This book examines the connection between poverty and illiteracy among women in a global context and presents guidelines for developing literacy activities for women. The following topics are covered: defining literacy (negative effects of illiteracy and literacy programs for women); global context (literacy gap, gender disparities, urban/rural disparities, the age factor, illiteracy in industrialized countries, and illiteracy's effects on women); the legacy of female illiteracy (obstacles to literacy, motivation and literacy, women and development and the labor force, and literacy and sustainable development); international responses to illiteracy among women (International Literacy Year 1990, the World Conference on Education for All, and the role of non-governmental organizations in addressing the problem); successful literacy projects (the time factor, language choice, and selection and training of personnel, and achieving success); literacy's impact on women's rights, health, environmental protection, agriculture and fishing, children's school performance, and female employment; program development (assessing women's needs, preparing literacy programs, and planning literacy projects); and producing written material (basic principles of adult education, planning and preparing teaching materials, and developing post-literacy materials). Appended are a series of questions and answers about literacy education for women and a list of 60 pertinent organizations. Contains 110 references. (MN)