Vulnerable Women and Neo-Liberal Globalization: Debt Burdens Undermine Women's Health in the Global South

It is argued that many Southerndebt obligations are not morally binding because they are not democratically legitimate and this structure is sustained by the heavy burden of debt repayments imposed on many Southern countries.

Abstract

Contemporary processes of globalization have been accompanied by a serious deterioration in the health of many women across the world. Particularly disturbing is the drastic decline in the health status of many women in the global South, as well as some women in the global North. This paper argues that the health vulnerability of women in the global South is inseparable from their political and economic vulnerability. More specifically, it links the deteriorating health of many Southern women with the neo-liberal economic policies that characterize contemporary economic globalization and argues that this structure is sustained by the heavy burden of debt repayments imposed on many Southern countries. In conclusion, it argues that many Southern debt obligations are not morally binding because they are not democratically legitimate.