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Over the past two decades, we have seen an explosion in research on the topic of women's empowerment and its related dimensions, yet there remains much to be done in terms of clarifying conceptual pathways and best practices in measurement. This review traces the intellectual and historic context in which women's status and empowerment in lower- and middle-income countries have been measured, the conceptual and operationalization challenges in shaping research questions, the use of empirical measures and their connection to levels of social analysis, and the identification of emerging directions for future research. With the recognition that empowerment is as much a collective process as it is individual, we argue that a more integrative and multidisciplinary approach to empowerment is needed. This would require incorporating an intersectional lens, employing the life course approach, and tapping into diverse sources of data that can together strengthen future research.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Foreword: Emerging Intersections-Building Knowledge and Transforming Institutions / Hill Collins, Patricia -- Acknowledgments / Thornton Dill, Bonnie / Enid Zambrana, Ruth -- 1. Critical Thinking about Inequality: An Emerging Lens / Thornton Dill, Bonnie / Enid Zambrana, Ruth -- 2. Entering a Profession: Race, Gender, and Class in the Lives of Black Women Attorneys / Higginbotham, Elizabeth -- 3. The Intersection of Poverty Discourses: Race, Class, Culture, and Gender / Henderson, Debra / Tickamyer, Ann -- 4. Staggered Inequalities in Access to Higher Education by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity / Enid Zambrana, Ruth / MacDonald, Victoria-María -- 5. Developing Policy to Address the Lived Experiences of Working Mothers / Gatta, Mary -- 6. Exploring the Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, and Class on Maternity Leave Decisions: Implications for Public Policy / Manuel, Tiffany / Enid Zambrana, Ruth -- 7. Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in the Workforce, Education, and Training under Welfare Reform / Jones-Deweever, Avis / Thornton Dill, Bonnie / Schram, Sanford -- 8. Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Early School Leaving (Dropping Out) / Dance, L. Janelle -- 9. Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Political Participation and Civic Engagement / Frasure, Lorrie Ann / Williams, Linda Faye -- 10. Intersections, Identities, and Inequalities in Higher Education / Thornton Dill, Bonnie -- 11. Transforming the Campus Climate through Institutions, Collaboration, and Mentoring / Thornton Dill, Bonnie / Enid Zambrana, Ruth / McLaughlin, Amy -- 12. Conclusion: Future Directions in Knowledge Building and Sustaining Institutional Change / Enid Zambrana, Ruth / Thornton Dill, Bonnie -- Contributors -- Index

For the poorest of our world, non-communicable diseases and injuries (NCDIs) account for more than a third of their burden of disease; this burden includes almost 800000 deaths annually among those aged younger than 40 years, more than HIV, tuberculosis, and maternal deaths combined. • Despite already living in abject poverty, between 19 million and 50 million of the poorest billion spend a catastrophic amount of money each year in direct out-of-pocket costs on health care as a result of NCDIs. • Progressive implementation of affordable, cost-effective, and equitable NCDI interventions between 2020 and 2030 could save the lives of more than 4·6 million of the world's poorest, including 1·3 million who would otherwise die before the age of 40 years. • To avoid needless death and suffering, and to reduce the risk of catastrophic health spending, essential NCDI services must be financed through pooled, public resources, either from increased domestic funding or external funds. • National governments should set and adjust priorities based on the best available local data on NCDIs and the specific needs of the worst off. • International development assistance for health should be augmented and targeted to ensure that the poorest families affected by NCDIs are included in progress towards universal health care.