction in East Africa, analyses the role that professional social work plays in the efforts to reduce poverty, enhance social development and realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Kenya. Consequently, emphasis has been laid on the status of professional social work education and practice in preparing social workers to address issues of poverty and MDGs in the country. Cross cutting gender issues that impact on social work education and practice which in turn affect the efforts to address poverty in Kenya have also been analysed. Given that the time span for MDGs was to end in 2015, the authors envisage that the lessons learnt through this study, and the gains made with regard to MDGs should not end in the set time span but rather, that social work educators and practitioners, together with other stakeholders in policy formulation and implementation, still have more to of in making sure that these gains are consolidated into social work training and practice, with additional efforts being made towards sustainable poverty reduction efforts in Kenya.

In September 2000, world leaders from 189 countries, including 147 Heads of State, gathered at the United Nations General Assembly to consider the challenges of the new millennium. They adopted the Millennium Declaration, which set out a vision for inclusive and sustainable globalization (UN 2000 (A/RES/55/2)). The leaders pledged to work towards ensuring that conditions of extreme poverty are eradicated wherever they existed. To actualise this declaration, the UN established eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015. The goals were broken down into 18 concrete targets and 48 indicators to track progresses in implementation. For the past 14 years thereafter, countries in sub-Saharan Africa have been striving to achieve the goals. So far, some have achieved some of the goals, and the results toward the rest of the goals are also by and large positive, though off-target. This book brings together results of studies on progresses and challenges in the implementation of the MDGs in Lesotho, Kenya, Botswana, Madagascar, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda and Nigeria. The authors focus on selected goals as cases. The book also presents lessons that can inform the post-2015 development agenda.

The 'feminisation of poverty' is viewed as a global trend, and of particular concern in developing regions. Yet although popularisation of the term may have raised women's visibility in development discourses and gone some way to 'en-gender' policies for poverty reduction, the construct is only weakly substantiated. This work covers this topic.