Gender equality is smart economics: WB
KATHMANDU, Sept 20:
Gender equality matters in its own right but it is also smart economics as countries that create better opportunities and conditions for women and girls can raise productivity, improve outcomes for children, make institutions more representative, and advance development prospects for all, a new World Bank report says.
The ´World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development´ says for an economy to be functioning at its potential, women´s skills and talents should be engaged in activities that make the best use of those abilities.
In Nepal, for instance, giving women a bigger say in managing forests significantly improved conservation outcomes, the report states.
In India, giving power to women at the local level (through political quotas) led to increase in the provision of public goods such as water, sanitation and male-preferred goods such as irrigation and schools and reduced corruption. “Bribes paid by men and women in villages with a female leader were 2.7 to 3.2 percentage points less than in villages with a male leader,” according to the report.
The report quoting Food and Agriculture Organization estimates says that equalizing access to productive resources between female and male farmers can also increase agricultural output in developing countries by as much as 2.5 to 4 percent.
Eliminating barriers that prevent women from working in certain occupations or sectors can reduce the productivity gap between male and female workers by one-third to one-half and increase output per worker by 3 to 25 per cent across a range of countries.
These examples show removing barriers that prevent women from having the same access as men to education, economic opportunities and productive inputs can generate broad productivity gains.
“But this is not always the case and disparities remain in many areas,” the report states. The worst disparity is the rate at which girls and women die relative to men in developing countries.“
"Globally, excess female mortality - after birth and ´missing´ girls at birth - accounts for an estimated 3.9 million women each year in low- and middle-income countries. About two-fifths are never born due to a preference for sons, a sixth die in early childhood, and over a third die in their reproductive year”," the report says.
In many low-income countries in South Asia, female mortality rates are high because of abuse of new technologies for sex-selective abortions as discrimination by parents toward girls is still a serious problem in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The report warns gender inequality diminishes a country´s ability to compete internationally - particularly if the country specializes in exporting goods and services for which men and women workers are equally well suited.
Source: Republica
Gender equality matters in its own right but it is also smart economics as countries that create better opportunities and conditions for women and girls can raise productivity, improve outcomes for children, make institutions more representative, and advance development prospects for all, a new World Bank report says.
The ´World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development´ says for an economy to be functioning at its potential, women´s skills and talents should be engaged in activities that make the best use of those abilities.
In Nepal, for instance, giving women a bigger say in managing forests significantly improved conservation outcomes, the report states.
In India, giving power to women at the local level (through political quotas) led to increase in the provision of public goods such as water, sanitation and male-preferred goods such as irrigation and schools and reduced corruption. “Bribes paid by men and women in villages with a female leader were 2.7 to 3.2 percentage points less than in villages with a male leader,” according to the report.
The report quoting Food and Agriculture Organization estimates says that equalizing access to productive resources between female and male farmers can also increase agricultural output in developing countries by as much as 2.5 to 4 percent.
Eliminating barriers that prevent women from working in certain occupations or sectors can reduce the productivity gap between male and female workers by one-third to one-half and increase output per worker by 3 to 25 per cent across a range of countries.
These examples show removing barriers that prevent women from having the same access as men to education, economic opportunities and productive inputs can generate broad productivity gains.
“But this is not always the case and disparities remain in many areas,” the report states. The worst disparity is the rate at which girls and women die relative to men in developing countries.“
"Globally, excess female mortality - after birth and ´missing´ girls at birth - accounts for an estimated 3.9 million women each year in low- and middle-income countries. About two-fifths are never born due to a preference for sons, a sixth die in early childhood, and over a third die in their reproductive year”," the report says.
In many low-income countries in South Asia, female mortality rates are high because of abuse of new technologies for sex-selective abortions as discrimination by parents toward girls is still a serious problem in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The report warns gender inequality diminishes a country´s ability to compete internationally - particularly if the country specializes in exporting goods and services for which men and women workers are equally well suited.
Source: Republica
