Reaping the double dividends of Gender Equality

State of the children 2007 :

by Ranga Chandrarathne

Despite continues attempts to eradicate the social menace of gender discrimination, it is still wide spread in every region of the world.

Gender equality has been recognized as pivotal to realization of the Millennium agenda, which is impossible to achieve without the complete participation of all members of the society. It has been acknowledged within the Millennium Development Goals those vulnerable sections of the society, specially, children require special care and attention.

Former Secretary General of the United Nations in a message to the UNICEF report on the 'State of Children 2007' stated that "in the 27 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, much has been done to advance the progress of women.

But we have fallen far short of what we need to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Until there is gender equality, there can be no sustainable development. It is impossible to realize our goals while discriminating against the half of the humanity."

Gender equality will not only empower women but also their children, families and countries. Therefore, it is morally right and it is also pivotal to human progress and sustainable development.

It will produce double dividends in terms of benefiting women and children and producing healthy educated generation of children. The amount of influence women have over the decisions in the house hold has been positively affected the nutrition, health care and education of children. Gender equality is imperative to create a world of equity, tolerance and shared responsibility and a world fit for children.

However, the gender discrimination from the preference for sons over daughters, limited opportunities in education and work for girls and women and out-right gender-based violence in the forms of physical and sexual violence, are still prevalent across regions. The other forms discriminations are also harmful to the human progress.

Institutional discrimination, which is often taken for granted in the name of preserving puritan culture, is harder to identify and rectify. Cultural traditions that socially exclude women continue unchallenged as gender stereotypes remain widely accepted.

Enhancing women's influence in three key decisions that shaped their lives and those of their children, the household, the work place and political sphere, is obligatory in the process of elimination of gender discrimination and empowering women. The change of attitude in one of these spheres influences women's equality in the others and has a profound and positive impact on children.

Equality in the household

It has been found out when it comes to household decision making which is directly affects the welfare and education of the children, women generally tend to place higher value on welfare-related goals and are more likely to use their influence and resources to control, promote the needs of the family and particularly of children.

Both empirical and demographic data suggest that the household decision-making process is often carried out through bargaining which is more likely to favour men than women. Factors such as control of income and assets, age at marriage and level of education severely crippled women's influence in household decision-making.

According to data from the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 10 out of 30 developing countries, half or more women participate in all house hold decisions, including those regarding major household spending, the women's health care and their visits with friends or relatives outside the home.

The women's exclusion from household decision-making has adversely and directly affected the welfare of the children.

According to a study conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute, it has been observed that if men and women had the equal influence on decision-making, the incidence of underweight children under three years old in South Asia would fall up to 13 per cent point, resulting in 13.4 million fewer undernourished children in the region; in sub-Saharan Africa, an additional 1.7 million children would be adequately nourished.

Women's empowerment within households will also increase the likely hood of children attending school. A UNICEF survey of selected countries across developing world found out that, on average, children with undereducated mothers are at least twice more likely to be out of school than children whose mothers attended primary school.

Men play a crucial role in promoting egalitarian decision-making. This could be achieved through simple and direct strategies, such as sharing responsibility for household cores and child care and can combat gender discrimination in household and communities.

However, the pivotal role that women can play in challenging and defying discriminatory attitudes in their communities is the most important catalyst for change and advance the rights of girls and women for generations to come.

Equality in employment

Another factor which crucially affects the women's equality is the equality in employment.

Though major strides were made in engaging women in workforce over the past decades, there still remain gray areas such as improving working conditions, recognizing women's unpaid work, eliminating discriminatory practices, and laws related to property and inheritance rights, and providing support for children.

On the other hand, ensuing equal opportunities for women and men in generating and managing income is an important step towards realizing women's right as children's rights are more likely to be fulfilled when women enjoy their social and economic rights.

Even women participate in the labour market for paid employment, unpaid work in and for the household still take up the majority of their working hours.

When women work outside the household, they earn, on average, far less than men and more likely to work under precarious forms of employment circumstances with low earnings, little financial security and few or no social benefits.

The women also earn less and tend to have fewer assets. Smaller salaries and less control over household income constrain the ability to accumulate capital. Gender biases in property and inheritance laws and in other channels of acquiring assets also contributed in keeping women and children at greater risk of poverty.

The factors such as the time the women spend in workplace, their working conditions and who controls their income, by and large, determine how the women's work in the labour market affects the welfare of themselves and that of their children.

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Gender discrimination

Foeticide and infanticide

Gender discrimination begins early. Modern diagnostic tools for pregnancy have made it possible to determine a child's sex in the earliest phase. Where there is clear economic or cultural preference for sons, the misuse of these techniques can facilitate female foeticide.

Although there is no conclusive to confirm such illegal misuses, birth histories and census data reveal an unusually high proportion of male birth and male children under five in Asia, notably in China and India, suggesting sex-selective foeticide and infanticide in the world's two most populous countries-despite initiatives to eradicate these practices in both countries.

Genital mutilation

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) involves partial or total removal of, or other injuries to, female genitalia for cultural, non-medical reasons. The practice of FGM/C mainly occurs in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa and some parts of South-East Asia.

It is estimated that more than 130 million women and girls alive today have been subjected to FGMC/C. FGM/C can have grave health consequences, including the failure to heal, increased susceptibility to HIV infection, childbirth complications, inflammatory diseases and urinary incontinence. Severe bleeding and infection can lead to death.

Child marriage and premature parenthood

Child or early marriage refers to marriages and union where one or both parents are underage of 18. Globally, 36 per cent of women aged 20-24 were married or in union before they reached their 18 birthday, most common in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Child marriage is a long-standing tradition in areas where it is practised, marking protest sometimes barely possible. Parents may consent to child marriages out of economic necessity, or because they believe marriage will protect girls from sexual assault and pregnancy outside marriage, extend girl's child bearing years or ensure obedience to their husband's household.

Premature pregnancy and motherhood are an inevitable consequence of child marriage. An estimate 14 million adolescents between 15 and 19 give birth each year.

Girls under 15 are five times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than women in their twenties. If a mother is under 18, her baby's chance of dying in the first year of life is 60 per cent greater than of a baby born to a mother older than 19. Even if the child survives, he or she is more likely to suffer from low birth weight, undernutrition and late physical and cognitive development.