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Globalization and Human Developmentwhich is attributed to the removal ofrestrictions on commerce, investment, andmodern information and communicationstechnology.This is what led the private business sectorto consider the whole world as its operatingfield, which means that it is on its way tobecome integrated into the internationalprivate sector. At the same time, the familysector and the NGO sector remain confinedwithin the national economies, which meansthat their chance of achieving globalizationis both weak and partial.Information and communications technologyhas led to a globalization parallel to thesocial movements. Civil communityorganizations of all kinds joined ininternational networks to oppose theinequalities inherent in globalization.It is necessary to identify the features ofgender inequality in traditional communities.Women may experience no discriminationin the work place, but excluding womenfrom participating in international markets -as an employee, working for herself, or asowner of a small project - leads todeepening gender inequality and does nothelp narrowing the gender gap. Moreover,intra-women disparities are wideningbetween women in the developed countriesand women in the developing ones, andbetween a minority of women and theremaining majority within the same country.In both cases, free market and private sectorbased globalization acts in favor of theadvantaged, and at the detriment of thedisadvantaged, groups among women.Relatively speaking, in both types of countriesa minority of women are advantaged byrichness, access to assets, access toinformation and communication technologies,and competitive levels of qualifications andskills.Manifestations of globalizationGlobalization is a multifaceted process thatmanifests itself in the various aspects of life.None of these aspects does not bear traits ofwomen’s influence either directly throughdifferent forms of participation or indirectlythrough cordial relations with men ashusbands, sons, fathers, brothers, or evenfriends. However, manifestations ofglobalization suggest more direct and activeroles for women.Political ManifestationsHuman rights, democracy, equalopportunities, social integration, tolerance andthe liberty of conviction are major axioms inthe political manifestations of globalization.Women, as the first tutors of new generations,have a strategic role in implanting thesevalues and translating them into individualand collective comportment within eachsociety and among nations. Education, accessto the sources of different cultures, access toinformation and mass media, and activewomen’s associations are all necessaryprerequisites to enable women to play thisrole.Economic manifestationsSince women are responsible for managingthe family budget, they can play an importantrole in rationalizing the consumption patternsand behaviors to cope with the householdresources and the national productivecapacity. This meets the challengeglobalization imposes on the developingcountries, including Egypt, through twointerrelated economic manifestations; namelyfree trade and the demonstration effect.Playing this role successfully can helpavoiding complications that result from thebalance of payments deficit; something ofspecial importance to Egypt that sufferschronic deficit in its trade balance and acritical situation of the balance of payments ingeneral.Cultural ManifestationsIt is necessary to differentiate between twoconcepts, the culture of globalization andcultural globalization. So far, the culture ofglobalization has been largely based on amajority of principles reflecting thepredominance of western civilization withoutdistinction between what is positive and whatis negative in this civilization. Women all overthe world should participate actively infostering the positive aspects while fightingagainst the negative ones. Moreover, theculture of globalization need to be enriched bydiversity and openness vis-à-vis the othercultures especially in Africa, the Middle East,and Asia.22 -Egypt Human Development Report 2000/2001