It is a commonly held view that development policies lead to domestic inflation together with balance of payments problems. The underlying mechanisms which in many developing countries have made this view come true are rather well-known. Increased investment outlays lead to increased purchasing power and imports; prices rise, and, to the extent that aggregate output and real income actually increase, this in itself will further contribute to the deterioration in the country's balance of payments. The time will soon come when the International Monetary Fund, as a precondition for extending short-term loans to support the country's depleted reserves of foreign exchange, will ask for deflationary measures in order to restore order to the country's finances. Development will slow down, and if the balance of payments has deteriorated significantly, devaluation will be required.

Rapid developments of the twentieth century have forced attention upon the changing status and role of women in all societies. As they have acquired a longer life expectancy, are having healthier children, and with the advancing technology, mass production and distribution contributing to their lessening housekeeping chores, women have acquired more and more leisure time.

While the industrialized societies have been mostly concerned with the problem of leisure time for these women, and making optimum use of all human resources, both male and female, the developing countries have been facing the basic problem of illiteracy, and particularly illiteracy of their female population. There has always been a small segment of the female population in developing countries with as much, if not more, leisure time than those of the industrialized nations.