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This article highlights how dynamic gender relations affect the diverse experiences of men and women in Appalachia's economic development. The analysis draws from the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census data to examine and compare the demographic, social, and economic conditions of women and men in Appalachia. The discussion focuses on geographical comparisons among Appalachia's three subregions (Northern, Central, and Southern), as delineated by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), as well as among rural, urban, and metro counties in both Appalachia and the non-Appalachian United States. The discussion outlines how gender roles--particularly the status of women in Appalachia--are being transformed in the context of economic restructuring, shifting educational experiences, changing marriage and family status, and rural urban dynamics. The analysis responds to questions concerning how women's entry into the workforce affects their economic status, if at all. Following the introduction, the article explores some of the geographical aspects of gender relations and the effects of economic restructuring in Appalachia. The social dimensions of women's economic status are outlined through a discussion of educational attainment and family and marital status. Economic aspects of gender differences in the labor market are analyzed, specifically labor force participation, employment in diverse economic sectors, and income. Also examined are public policies that affect women's economic status through access to higher education, childcare, and other social services. The article concludes with a summary of these spatial and socio-economic themes and offers recommendations for achieving gender equity by improving the status of women in Appalachia. (Contains 4 tables and 6 endnotes.)

This paper examines the transformative role of critical feminist pedagogy as it applies to global experiential learning. I argue that a feminist approach to global education challenges racialized, neoliberal, and colonizing dimensions of higher education. Global experiential learning provides the basis for an interactive or relational form of critical feminist pedagogy within cross-cultural and transnational communities. The methodology for this research is grounded in decolonizing and feminist pedagogies that address multiple levels of engagement within the education process and among students, faculty, and communities. This discussion demonstrates how critical feminist pedagogy effectively addresses societal issues concerning power, privilege, and knowledge production that are evident in the context of rising populism and nativism in the U.S. The analysis in this paper includes a case study of a global experiential learning program in which university students worked with community-based organizations in rural Tanzania. Their pre-departure orientation, assignments, field-based learning, and overall experiences are examined in light of this pedagogical approach. In sum, this pedagogical analysis demonstrates how transnational and feminist practices provide effective ways to construct decolonizing engagement and community-based learning in global education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gendered livelihoods encompass the material realities and ideological processes that shape and are shaped by economic strategies in diverse geographical locations. The articles in this theme issue of the journal "Gender, Place and Culture," examine women's multiple gender identities and livelihood strategies in rural and urban environments within the context of global restructuring. They reflect an in-depth understanding of gendered livelihood strategies that stem, in part, from rich fieldwork experiences in places as diverse as India, West Africa, the U.S. and South Africa. Although frameworks for livelihood analysis differ in their detail, the basic elements consider resources, strategies, and outcomes.