Holmes and Jones convincingly demonstrate that only social protection policies developed with a gender lens can alter the causes of poverty and vulnerability. Their prescriptions for programme change have the potential to transform lives on the ground. This book should be required reading for academics and practitioners alike.

Liesl Haas, Department of Political Science, California State University

This publication highlights a key gap in the current design of social protection programs and policies. Taking into account the barriers that women face in accessing resources, mainstreaming gender equality in social protection interventions is critical. This publication contributes to a rethinking of current interventions on social protection.

Lilian Keene-Mugerwa, Platform For Labour Action

Holmes and Jones should be congratulated for making this compelling case for gender-sensitive social protection programming. Their considerable experience and expertise ensures this book will be an essential read for hardened "social protectionistas", students, researchers and practitioners.

Professor Armando Barrientos, Senior Research Fellow, World Brooks Poverty Institute, University of Manchester

Examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to social protection in reducing extreme poverty, Rebecca Holmes and Nicola Jones argue that their effectiveness would be greatly increased if they took proper account of gender relations. Unless gender inequality is understood to be playing a major role in perpetuating poverty, current programmes will fail to achieve their potential. Analytically strong with richly illustrated examples based on research carried out in five continents, this book makes an important and welcome contribution to the ongoing debate over how to tackle poverty.

Professor Maxine Molyneux, Director of the Institute of the Americas, University College London

Providing a rich evidence base on gendered risk and vulnerabilities, this is a valuable analysis of social protection programmes through a gender lens. The authors document the potential and limits of social protection tools in transforming women's lives, providing valuable lessons to policy makers and practitioners that can improve the gender sensitivity and transformative potential of their programmes.

Sarah Cook, Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

A timely and critical addition to the literature on this subject - the authors guide the reader to an approach to social protection that leads towards real transformation. Comprehensive yet context specific, this book provides an excellent balance of theory with practical guidance. A must-read for governments, donors, NGOs, consultants, students and academics.

Suzette Mitchell, UN Women (Vietnam)