Developing Economies

most post-colonial societies are still struggling to join the global economy that began its rapid development with the industrial revolution. for political and economic reasons a great majority are at a disadvantage in catching up to "early developing countries" that got a head start in an era of imperialism. the economies of the great powers developed with the benefit of free and cheap labor while what are now developing countries were the colonies to provide that labor and other discounted resources. developing countries have struggled to participate in an international system that developed to benefit the powers of the world and today many still export primary goods: minerals, petroleum, cash crops (coffee, cocoa, tropical fruits), and of course their labor.

Women's Work

women tend to dominate the informal sector of developing countries (industries such as street vending and petty trading). informal economies are both less lucrative than wage labor, and lack protections against illness and other disruptions to income. women in these industries earn substantially less than men who have access to skilled labor, clerical, and professional jobs. in addition to working for income women also maintain household duties and childcare responsibilities at home, which of course are unpaid. when female children are of schooling age, a gender bias will often keep them in the home helping their mothers, rather than attending school.

Children's Work

in many developing countries no middle class exists. there is a very small elite, and everyone else. the indigenous peoples of a country are often at the bottom of the socioeconomic hierarchy. land ownership disputes have displaced the indigenous peoples of many regions of central america, forcing farmers off their land and into urban areas in search of work. as urbanization accelerates, there is an increasing role for children as economic contributors to poor households. common economic activities for children are sewing and vending textiles, laundering clothes, and shining shoes. more dangerous occupations take place in factories. an insidious implication of child labor is that children who are working are not in school, and become stuck in an intergenerational cycle of poverty.