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Two areas of social action in developing nations that have received attention in the last decade are the survival and healthy development of children, and the social and economic well-being of women. In both areas, there has been concern about the relation between women's work and child welfare, but from two different points of view. One view comes from the Women-in-Development (WID) community. Focussing primarily on women's productive roles, WID programs tend either to downplay women's child care responsibilities or to assume that adequate substitute child care is available. They are also likely to assume that children will benefit from women's increased earnings and from the greater control by women over the use of resources that women's work can bring. Another view is typical of policy makers and researchers concerned with child health, nutrition, and development who assume that women should devote themselves primarily to their reproductive and child care roles and that they are available to do so. A corollary is that if women take on a productive role, particularly one outside the home, the welfare of children will suffer. Often, there is little recognition of the additional burdens child survival and development programs may place on women. Or, there is an assumption that seemingly minor burdens will result in longer-term benefits for women through savings of time and money associated with reduced child illness. These summaries of background papers and discussion examine available research evidence related to the above propositions, and report program and policy implications. (Author/RH)

This report explains that all adults must watch out for all children, cautioning that marketing is harmful to children. Advertisers are aggressively targeting age groups that, until recently, have been considered off-limits and occupying more of children's psychic and physical space. The report presents a commitment by mothers to all children to reassert themselves and their values in the lives of children, deconstruct advertising messages, make homes and families commercial-free, reach out to fellow citizens, make schools commercial-free zones, support companies that support their mission, and work for public policies that adequately protect all children. It urges advertisers to endorse a Mother's Code which bans advertising/marketing in schools or to children under age 8, product placement in movies and media for children and teens, behavioral science research to develop advertising/marketing for children and teens, and advertising/marketing for children and teens that promotes an ethic of selfishness and instant gratification. This report explains: "Why Mothers Join Together"; "The Money World and the Motherworld"; "What You Are Doing to Our Children"; "Using Manipulative Tactics"; "The Harm to Our Children"; "Why We Raise Our Voices as Mothers"; "Our Pledge"; and "Our Next Steps." (Contains 127 endnotes.) (SM)

This report examines child poverty in the United States, discusses its cause and persistence, and makes recommendations for solutions. Areas examined involve the historical roots of social-welfare policy in the United States; the facts behind the mythologies and misperceptions concerning child and family poverty; the children and families to be concerned about as the nation enters the 21st century; the reasons behind poverty; the risks associated with poverty; and child-development strategies, including the need for comprehensive approaches. As a nation, the United States is more responsive to crisis than to prevention. There is a need for U.S. society to recognize that all children deserve and need a healthy start in life, high quality early care and education, parental support systems, job market opportunities that allow parents to provide for their children emotionally and financially, and decent affordable housing in safe, stable environments. To achieve this, a greater emphasis must be placed on building the human infrastructure, which is the foundation of social and economic well-being for the United States as a nation. (Contains 79 references.) (GLR)

Ways to promote healthy child development are addressed in this essay. The following conditions conducive to identified: (1) an intact, cohesive, nuclear family; (2) a relationship with at least one parent or surrogate who is consistently loving and nurturing; (3) easy access to supportive family members; (4) a supportive community (neighborhood, religious, ethnic, political group, or other large group beyond the family that is helpful); and (5) some measure of predictability about the adult environment that permits gradual preparation to cope with it and take advantage of its real opportunities. The predicament of today's children is discussed, along with ways of meeting essential requirements for healthy growth, including prenatal care, primary health care, child care, parental competence, and multiple services through home visiting. Challenges for implementation are noted. Contains 44 references. (LB)