This paper looks at recent macro-economic changes in the Asian and Pacific region, in terms of their effects on women in the region. The focus is on the processes typically associated with "globalization" and economic liberalization, which involve greater trade dependence, greater capital mobility and so on. The paper also highlights the observed effects on female employment, unemployment, general material conditions, and other social effects, especially in some of the countries that have experienced the most rapid economic changes over the past decade.