This book analyses the specific demographic implications and conditioning factors of women's experience of poverty. By investigating the different experiences that women in developing countries face in attempting to escape from poverty, the contributors illustrate the importance of incorporating the gender perspective into population studies.

Higher fertility levels and early nuptiality patterns among the poor are frequently attributed to socioeconomic reasons. The authors of this book demonstrate the importance of looking at other dimensions, such as the subordinate roles of women in their families of origin and the centrality of motherhood in women's lives. Some chapters also show how gender inequality in educational skills and cultural norms regarding motherhood, marital status, and the limiting of physical movement explain why poverty alleviation strategies such as market work and migration may have different results for men and women. Finally, other authors look into women's autonomy in household decisions as a factor that exerts a strong influence on their ability to obtain maternal and infant health care.