Research on women and food security in Southeast Asia has been limited. The collection of chapters in Ensuring a Square Meal: Women and Food Security in Southeast Asia is one of the first attempts at providing a lens into the linkages between women and food security at the household, community, national, and transnational levels. More broadly, the chapters examine women's contribution in households, resource distribution to produce food, and the purchasing power to buy food. In analysing the various facets of food security in relation to gender, the analyses focus on the meanings of 'private' and 'public', and the extent to which the effects of the two spheres spill over into each other. Given women's critical role in food production and provision, the book assesses the structural forces enabling women to access productive resources and, in turn, ensure sustainable strategies for food security; as well as it evaluates how governments might address the constraints women face in this vital role.

In the coming decades, challenges and risks associated with rapid population ageing will be paramount in Asia-Pacific. Examining key trends, dilemmas and developments with reference to specific nations, the book draws conclusions and policy recommendations that apply to Asia-Pacific as a whole. Individual chapters focus on the impact of population ageing, along with urbanization and industrialization, on the lives of people in the region. The book shows how leaders in Asia-Pacific - political, community and others - need to respond to changes in family and social structures, disease pathology, gender roles, income security, the care of older citizens and the provision of social and health welfare.

In the coming decades, challenges and risks associated with rapid population ageing will be paramount in Asia-Pacific. Examining key trends, dilemmas and developments with reference to specific nations, the book draws conclusions and policy recommendations that apply to Asia-Pacific as a whole. Individual chapters focus on the impact of population ageing, along with urbanization and industrialization, on the lives of people in the region. The book shows how leaders in Asia-Pacific - political, community and others - need to respond to changes in family and social structures, disease pathology, gender roles, income security, the care of older citizens and the provision of social and health welfare.

The book examines the health rights of older persons who are more likely potentially to face various disadvantages in terms of healthcare access and affordability, thereby impacting on health outcomes. The point of departure in the analyses is that the health security of older persons is guaranteed only if a country approaches the health of its citizens out of moral obligation, viewing health and well-being as a right rather than an entitlement. Data from five countries in the ASEAN region are analysed with the intent of highlighting the health inequalities and barriers at the societal and individual levels, on the one hand, as well as the gaps at the health and healthcare policy and programmatic levels within each country, on the other. It is also intended that the analyses of the data from the selected countries which represent different stages of development, and thus income levels, provide a useful comparative framework for policymakers in the ASEAN region.

The book examines the health rights of older persons who are more likely potentially to face various disadvantages in terms of healthcare access and affordability, thereby impacting on health outcomes. The point of departure in the analyses is that the health security of older persons is guaranteed only if a country approaches the health of its citizens out of moral obligation, viewing health and well-being as a right rather than an entitlement. Data from five countries in the ASEAN region are analysed with the intent of highlighting the health inequalities and barriers at the societal and individual levels, on the one hand, as well as the gaps at the health and healthcare policy and programmatic levels within each country, on the other. It is also intended that the analyses of the data from the selected countries which represent different stages of development, and thus income levels, provide a useful comparative framework for policymakers in the ASEAN region.

The male bread-winner was once the dominant role model in middle- and upper-class families worldwide. Increasingly, however, rising costs of living plus the desire to work have drawn women into wage employment. This is especially so among those with higher education and keen to build careers for themselves. The experiences of women in different parts of Asia are no exception. Although many of them now work, this has not taken them away from their role as mothers nor lessened their familial responsibilities. The essays in this book examine how larger structural, economic, historical and social/cultural forces impact on Asian women in their everyday life as mothers and workers.

As a region, Southeast Asia has undergone enormous economic and social changes in the last few decades. Women as a collective have seen their lives transformed as a result of rapid development and economic growth. In exploring the progress made by Southeast Asian men and women, this book seeks to answer the following questions: (a) In what areas have women been able to achieve parity with men? (b) In what areas do women encounter specific disadvantages based on their gender as compared with men? and (c) How have women's concerns and problems been addressed by the governments in this region with the aim of encouraging gender equality? As the title of this book suggests, the chapters provide an analysis of the broad trends - including changes and continuities - in the experiences, interests and concerns of Southeast Asian women. The chapters examine the trends related to women in the following arenas: the family, economic participation, politics, health, and religion. In some arenas, the trends reflect the disadvantages women face, which in turn have led to gender gaps; in other areas, women's progress has been found to eclipse that of the men, although this tends to be the exception.

The chapters in this book are an assembly of commentaries by a distinguished team of specialists on the social impact of the Singapore Women's Charter on women and men. The Women's Charter is the main legislation protecting women's rights in the context of the family in Singapore. Highlights of this book include the reasons for the significance of legislation to protect women's rights in marriage; how the legislation came about; case studies from Southeast Asia; how the Singapore Women's Charter evolved and became established; how the Charter goes beyond protecting women's rights by reinforcing men's and women's obligations and duties in a marital partnership; how the Charter has come to be perceived by men and women especially in its enforcement in the context of divorce; and the social repercussions of the Charter on the family in its application.There has been ongoing discussion on the implications of the Charter on the lives of Singaporean women and men for some years since its implementation. The purpose of this book is to enrich our understanding of this legislation further - its objectives, efficacy and shortfalls.